Roll of Honour
The inaugural edition of the Ford Team Challenge competition was won by English school Bacon’s College with an entry called ‘Precision skills with a forward roll’. The London-based school came out on top from a total of 250 entries sent in from countries all over Europe, ranging from Albania to Azerbaijan, over a period from April to December 2008.
First winners of the Ford Team Challenge, Bacon’s College
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Each team had to submit their best 60 seconds of skills, unlike the second edition of the competition where coaches can also present ideas for new training drills. ‘Precision skills with a forward roll’ was selected by UEFA’s panel of experts as the winner for its innovative combination play and great technical skills, winning them a Ford Transit Minibus. The team, who are coached by former Soviet Union international Sergei Baltacha, narrowly pipped fellow English school Moorlands and Macedonia's C.S. Roma to the big prize. Both runners-up and those teams in third and fourth positions were rewarded with training kit courtesy of adidas.
UEFA grassroots ambassador Paulo Sousa with Bacon’s College coaches Adrian Mazzarella and Sergei Baltacha and Ian Twinley from Ford.
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Following the conclusion of the first Ford Team Challenge UEFA’s Technical Director Andy Roxburgh said: "The Team Challenge has been a great way of encouraging young players to practice with a football and develop their skills in their own back garden. The fact that every player had to contribute also helped to instill a teamwork ethic, which is essential for any footballer.”
