It was a pivotal moment on the football field.  

Eight-year-old Man Xiu was within striking distance of the goal. The Anglo-Chinese School (Primary) student had worked hard for this moment. The goal post was within reach. He looked up and saw that his teammate, Quryan, was in a better position to take the shot. Man Xiu passed him the ball and Quryan took the shot. 

What made this moment particularly special was that teammate Quryan was not an ACS(P) student. He was from First Toa Payoh Primary School (FTPPS). 

Different schools, same team. 

FTPPS and ACS (P) students bonding over another football session together.

These eight-year-olds had come a long way since they started playing football together two terms earlier. 

Isaac Lee from ACS(P) remembers how at the start of the programme he had been worried about whether the FTPPS boys would be bigger than him while Dhruvan Manivannan from FTPPS had decided that he would stick with his schoolmates on the field.  

Those days are over - with some help from their teachers and coaches.  

Now it’s not about which school scores, but celebrating together, says Mrs Jean Lui, Senior Teacher for Physical Education, who coordinates the programme for ACS(P).

Hands up! Quryan from FTPPS (far left) and Man Xiu from ACS(P) (far right) join in a team cheer.

The winning partnership

This joint football programme was launched after discussions between the Principals of the two schools, Mrs Leong of ACS(P) and Mrs Choy of FTPPS. The two schools had previously collaborated for basketball and floorball. 
 
FTPPS has a football CCA for students from Primary 3. With this football collaboration with ACS(P), students can start playing from Primary 2. The programme is conducted at FTPPS by ActiveSG coaches. 

But learning football was only part of the point.  

“Having the opportunity to play with another school offered learning opportunities that staying within one school simply could not match,” says Mr Timothy Goh, the FTPPS teacher-in-charge. Students had to communicate with unfamiliar teammates, adapt to different styles of play and work with people outside their usual circle of friends. 

Learning football was only part of the point. Students had to communicate with unfamiliar teammates, adapt to different styles of play and work with people outside their usual circle of friends. 

Breaking the ice, breaking barriers 

The early days brought some expected hiccups. 

"The students were quite reserved,” says Mrs Lui. They stayed within their own school groups while figuring out how to interact with one another. Mr Goh observed the same thing. 

So, the teachers and coaches introduced ice-breakers: groups included students from both schools, players were rotated between groups, and the children were encouraged to cheer one another on. 

It didn’t take long before shouts of “Good job”, “You can do it”, “It’s ok, try again” rang out from the students regardless of which school had the ball.  

Home field, new teammates: FTPPS students share their field with ACS(P) students for their joint football sessions.

“We change groups every week, so I get to play with different people,” says Isaac. He started noticing the good players regardless of whether they were from ACS(P) or FTPPS.  

The children started teaching one another as well. Ravi Akash, from FTPPS, showed the ACS(P) students his tactics to score goals, and dribble the ball with control.  

“The boys were happy to learn from me,” he says. In return, Ravi picked up tips on how to run quickly with the ball.  

Joanne Yu (FTPPS), one of seven girls taking part this season, picked up a new passing technique from the ACS(P) students. “They taught me how to use the inside of my foot to pass the ball instead of using the toes,” she says. “I felt happy that I made new friends.”  

Thanks to suggestions from his new team mates, Dhruvan (FTPPS) practised kicking harder and shooting more accurately. 

For Joel Leong, ACS(P), the lesson had less to do with technique, and more to “show sportsmanship by being happy when either team scored”.  

From football to Pokémon 

The connections continued even when there was no football at their feet. From football chat to Pokemon to flipping water bottle challenges... the chit-chat flows. Ravi remembers playing scissors-paper-stone and “would you rather” with the ACS(P) students, and recounting their school trip to the Botanic Gardens; the ACS(P) students share their experiences as well.  

These seemingly ordinary moments matter, says Mrs Lui. “As eight-year-olds, students won’t think, ‘I am building friendships across schools’.” Instead, Mrs Lui watches for the small signs: passing the ball to a new friend, calling someone by name, encouraging someone after a mistake or simply choosing to play together without being prompted.   

The students themselves are matter-of-fact about how far these new friendships have come.   

It doesn't matter who scores – as long as these students get to see each other play well, it's a win-win.

Isaac says he does not know everyone from FTPPS well yet, but he is happy to play football with them. Murthy Chiam, ACS(P) plans to invite his FTPPS teammates to his next birthday party. Ravi hopes to learn more about defending from Adam from ACS(P). “He is very  kind to me. I talked to him a lot during the training sessions.”   

“The aim is not for every child to leave with a new best friend,” says Mrs Lui. “It is to give them repeated opportunities to become more comfortable with people beyond those they already know – to play together, learn from one another and discover common ground along the way.”  

“Football was just the tool,” says Mr Goh. His hope is that this experience gives students greater confidence when meeting others and makes them more willing to work with a wider range of people.  

For the children, the measure of success is simpler. They are ready for Term 4 and more football.