We were delighted to welcome the Premier League footballer and ex-Luffa pupil Joel Ward to our Record of Achievement Evening on Thursday. Having left Bishop Luffa in 2005, Joel started out with Portsmouth, and, now playing at full back for Crystal Palace, scored the goal against Chelsea early in this season that set in motion Jose Mourinho’s decline. We tried to get Joel to speak to us last year, but the team were brought back for extra training at the last moment after a less than satisfactory performance the previous week. (‘Extra training’ is what we call detention.) The Year 11 audience and their parents were absorbed in Joel’s talk as he
described how he set out on the path to playing Premier League football, and he gave us three steps to success – have a dream or aspiration, act on it today, and keep acting every day to make that dream a reality. A key quality to develop? Perseverance.
It was an inspiring occasion, and pupils were entranced. We wish Joel and the team success next Saturday against Manchester United in the FA Cup Final.