Feedback

We are always grateful to parents who provide unprompted feedback. Here is a small sample:

From: Alan Meechan
Ava’s just woken up after a 13 hour sleep and I still don’t think she can quite get her head around what she’s done in the past week. I wanted to drop you a note to say thank you to everyone involved in making the Gothia trip the best experience she’s ever had.
A huge thank you to the coaches in particular for taking such good care of her, we couldn’t have felt more comfortable with her being away on her own hearing about how well they were being looked after and how much fun they had from the first to the last minute.
On the pitch she had a blast and managed to score a few goals, off the pitch she’s made a new friendship group and had the experience of a lifetime.
You’ve no idea what this has meant to us, seeing our daughter so happy and experiencing something as amazing as the Gothia Cup is more than most parents could dream. We’re hugely grateful for the opportunity, she’s got memories that will last a lifetime.
Kind regards,
Alan

From: Rania Selby
I just wanted to say thank you for a truly memorable experience – not only for Rafael but also for us as parents. The Gothia week really is something special and we appreciate all the hard work that goes into making this week work. Rafael has pushed himself well outside of his comfort zone in terms of living and travelling independently from us and has really loved playing the sport he is so passionate about. He’s also made new friends who have all promised to keep in touch with each other. Meeting kids from other nations is something all children can benefit from and it was wonderful to witness such a lovely spirit between nations.
I especially want to mention Coach James who struck an excellent balance between giving the boys nurturing support and independence – as well as keeping them in line when needed! Anya was also great with the boys. Calm and professional at all times.
There were so many wonderful memories we will take with us. It’s a week we will never forget. Thank you again.
Regards
Rania

Dear Dan,
I thought that it might be good for you to know that Ben has been invited in by Crystal Palace for a 6 week trial for their academy. I believe that this has been directly influenced by his involvement with the Prep Schools team last year. All the games and training made an impact, (while we did not see much change on the pitch early season last year). Then the Easter training camp really brought
around confidence. We put Ben in a camp in the summer half term soon after that and the coaches said they felt he was good enough to be in an academy. Soon after that he was scouted by Crystal
Palace and was asked to come in for a trial game. Ben got back from Gothia, where he played his best ever football, and went to his trial game with Crystal Palace. He was one of two outfield players
out of about 25 boys to be picked for a trial with the academy.
Thanks you so much,
Michelle

Dear Dan
Thanks so much for such a great week in Gothenburg. Milo and Felix had a brilliant time and enjoyed every minute of it.  George and Sam were fantastic and our team were delighted to get so far in the tournament.
It was all so well organised couldn’t have been better.
Many many thanks,
Sarah, Huw, Milo and Felix

From: Sara Cook
An absolutely huge thank you for the past week. Have a very happy 13yo back home. To say he loved it is an understatement.
The organisation has been incredible from you and your team. The coaches were fantastic from what the boys have said and parents who were there have said. Not sure I would have been able to put up with 15 x13/14 year olds! They must have huge amounts of patience and tolerance. An absolutely huge thank you. And third time lucky to make it there! Memories for the rest of their lives.
Best wishes
Sara (Oli Cook’s mum)

From: Zuraida Curtis
We wanted to say huge thank you for once again organising a very successful and memorable trip for  Xavier. We were also extremely lucky again to have the superb coaching team of Tim and Ebony. The coaching and pastoral care that they gave to the boys was outstanding. A huge thank you to both of them for making Xavier’s trip even more memorable and for taking such great care of the boys. We wish you well for future Gothia trips and hope that you have a lovely summer break.
Kind Regards
Zuraida and Darren Curtis

From: Jane Gibson
Thank you so much for all your hard work, time and commitment to this event – he had the best week of his life, has made some great friends, got some great coaching from Mark, loved the matches and gained  some great life skills being so independent.
We thoroughly enjoyed our time out their watching – what an incredible event it is!
I hope you can manage a well deserved rest now?
Many thanks from the whole Gibson family.
Best wishes
Jane

From: Chris Demetriou
You’ve probably had 1000’s of messages but from myself I would like to thank you and your team for arranging a phenomenal once in a lifetime trip. A special mention has to go to the coaches who were exceptional with the boys and parents and made the whole trip.
Chris

From: Linda Alexander
It was a brilliant week! The girls had so much fun!!
Thanks
Linda

From: Emma Poole
Thank you. Otto had an amazing week, not so happy with his team’s performance but loved the experience none the less!
We showed our appreciation to his coaches last night and thank you all for a wonderful experience.
Best wishes,
Emma

From: Simon Foster
Thank you  for the lovely video compilation. It’s hard to believe it’s all over now. Thank you for all the time and effort you and the team have put into getting all the children out here. You’ve
had so many hurdles to jump through! It’s been an incredible experience for the children and the memories they have will, I’m sure, last a lifetime.
I know that Matthew has thoroughly enjoyed himself and he’s learnt so much in terms of the development of his football skills too. Simon and I feel privileged to have been a part of it all.  Enjoy your summer break. Our very best wishes
Louise, Simon & Matthew Foster

From: Helen Jewell
Thank you Dan! Amelie had a wonderful time and Katie and May were great coaches.
Appreciate all your hard work putting this together, hope you have a well deserved restful summer.
Helen

From: Matthew O’Neill
We cannot thank you enough for the wonderful experience Ella & Holly had.
Matt

From: Sarah Davey
Thank you for your organisation.
Jack had an amazing trip and is still fast asleep in bed this morning!!!!
Fingers crossed we can participate again next year – what an opportunity you have been able to provide our children.
Many thanks,
Sarah

From: Richard Stearn
Thank you for organising such a fantastic experience for the boys amidst such logistical challenges of this and the last few years. For us it was 4th time lucky and it did not disappoint.
Richard (for Ben)

From: Alexandra Sage
We only flew home late last night, hence the late feedback, but just wanted to say it was an incredible week and such a learning experience for both Adam and Henry. Henry had an absolute blast, really gelled with all his team, and it was just such a shame it had to end just as they’d started to win some matches and come together as a proper team. I cannot praise their coach highly enough. He was incredible from start to finish, such an amazing coach and so kind and supportive of the boys. Henry was sad when it ended. Considering he came home a day early from Tonbridge, but stayed all five nights at the school in Gothenburg is saying something! Adam also really enjoyed the matches, and found it a really special experience. A HUGE HUGE thank you to you, the staff and all the coaches for your all efforts in bringing this together.
All my best,
Alexandra

From: Chris McLain
Good morning Dan,
I want to thank you and everyone involved, it was such a great experience for us and Harry.
I particularly want to mention our two team coaches Chris and Matt, the way they worked with our team of boys and the way they interacted with us as parents was outstanding, they really made the whole experience. The boys really bonded and so did the parents.
It would be great if Harry could come back and if they could all play together again as a Team, boys and coaches.
Hopefully, we will see you and the coaches again soon.
Best Regards
Chris

From: Kate Brewster
Thanks Dan.
Just to say William had an absolute blast!! A truly memorable experience for him and us. The were undefeated, despite some very biased refs! Our team connected brilliantly and if we had the opportunity again to stay with the team and play again next year we would! We have made life long friends both players and parents. I hope you are now able to rest and well done for your amazing coordination despite all aggravation of flight cancellations you still managed to pull everything off. My older son’s school team’s flight was cancelled and the school cancelled everything, which was awful for him. So impressed that Lions managed to get their kids there despite all the chaos.
See you again soon and hope you now manage to have a very relaxing Summer.
Regards
Kate

From: L Hubbard
I just wanted to say thank you on behalf of myself and Isabelle for all of your hard work on the preparation for Gothia. Isabelle had a wonderful time and really enjoyed being part of a great team.
Dave and Jess did a fantastic job of coaching each of the children and pulling them together as a team, their play visibly improving for each match. They also took great care of the team away from the pitch and kept them happy. A big thank you to them too for giving up their time and putting in so much. Once again, many thanks for everything you do to make Gothia happen for our children.
Best regards, Lisa

From: Emma Duke
We can’t thank you enough for the amazing experience you have given to our children. The coaches were simply fantastic. They were first class in providing the best support and coaching expertise. They invested everything into our team and honestly there are not enough words to congratulate them on their professionalism and emotional support. They really were the dream team. To get as far as we did was fantastic and a big congratulations to our team, Chris, Matt and to yourself for making this dream possible. Kind regards Tim and Emma

From: amy burton
Thank you for organising the trip to Gothia Cup. Piers has had the time of his life with his teammates, friends for life!
The coaches and physio  were outstanding with the boys.
Best wishes
Amy

From: James Bell
On behalf of the whole Bell clan, but particularly Angus Bell thank you for an amazing experience. We loved every minute and despite an injury to Angus in the penultimate game, we have such great memories. The team were a fantastic unit & our coaches  were a credit to you and the Prep School Lions.
Angus learnt so much, but particularly about friendship, teamwork and resilience.
Please pass on my thanks & praise to Sam & Chris, please also thank the caring & professional physio (sorry, can’t remember her name !) for looking after Angus when he got injured.
Great fun and thank you again
James, Sue, Sophie and Angus

From: Rosie Ainsworth
The boys had a great fun, and without injuries would definitely have gone further. Making the last 32 out of 152 is amazing.
You made the whole pre-season arrangements so easy, it seemed seamless, but I’m sure it wasn’t.
The coaches have been FANTASTIC. The boys love them, but also respect them. Their communication has been excellent and they have been so positive and encouraging, they boys could not have asked for better, and as a parent, I’m so pleased that they were looking after them. Thank you for all your hard work.
All the best,
Rosie

From: Philip Murphy
I wanted to drop you an email to say thanks for everything- despite getting knocked out today Elliot has had a fantastic time. Special thanks to the coaches  for looking after the boys and making it so much fun.
Thank you

From: Lucinda McCord
I just wanted to drop you an email to say what a fantastic experience Henry is having. The coaches  are amazing and we couldn’t have asked for a better coach and support team for the boys. Henry is having the time of his life and he is enjoying every minute! Henry has told us that Terry is the best coach he has had. He is fun, but firm and has total respect from the boys. I really feel that Henry is
blossoming on and off the field. They have had a lot of fun and I am thrilled he will have these wonderful memories of his time in Gothenburg to look back on. Please pass our thanks on to the whole team. We are gutted to be leaving today, but I know that Henry will love the final days of the tournament and will continue to progress.
I just hope he doesn’t get to bring the loudspeaker home with him!
Good luck Lions!
Best wishes and thanks
Lucie and Johnny

From: Jemima Jabb
What a wonderful Gothia experience we’ve been lucky enough to be part of again. Thanks for all your hard work in getting everyone here – it’s been fantastic & the boys have loved it.
Many thanks
Jemima

Ollie (player) wrote to say “Thank you all so much, for such a memorable experience I enjoyed it so much and I’ve met some people that I will never forget, so thank you. Firstly, Rickie thank you so much for being our physio you were so helpful dealing with my heel and my blisters, if it wasn’t for you I’d barely be able to walk let alone run around a football pitch and score goals! So thank you. Also I can’t believe how close you are to my house your just round the corner. Secondly, Mauricio you were so helpful telling the team and me, the best tactics and how to play against all the teams and also giving advise for what we should improve on if we did something wrong. And lastly Ed, I can’t explain how thankful I am to be included on that amazing trip, and like you said I realised how lucky I was to be there, and that I was taking someone else’s place. You were so good at organising all the logistics and timings, also in all the games you were so fair at giving everybody equal game time but at the same time trying to win the game. You are all so generous for giving up your time to go to Sweden with a group of kids, I don’t know how you all do it, once again a HUGE THANK YOU.

Dear Dan
With school holidays coming towards a close Sam, Rachael and I just wanted to say a big thank to you and particularly Simon and Monica for the fantastic experience our son, Sam, had playing for the Prep School Lions in Gothenburg.
Not only did he hugely enjoy playing and doing so with new team mates, he learnt a huge amount from Simon (and wished that he has been able to have more pre-cup training to learn more!). His footballing skills and thinking were taken to a whole new level.
Best wishes,
Andrew

Hi Dan
A HUGE Thank You to you and your team – you all did an incredible job in organising the event. I know Ben had an AMAZING time, played some outstanding football, made some
great friends and above all had a fantastic experience that will stay with him a life time I am sure.
Kindest regards
Jane

Hi Dan
Tane had the most brilliant time (absolutely loved the whole Gothia Experience!)
Thank-you for all your effort and support, he really got a lot out of the whole experience!!
Many Thanks!
Berry Wallis

Dear Dan,
I just had to drop you a line to say how absolutely brilliant the Gothia Cup experience was for us, as parents, and for Harry, in particular. Harry played in the U11 (3) team and they managed to get through to the last 16 teams, only to be beaten by Ghana, who went on to win their overall age group, so a huge achievement.
I was absolutely amazed and thrilled at how well Cammy built up the team, gave the boys confidence and taught them so brilliantly throughout the tournament. He was such a wonderful inspiration for the boys and for us, the parents.
I had absolutely no idea of the scale of the Gothia Cup before I arrived and the City welcomed us all with open arms. All the facilities were just brilliant and we came to love Skatas like home.
Thank you for making this all possible for us all and I look forward to meeting with you sometime.
Best wishes
Rachel (Harry’s mother!)

Special thanks must go to Dan Abraham and his team of Prep School coaches, physios and support staff. They were truly magnificent and supported, encouraged and looked after the children
superbly throughout. To coin a cliché (and it would be wrong not to use at least one), football was the winner – but at least as far as the Under 12s were concerned, it ended in all too familiar fashion,
knocked out by the Germans. Haven’t we heard that somewhere before?
Jeremy Richardson

I am sure that the experience he gained at the Gothia Cup, as well as with the ISFA England Squad (who he has represented for the past 12 months), has been a key element in his football
development. It has been a pleasure to be a part of your organisation for the past three years, and I would like to thank you for the immense amount of hard work you have invested.
Best Regards,
Rob

Hi Dan,
We were so impressed with our trip to the Gothia Cup; excellent coaching, high standard of football and a whole lot of fun. Both Flynn and Jake Ibbotson had the most amazing week,
definitely one that they will never forget. Both are keen to go again next year, but would both like to trial for the A squad if possible. I have sent on Alex’s report to the boys’ school, along
with my own experience of what was a truly fantastic experience. The coaches in particular were brilliant, both on and off the pitch. Thank you so much for all your hard work organising.
Kind regards,
Bryony

Dear Dan,
Just a quick email to let you know that we had an unforgettable week!
We were very impressed! It was so professional and so international (90 countries!).
The Opening Ceremony gave me goose bumps, just realizing how special it was that the boys
were part of something like this. Also, the boys were so lovely together as if they were friends for years and played also as they played together for years.
Many thanks for all your support and for organizing such an huge event and we’re looking forward to Gothia 2017 as well.
Best wishes,
Benthe van Druten

Hi Dan
Thank-you soo much for the brilliant photos, I greatly appreciate them, especially as you must have been very busy!!!
Very positive feedback from Tane!..(apart from being rather tired!), he absolutely loved every minute of the whole tour!
He was nervous about travelling without a parent, but it was a truly fabulous experience for him and he would highly recommend it to anyone!
Also, a big thank-you to his coach Neil and physio Chris, who he said were “great!”…professional but fun!
Regards
Berry

Hi Dan
Thank you very much for organising another excellent Gothia Cup trip – it must be an enormous amount of
work, and for giving Conor the opportunity to participate again. Conor had a brilliant time, he thought the players got on incredibly well and formed a great team to make the trip such a positive experience, and he really enjoyed working with Pete and Matt, so we would be grateful if you would pass our thanks on to them. We hope you manage to now get a holiday.
Best wishes
Audrey and Shaun Taylor

Dan,
Thank you so much for organising such an amazing week.
Unfortunately, I was not able to attend but my husband Simon did and his father, both had the time of their lives. Jake was in B12 team and Timi/Alex were fantastic coaches, parents and
friends for the week. I was really concerned that Jake would struggle being away from home and from his twin brother but he had the most amazing time and certainly will never forget
the week he had competing. It was brilliantly organised and an unforgettable event so thank you for all your hard work in putting it together.
Have a great summer
Kate

A Big Thank You again Dan, for a wonderful week of football and fun in Gothenburg. Both Aaron and Theo had a wonderful time and really enjoyed the whole week. I’ve already been
hearing “can we do it again next year….?!”.
Hopefully you’ve now begun to recover from what I can only imagine to be an incredibly busy week, I know it was for me and I only had 2 boys out there with you! Could I also ask
you to pass on my thanks again to Rob & Tom who looked after Theo so well and Tim & Melina for making Aaron’s week such a great one. Please keep us in touch with plans for next year and we may well look forward to seeing you again.
With kind regards
Suzanne Mara

Dear Dan,
Just a quick note to say thanks for all your hard work in organising the trip to Gothenburg.
Tom had an amazing time and has come back elated, but exhausted! Cammy and Shannon were a great team, and we’re sure that their hard work and commitment played a very large part in how much Tom and his team-mates performed and enjoyed themselves, both on & off the pitch. There were some very close-fought games when the boys showed great team spirit, but in
particular the way the boys reacted when they went 10-0 down to Lizzy at half time was incredible. It would have been so easy for their heads to go down and for the tournament to
end on a sour note, but Cammy’s half-time talk really inspired them to just go out and have fun. In all my time on the touch line I have never seen a team in any sport lose with such
grace and in such good spirits.
Tom has made some great new friends and hopes to be able to play with them again in the
future.
Thanks again,
Nick & Anna

I just wanted to take the opportunity to thank you both so very much for all your hard work at Gothia.
Henry has had an amazing experience and absolutely loved his time in Sweden – he of course loved playing football, but also thoroughly enjoyed the team experience as well as all the exciting events
and activities you had organised. My husband was extremely impressed by everything he saw, and we cannot thank you enough for making Gothia so much fun for the boys!
Henry (and Nick) are already excited for Gothia next year…….so count them in!!!
I hope you are having a relaxing week off.
Best wishes,
Emma

Hi Dan, I just wanted to say a massive thank you for taking Mitchell. He had a fantastic time made some lovely friends. Both coaches were also great I really can’t thank you all enough.
I’m so glad you gave him the chance to have this great experience. Thank you so much Dan you’re a star.
Gemma

Dan, the boys loved it so big thank you to you and the coaches – I thought they were amazing with the kids. Charlie our U13 wants to know if you would take an U14 team next year so he can
go again!
Best
Paula

Good morning,
I just wanted to let you know that Edward had an amazing (and exhausting) time. Thank you very much. Please would you pass on our thanks to his coach, Edward has mentioned him a
lot since he’s been back. Hope you enjoy the rest of your summer.
Charlotte

Dear Dan,
We just wanted to say a big thank you from Zain and us for a fantastic 10 days in Gothenburg. Zain had an incredible time, and we thoroughly enjoyed watching the matches. Zain learnt so much from this trip, in terms of football but also life skills ! A special thanks to Gareth and Lana – Gareth was a fantastic coach, and both Gareth and Lana ensured the boys were focused and well prepared
for their matches. Looking forward to next years tournament!
Best wishes
Aina

Thank you Dan,
It was such an amazing trip, with the experience totally different from last years.
My boys had an amazing time too.
Regards.
Lola

Dan,
It was a joy to be part of it. Really appreciate all the hard work you and your excellent team put into making it happen. Needless to say Michael thoroughly enjoy it as well. Hopefully be joining you again next year
Steve

Dear Dan
Our son Will has had the absolute pleasure and privilege of playing at the last two Gothia Cup. These are experiences that will live long in his and our memories as we, as a family, have
been over on both occasions supporting the teams.

Thank you

Dear Dan,
Thank you for a fantastic week. Josh really had a great time, particularly because of the his truly wonderful coach, Dan and Physio, Rebecca. They were an inspirational pair who taught
the boys so much. Dan did wonders with the team during the matches. He is a fantastic coach. It would be amazing to see what he could do with the boys next year with another years
experience under their belts. And Rebecca’s care and exuberant personality was infectious.
Bw
Alex, Sean & Josh

Dear Dan,
Just would like to say a huge, huge thank you to you and all the other coaches/physios involved. Yes, it was an incredible week! Our boys and ourselves had the most fantastic time.
The staff, the organisation, the place – all amazing! We all have serious holiday blues…….
See you next year for sure!!
Kind regards,
Petra & Enzo

Dear Dan,
Zach had the best time this year; you’re right, he learnt as much off the pitch as on it and the boys came home as a real unit this time round.
Pete was incredible – as was Matt, and we would absolutely love Zach to be able to go back again next year. If we need to sign him up or let you know – the answer is YES PLEASE !
And if you plan on doing any of the pre-season / Christmas or Easter camps, they would be very helpful and I’m sure well attended too.
Have a great summer too; you really do organise a phenomenal week and I don’t know many parents who would ever take on that mammoth task. Thank you for all you do.
With very best wishes, Alix

Dear Dan,
I wanted to thank you for giving Patrick such an amazing opportunity in attending Gothia . He has got so much out of it both for his football, and personally in learning how to manage a large tournament, how to be part of a team and managing on his own away from home. The standard of coaching and the level of support he has received from Daff and Molly have been truly outstanding.
Patrick himself has loved it but is now pretty exhausted.
Kind regards
Alison Hughes

Dear Dan
My husband and I have just spent a week at the Gothia cup with Harry Coe and his team, B13 (4). Having returned this weekend, I wanted to email and thank you and the wider team for facilitating such an amazing and unforgettable experience for the boys ( and for us!)
Harry’s team experienced every emotion on the spectrum as they progressed through their games from the pain of a loss, the thrill of a win, the nerves required for a penalty shoot out and the relief and sheer delight of slotting that ball passed the goalkeeper and from the goalkeeper’s perspective the relief of keeping the ball out! We witnessed the boys go through it all and with the added dimension of playing teams from other countries – the emotional hot headed South Americans and the slick Scandinavians.
And it wasn’t just the football. New friends were made and team spirit was evident from the moment we left them at the airport, through the ups and downs of the tournament and very much alive at the end when they consoled each other as they were finally out of the tournament. ( And I am glad that was the case as I was quite reluctant to go too close given that they all smelled terrible after a week of wearing the same kit!) It was super – thank you so much!
I have copied in Dan Bather from Highfield because if you do it again, they must send more boys to your selection trial.
Warm regards
Shirley Coe

Dear Dan
I would like to thank you and all the coaches for an amazing week for James. It has been an incredible experience and we enjoyed every minute!
Kind regards
Tracey Akerman

Dan,
Firstly, we would like to say a very big thank you to you and your team for giving us the opportunity to experience this fantastic tournament.
We cannot imagine how difficult it must have to organise and the ongoing logistics of dealing with unforseen circumstances must have put your patience to the test.
Theo really enjoyed taking part and has made some lovely friends. The teams looked as if they had been playing together for years, and credit must be given to the coaches for
achieving such high standards. The boys were great ambassadors on and off the field and made us proud. So thank you again for making this happen.
Anil and Claire

Dear Dan
I just wanted to thank you and your incredible team for the most superb week. The Prep School Lions 3 with Cammy and Shannon have had the most amazing experience of their little lives! None of us really had any idea what to expect but what has gone on his far exceeded anything we could have imagined. I wish you could have seen the boys first knock out match on Wednesday evening. They played with such courage and emotional strength. To say the ref needed glasses would be an understatement, to award a hand ball when the ball was at least ten feet from the nearest player beggared belief, but our boys dug deep and secured the win, it was beyond exciting!
Cammy and Shannon were great. I’m not sure Charlie will cope without a personal medic at his disposal in September, school matches will seem very basic in comparison! If you are ever in a position to visit DH on the back of this I am sure the boys and sports staff would be delighted to welcome you. Five prep school lions in the school team bodes well for the future!
Enjoy the remainder of the trip, we look forward to welcoming our heroes home on Sunday!
Kind regards
Rosie Manger

Dear Dan
Our son Will has had the absolute pleasure and privilege of playing for the South Central teams at the last two Gothia Cups.
These are experiences that will live long in his and our memories as we, as a family, have been over on both occasions supporting the teams.
We would like to take the opportunity to thank you, and the team that support you, for helping Will have such incredible experiences. These are opportunities that many people will
never get so to have been twice and really enjoyed every element has been fantastic for him
and us. With sincere best wishes and huge gratitude, Dominic