Ten students from St John’s sister school Boca Prep in Florida visited Sidmouth recently.

The boys, all part of Boca Prep’s Football Academy, took part in a special training week with pupils from St John’s and coaches from Plymouth Argyle Football Club.

Following a whistle-stop sightseeing tour of London organised by St John’s, the team arrived in Sidmouth on Sunday night.

At 8.30am the team were up and training on St John’s School pitches – although it was possibly something of a shock to the system as even though it was bright sunshine, the temperature was about one degree centigrade and it was quite muddy underfoot.

Coach Daniel Calvalcanti who travelled with the team from Florida commented ‘this is a fantastic opportunity for the team to experience the realities of European football. The pitches they usually train on are slightly more manicured and it’s usually quite a bit warmer but this trip will give them a fresh perspective on the game and provide them with some different challenges.’

Jacey Lee, Head of PE and Games at St John’s travelled to Boca Prep in Florida in January to participate in a Football Academy training camp and has been instrumental in organising the trip back – with fixtures arranged between St John’s, Boca Prep and Sidmouth College amongst others.

Return trips to Florida with St John’s students are also in the offing as part of the enhanced relationship between the two schools and the development of St John’s sports offering.