This autumn Pippa’s Guardians congratulate seventeen-year-old Sunil Caraballo, who attends Wycliffe College and is looked after by guardian Susie Sedgwick; Sunil has been chosen to represent his county after being scouted at trials where young footballers competed for a place on the team from across Gloucestershire.
Sunil moved to the UK two years ago from sun-soaked Canary island Gran Canaria and has played football since the age of three. He has played consistently since his move here under the direction of his Wycliffe coaches, alongside taking his BTEC in Travel and Tourism and A Level Business, and says that his love of football comes from both the ‘priceless’ feeling when playing a great game and the relationships and bonds the sport creates. This autumn, schools across Gloucester had to choose two of their best players to attend the county trials, and Sunil and his best friend were both selected to represent Wycliffe.
Sunil said this about the trials:
‘At the trial there where about 30 people trying to get into the team. It was quite hard at first as most of those players where bigger and stronger off and on the ball. I struggled through the first couple of minutes in the trial due to English football being very different to football back home; however after a few minutes played I started getting more and more comfortable, and throughout the game in the trial I started creating chances and making the most of my opportunities. Everyone who attended the trial played really good football and it was really hard for the scouters to select a team.’
Only nineteen of the thirty students competing were selected to make the team, and Pippa’s Guardians and Sunil’s guardian Susie Sedgwick would like to offer huge congratulations to Sunil for being amongst those chosen to represent their county.
Sunil is looking forward to representing his county and to playing alongside future premier league players, and gave this advice to anyone else his age hoping to do the same:
‘My motto for football is play to have fun and to make you happy, not just only to win – although winning is really important too.’
Well done Sunil and we wish him luck in his upcoming county fixtures!