Teenagers travel almost 5,000 miles to experience life, learning and football in Shropshire

The visiting students, aged 13 to 16, travelled to Ellesmere College from partner school Ellesmere Muscat International in Seeb, Oman, to be part of the football academy and join in lessons.

The teenagers described the trip as ‘great’ and 16-year-old Yousif Mahmoud Al Jufaili, originally born in Montreal, Canada, said it was everything he hoped it would be.

He said: “I have enjoyed getting to know different friends from Ellesmere College and experiencing their culture, how they live and also getting to know how they study and work.

“One of my favourite parts was watching a professional Premier League match. This was my first time ever going to one and it was one of my best things that I experienced when travelling with the school or family.

“The Ellesmere College boys have treated us very well. We felt welcomed from the first day.”

15-year-old’s Abdulrahman AlMahrezi and Alu AlZadjali, both from Oman, described the trip as extremely fun, entertaining and enjoyable and said they were made to feel very welcome.

Their week included a trip to watch an exciting match between Chester City FC and Scunthorpe United, a tour around Manchester City’s Etihad stadium and academy, and tickets to watch Manchester City score an injury time winning goal against Wolverhampton Wanderers at Molineux on Sunday.

The visitors stayed at the boarding houses in the prestigious Shropshire college, said prayers at Shrewsbury Mosque, trained with the football academy, played a friendly match against the Ellesmere team and followed the academic curriculum in lessons too.

Their football programme included skills and drills and a high intensity fitness camp as well as a scouting programme in front of professional football scouts.

Meanwhile, the Muscat staff worked alongside Chris Horrocks, Director of Sport at Ellesmere, supported in college activities and took part in a five-a-side game with other staff and pupils, and assisted their students in lessons.

Stephen Mullock, deputy head for external relations at Ellesmere College, said it was a huge success.

He said: “We are thrilled to have been able to welcome these students from our partner school in Muscat to Shropshire for the first time.

“Throughout the week it has been great to see the boys enjoying themselves and hearing from them first-hand about all the fantastic things they have been doing, plus the real excitement of being in a boarding school.

"The boys have been a real credit to the school in Muscat and have really involved themselves in all aspects of school life. They have enjoyed everything and indeed learnt so much along the way. Likewise, I believe the visit has had the same effect on our students based at Ellesmere who did a wonderful job of making our visitors feel welcomed.

“Ellesmere Muscat has only been open for one year so it is brilliant to have been able to arrange this tour and ensure the students not only feel settled in their new school, but have the best experiences and education as possible, both inside the classroom and outside, which is very much the Ellesmere model.

“I must thank the Muscat Board, the Headmaster and all the staff and parents at Ellesmere Muscat in helping and supporting us in making this trip happen. We hope this will be the first of many such exchange visits between the two schools and look forward to this visit becoming a regular feature in the yearly calendar along with many other themed programmes along the way.”

For more information about Ellesmere College, both in Shropshire and the international sites, visit ellesmere.com