
Also this forums gone really quiet

Prelude
St Benjamin’s team in ‘all out’ late night fight abroad
An overseas exchange has ended in disaster … students from both schools got into a major fight last night … neither school has commented so far … it is believed by The Herald that students of the hosting school, not limited to the opposing team or year level, were involved
It wasn’t the greatest headline ever written regarding the school. In fact it was probably the worst. No one was happy about it, the headmaster threatened all the boys involved with expulsion, nearly the entire senior administration had to fly out to visit the hosting school and apologise profusely.
Ultimately it was decided that the series of soccer games between the two senior school teams had festered uncontrolled animosity. Neither of the teams ever played again, although it was closer to the end of their school career anyway.
Chapter 1
The team huddled on the corner of the practice field. Nicholas stood cramped against his best friend, Callum, both sporting the team’s colours darkened by a training’s worth of sweat.
“Alright laddies listen up, because you miss anything ere and you ain’t coming at all.” Coach barked.
Nicholas looked instinctively to Callum, confused, he wasn’t the only one. Around the circle a few students looked startled at each other, going where?
“Now last year, there were a wee problem. I don’t wanna here a peep about it.”
There were nods around the circle, they were all embarrassed to wear the same name as the team who’d participated in the disastrous exchange last year.
“Well there ain’t be any this year!”
They all looked at each other again, of course there wouldn’t be. Nicholas knew that this team would probably never get picked for an exchange again.
“You mean we’re going on an exchange?” Asked Daniel, a tall slim boy, face still flushed from practice, who’d wrapped his arms around the shoulders of his neighbouring teammates.
“Yes, eadmaster wanna fix the relationship.”
“Wait, not the same school?” someone else piped up.
“One and the same,” announced coach, “if yer behave, and we don’t ear a pipsqueak, we’ll do many more.”
There was a quiet cheer, rumbling and then growing. Those picked last year had been happy to be part of a well known team. The teens standing in the circle now though, they knew that they were only unlucky to be placed in a team the school was embarrassed to still have.
The rumbling grew as they realized it would be a way to repair the team's name.
Over the next few minutes, as parents began to show up at the field, coach explained the trip. They’d all be on their best behaviour (of course) and would travel during a week of overlapping school holidays for both schools. He handed out all the appropriate forms, wished them a good weekend in his thick accent, and left.
1 month, 5 days and 2 hours later (yes, most of the boys had been counting since the after training announcement) the soccer team disembarked their 3rd train of the day, into the sweet air of Albert, a tight suburb on the edge of Hemmes. The school, Hemmes’ College, sat in the center of the suburb, a block or two over from the station.
As the teenagers stepped off the pavement onto the pristine field, school buildings looming in the distance, they couldn’t help grin at each other. Some had never left the country before, nearly all had never traveled so far without their parents. For them, this was an adventure. For travelling they were all clad in their uniforms with team jackets, shorts and socks (although they couldn’t wear their boots of course).
They were introduced to the local principal, who shook their hands smiling. He cheerfully pointed out some features of the school building, and wished them luck in the competition.
After he vanished the coach rounded on the team.
“Get eff your jackets and shoes, get on your boots!” he’d tried to put on a lighter accent for the principal.
Soon enough, much to their surprise, the team found themselves running laps, practicing kicks and every other exercise in the book. Coach clearly figured that if he tired them out under the late afternoon sun they’d stay out of trouble.