From Burkina Faso to the Basketball Arena: Our AFCON Adventure By Shane and Reece, Room 17
The AFCON tournament took place recently in the National Basketball Arena. It was a great experience, but before we tell you about our day, you need to know about the real AFCON.
AFCON stands for the Africa Cup of Nations. It is a football tournament where national teams from African countries play against each other. It is organized by the Confederation of African Football and happens every two years. The top goal scorer in AFCON history is Samuel Eto’o from Cameroon, who scored 18 goals in the tournament. Egypt has the most AFCON wins, having won the tournament seven times.
Our class represented Burkina Faso. Here is a bit about the country: Burkina Faso’s national football team is called Les Étalons, which means “The Stallions.” Football is very popular in the country, and the team represents Burkina Faso in both African and international competitions. Their biggest success was in 2013 when they reached the final of the Africa Cup of Nations, finishing second. They are known for being hardworking and competitive, even against stronger teams.
Our Tournament Experience The event was a fun experience where we met people from many different places. Leading up to it, our training was intense. We worked hard to figure out who played best together as a team.
At the National Basketball Arena, 20 schools were invited to compete. There was a shop giving away free Shamrock Rovers merchandise, such as jumpers, jerseys, and onesies! While we didn’t get the clothes, we did manage to get signed books and pins.
The blitz was a lot of fun. We lost our first and second matches, but we won our last one! The games were short, quick, and sweet. Our training really prepared us for the “runs”—sprinting up the court with the ball and rushing back down when we lost possession.
