Parents praise primary school for solving World Cup dilemma ahead of England game
England and Mexico, who have reached the last 16 of the World Cup, will face an exciting match next week.
While most of us will need extra caffeine to watch the 1am kick-off at Mexico City’s Azteca Stadium on Monday morning, a primary school in England may have come up with a solution for young football fans to watch the game before bed.
Parents were delighted when Greenacres Primary School in Shrewsbury said they would be showing a replay of the match at 9am on Monday morning.
The school posted on its Facebook page: “We understand that many of our children will want to enjoy the next World Cup England Match and how unsure parents can be about how to handle the 1am kick-off!
“We will be broadcasting a replay in the school hall at 9am on Monday, July 6th to ensure our children can share in the excitement of the match as they come to school rested and ready to learn.”
The school encouraged children to wear red, white or blue and asked parents to keep the results of the match secret.
The post was liked more than 8,000 times on Facebook and shared more than 650 times.
Hundreds of users commented on the post, praising the school for the “wonderful” initiative. One person commented: “What a great idea. Even if the kids stay awake they are unlikely to stay awake and their routine will be disrupted for days.”
Another parent said: “Thank you to the school for trying to resolve the situation and thinking outside the box. And what a great memory the kids will have if we win.”
Another said: “They may know the result but there’s nothing better than watching the game as a group with your friends (sic) – great idea!”
Greenacres headteacher Emily Kynaston said: Independent The initiative received an “overwhelmingly positive” response and created “real excitement around the school”.
He said: “For us, it’s so much more than just watching a football match. We don’t want our kids to miss the game or miss school, so we’re bringing both worlds together creatively.
“The match will be the centerpiece of learning throughout the day, with students exploring the geography and culture of rival nations, using match statistics in maths and producing a variety of game-inspired writing.”
Ms Kynaston added: “If schools can use a moment like this to bring a community together, encourage children to learn and create positive memories then it is worth considering.”
The school’s move comes after England manager Thomas Tuchel appealed to parents to allow their children to stay up and watch the match live. “Write an excuse for school. Let them watch football,” he said.
“There are so many schools to go to, but the World Cup happens every four years. There will be a big, big game in four days. We need everyone’s support, especially the kids.”
England will play Mexico at the Estadio Azteca in Mexico City on Sunday 5 July at 18:00 local time (Monday 6 July 01:00 BST).
After four matches played in cities in the host country, the United States, the England team will now leave the United States to play a match in Mexico.
