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British International School, Phuket: Championship-winning, university-ready student athletes
British International School, Phuket: Championship-winning, university-ready student athletes
Since its opening in 1996, British International School, Phuket has been maximising student potential through teaching and learning of the highest standards. On its green, well-equipped campus, its triple helix educational philosophy — Learning, Wellbeing and Passion — is obvious to all. From Early Years to the IB Diploma Programme, all students strive for academic excellence. At every step of this pursuit, BISP nurtures their well-being and ignites their passions.
Nowhere is this more evident than at the BISP Cruzeiro Football Academy. Modelled after the multi-championship winning Cruzeiro Esporte Clube in Brazil, this is where students follow their passions with energy and enthusiasm. Medals are sought after, but not the sole goal. Here, they value the process of their experience as much as the outcome of their effort and achievement.
3
full size football pitches
5
seven-a-side grass pitches
1
strength and conditioning gym
11
aside competitive matches all year round
The academy follows the Cruzeiro method, a proven, professional system, created by Cruzeiro Esporte Clube in Brazil, and used to develop high-performance football players. The method uses tactical periodisation in order to maximise time as appropriately as possible and delivers expert instruction in four key areas – tactical, technical, physical and psychological – with a focus on developing the complete athlete.
As this is BISP, this training is paired with academic and extracurricular opportunities. This lets students learn the time management skills and pursue their interests at the highest level, with the potential to choose from a range of pathways upon graduation. Lauren Hoh Ruyi, a Cruzeiro Football Scholar, is doing just that.
Jonathas Candido is a graduate of Physical Education from UNIBH – Belo Horizonte. He holds the Asian Football Confederation AFC “C” licence and is currently taking the AFC “B” and Brazilian Confederation of Football “B” certifications. At BISP, he uses his 15 years of professional experience in football, fitness coach, scout, assistant coach, head coach and manager to lead student-athletes to victory.
Jonathas Candido
Director of Football
“Here in Asia, they teach football by splitting fundamentals into training sessions – they pick passing, for example, and base the session on that. We do the opposite,” he says.
When Lauren was eight, she used to follow her older brother to football training and kick around tin cans while waiting for him. Now, she’s Captain of the BISP Cruzeiro Senior Girls team and a proud member of the Malaysian Women’s National Team.
While living away from her family can be challenging, she has found a home for herself at BISP. The boarder credits the support from her peers and staff, citing it as her favourite part of attending BISP. With their help, she has combined excelling in class with playing high-performance football.
On the field, Jonathas always encourages Lauren to push herself beyond her comfort zone — an approach that’s brought her to multiple tournaments and making it into the highest level in her home country.
After BISP, Lauren plans to attend university in the US or UK. While she still plans to play football competitively, her options for the future remain open. “As much as I want to pursue football, I need a backup plan, and having that in university is good,” she says. “If anything happens, I always have academics to fall back on.”
Lauren Hoh Ruyi
“The tournaments that we go to give us the opportunity to become a lot closer as a group, on and off the pitch,” she says. “Being able to build that chemistry with the team is really important – it transcends onto the pitch and makes for a good time with my friends, so it keeps me going.”
Malaysian national player and BISP football scholar
Significant achievements:
Just as Lauren plans on going pro, Bonnie Langley, a British-Thai Year 11 Cruzeiro Football Scholar in the same team, is set on joining Spain’s professional league in the future. Football has always been a part of her family and continues to be. She has played for the Liverpool Youth Club, won the overall player award as the only female player in a Liverpool Youth Football camp, and earned first place at the 2023 Harrow Cup as part of the Under 15 BISP Cruzeiro Football Girls Team.
As a BISP Cruzeiro Football Academy scholar, she balances life, sports and academics, managing her time to be as fulfilling as possible. After attending training on Monday and Wednesday mornings, Bonnie spends the rest of her day in class before continuing training. After dinner, she gets an hour of prep time to complete her homework or personal projects.
Bonnie finds inspiration in Lauren, who is both her team captain and friend.
“Lauren is a big role model to me, and I’ve learned a lot from her,” she says. She’s mature, great at whatever she does, and achieves everything she puts her mind to. I aspire to be like her when I’m older.”
Bonnie Langley
Spanish professional league aspirant
“I try to do everything I can within that time, so I have my own time for socialising or to play football,” says Bonnie. “I think Cruzeiro has a really good sports programme that pushes us to reach our maximum potential.”
Jess owes her achievements to her parents, BISP and the Cruzeiro programme. Her teachers and coaches always have her back, with Lauren instrumental in aiding Jess in the delicate balance of coursework and competition.
Unlike Lauren and Bonnie, Jessica Ann Mitscher (Jess) neither came from a background in football, and nor does she want a football career. In fact, she was a swimmer and wants to pursue veterinary medicine in university. Even though she has different interests, she decided to join the BISP Cruzeiro Football Academy in Year 11 to hone her teamwork and decision-making skills.
Despite her much shorter experience with football, Jess is a natural and plays several positions in the BISP Senior Girls Team. She’s even won a couple of championships while still being dedicated to school. She placed in the top five to 10% of 14,000 students around the world who competed in the British Biology Olympiad.
Jessica Ann Mitscher
BISP student-athlete's unexpected path to football success
“When I first came to BISP, it was a huge jump, especially since football was completely new to me,” Jess admits. “Having somebody like Lauren in my year was great – we had the same schedule and were on the same team, and it felt good to have somebody to talk to about my struggles.”
While she had her challenges taking the IB curriculum, Jess considers it a life-changing experience. “I’ve accomplished a lot since I came here – IGCSE, IB, and definitely growing as a person,” says Jess. “Having to depend not only on other people but on myself, experience situations where I couldn’t turn to my parents, for example – it helped build a lot of reassurance and self-confidence so that when I go to college somewhere else, I would be able to support myself and adapt to things around me.”
