Chief Rabbi joins Wolfson Hillel to celebrate ‘historic’ doubles football success
Successful squad celebrates 'phenomenal' achievement at an awards ceremony also attended by the Mayor of Enfield
Wolfson Hillel primary school has become the first Jewish school in the country to win the double – two national football championships in a single year – with the Chief Rabbi congratulating the young players on their “phenomenal accomplishment” at an awards ceremony this week.
The triumphant team were presented with their medals on Wednesday, at an event attended by Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis, Enfield Mayor Cllr. Margaret Greer and Andrew Wands, Education Manager at the Tottenham Hotspurs foundation, as well as a representative of Enfield PE, the parents of the boys and teachers from the school.
Rabbi Mirvis described the doubles triumph as “phenomenal and very rare. It may have never happened before in any Jewish school in this country.”
The under-11 team’s double triumph began at the ESFA (English Schools Football Association) Pokémon Primary Schools’ Cup Final at Stoke City’s Bet365 stadium in May, when they claimed victory in a competition which had been entered into by 5,000 English schools. The following month, they were crowned national champions at the Premier League Primary Stars U11 Tournament at Wolverhampton Wanderers Molineux Stadium, having previously beaten a number of teams in order to officially represent Tottenham Hotspur against 19 other teams in the finals tournament.
In his speech at the awards, ceremony, the Chief Rabbi described three key life lessons to be learned from football:
“Lesson number one – sometimes it doesn’t make sense. However, if you really know your game properly, it does make sense. So for example, the ref blows the whistle for the beginning of the game, you’ve got the ball in front of you, and you kick it backwards…if someone who is not familiar with football is watching, they’ll think to themselves, ‘these people are crazy, they should be going forwards’…but you all know that sometimes in life you need to go backwards in order to go forwards.”
Secondly, he told the boys that “you need to play within the rules, but that doesn’t mean that you can’t have your own individuality.” He likened this to Jewish law, saying that “the Torah has its rules, but within Torah law, we want you to be yourselves always, and express yourselves in your own happy and successful way.”
Finally, he described how “we have two identities on the football pitch; ‘I am myself, and I am my team’.
“If you’re taking a kick…and the ball goes into the net – I have scored, but Wolfson Hillel has scored. You’ve got those two identities, because what you do is Wolfson Hillel, and so too for any team and in international competition – one player becomes England. If that player scores, England has scored. And the message is clear; we also have two identities in our lives; we are ourselves, and we are the Jewish people. When you go out into the world, you represent the whole of the Jewish nation – and people will judge us according to what one single Jewish person does. You are all ambassadors, and most definitely have been ambassadors of our whole Jewish community through your brilliant playing. I’m so proud of you – God bless you all.”
The team was led to victory by the school’s head of PE, Adam Warner, who described how the team “have demonstrated what can be achieved through unwavering determination, relentless teamwork, and a passion for excellence. For the very first time in the history of Jewish school sport, a Jewish school team has achieved the double, winning not just one but two national titles in the same year.
Telling the boys that “you played with skill, you played with heart”, Warner said that “at Wolfson Hillel, we believe that sport is more than winning trophies. It is about resilience, collaboration, learning to lift each other up. And this year, across so many sports…we’ve seen our pupils grow stronger, braver and more united.”
He praised his fellow team coach, Rob Glass, as well as the team’s other parents, the teachers and the entire school.
“Today reminds us that excellence knows no boundaries – of faith, of background, or of postcode”, he said. It is not just a celebration of trophies, but a celebration of identity, unity and pride. Today we celebrate a new chapter of Jewish pride, leadership and sporting excellence.
Cllr Greer offered her “heartfelt congratulations” to the team, saying “This victory is more than just a trophy. It is testament to your hard work, teamwork, and the spirit of never giving up. You have shown us all what can be accomplished with passion and perseverance – each one of you played a vital role, and together you have made your school, your family and your entire community very proud.”
As well as the two trophies, the team’s striker, Cooper Glass, who won the competition’s Golden Boot award, was presented with a trophy of his own.
He told the Jewish News: “It feels great to win two trophies and be doubles champions”.
Glass, who also plays for a grassroots team, described how “it’s fun to play with all my friends. I didn’t do it on my own. A lot of the goals were built up by the team, and then I just put it in the net.”
The squad have now graduated from year six, meaning a new team will now emerge to seek further footballing glory.
Alex Kingston, co-headteacher of Wolfson Hillel, characterised the success as “an extraordinary achievement that reflects years of hard work, dedication, and a truly special bond between the boys.
“Their friendship, teamwork, and determination have been the foundation of their success and I am so thrilled that they get to end their primary school journey together celebrating such an incredible achievement and making memories together that they will never forget.”
She described how “as a school, we’ve worked hard over recent years to develop our sports provision, and this victory is a testament to this.
“The pride felt across our entire school community is immense. We are all inspired by what our team have achieved together – not just as talented athletes, but as a team who represent the very best of our school’s values.”
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