It’s not whether you get knocked
down, it’s whether you get up” – Vince Lombardi
Intent: A prestigious event - the Ambassador’s Cup, unique and one of its kind football tournament
for Indian girls in the UAE was hosted by Credence
High School on Thursday, 31st January 2019. It was a great
pleasure and pride for Credence High School to host the under 14 tournament.
The one-day tournament & football festival organized under the patronage of
the Embassy of India in UAE was to
initiate, encourage and motivate our Indian school girls to take part in the
beautiful game of soccer and create a momentum in the years ahead to take India
to the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2027. Uniting together and taking the spirit of
sportsmanship of Indians to a higher level was the aim of the event.
Experience: It was not just an ordinary tournament but a
festival at CHS and we welcomed 20 schools of UAE for the under 14 tournament. The
student volunteers of CHS took up the role with great responsibility. The under
19 tournament was hosted by Gems Modern Academy Dubai. The schools
participating for under 14 were Al Diyafah High School Dubai, The Central
School Dubai, Delhi Private School Ajman, Delhi Private School Dubai, The
Emirates National School Sharjah, Gems Millennium School Sharjah, Indian High
School Dubai, JSS International School Dubai, New Indian Model School Dubai,
Pace International School Sharjah, India International School Sharjah, The
Indian International School Dubai, Gems New Millennium School Dubai, Gems
Modern Academy Dubai, Gems Heritage School Dubai, Global Indian International
School Abu Dhabi, Aspam Indian International School Sharjah and Oasis
International School Al Ain. CHS students also participated in both the
categories. The event welcome the parents who came to cheer the girls and boost
them. The teams were smartly dressed in the sports kit provided to them. A
small breakfast meal and a quick warm up commenced the day with energy. The
senior leadership team of CHS; our Principal, Vice-Principal and the
Administrative Officer graced the morning with their presence and inaugurated
the event.
The rituals of an event; seeking
the blessings of the Almighty with the Holy Quran recitation and respecting the
country of UAE by singing the National Anthem, were followed with pleasure and
pride. An Indian cultural drill, the ‘Peacock Dance’ was performed by the
students of grade 4 and 5 of Credence High School and thereby the Senior
leadership team of CHS declared the event open with ‘Ceremonial Kick’.
Then started the exciting part of
the day, the Games. All the players were extremely excited and energetic and
giving their best efforts to goal and score. The competition was tough and
girls took the field by a storm.
Semifinals followed a short lunch break thereby kicking off for the
finals.
The final match was played
between Indian High School and Gems Modern Academy. The match was witnessed by
esteemed dignitary and honourable guests. The Chief Guest for the day was the man himself, His Excellency Mr Navdeep Singh Suri – The Ambassador of India to UAE
hand in hand with Mr Nalapad Abdulla – Chairman Credence High School and Managing
Director Nalapad Investments while the other respected guests were Miss Sunaina
Rana – Media and Culture Coordinator Embassy of India, Mr James Varghese -
Director Lulu Group, Miss Reena Bedi - Group Marketing Manager Apparel Group, Mr
Dharam Sood – Training and Learning Manager Apparel Group, Miss Seema Shetty -
Vice President Corporate Excellence NMC BR Shetty ventures, Mr Navneet Jaggi -
Vice President Middle East Indigo Airlines, Mr Robert Wilson - Commissioner
Ambassador’s Cup and Mr Bikram Singh - Chairman Soccer Foundation India and
Organiser of The Ambassador’s Cup.
The closing ceremony commenced by
welcoming our esteemed guests with beautiful potted plants. Thereby the program embraced the routines
Quran recitation, closing ‘Patriotic Drill’ and singing the Indian National
Anthem. Our Chairman sir and Principal
ma’am welcomed the guests and the teams with their welcome speech. The
gathering was thereby addressed by our esteemed Chief Guest His Excellency Mr
Navdeep Singh Suri who inspired everyone with his words of wisdom.
The prize distribution ceremony lauded
the efforts and sports spirit of the girls. All the teams were felicitated with
medals of participation. At the announcement of the runners up for under 19
& 14 (Indian High School) and the winners of under 19 (Al Diyafah School)
& 14 (Gems Modern Academy), the gathering burst to rousing cheers and that filled
the surrounding with excitement. All the winners received the medals and trophies
from our esteemed Chief Guest along with all the guests ending the tournament a
photo finish.
Insight:
Ambassador’s Cup was not just a football tournament
but also an experience. CHS team in association with all the sponsors left no
stone unturned to make this event a success and a memorable day for everyone. It was a momentous occasion and it was
promised that the tournament will be hosted by the school year by year thereby
empowering girls and giving them confidence and support to perform their best.