AFC Women's Asian Cup Trophy
We are excited to share a truly special milestone for our sporting community. On Wednesday 18 February, Thomas Hassall Anglican College had the exclusive honor of hosting the official AFC Women’s Asian Cup Trophy Tour. Remarkably, we were the only school in New South Wales selected for this prestigious visit!
This visit provided an unforgettable experience for our IPSSO representative girls' teams. The students were treated to an up-close viewing of the iconic trophy.
Beyond seeing the cup, the girls had the fantastic opportunity to step onto the indoor court for an exclusive training session run by visiting coaches and representatives from Football NSW. It was a brilliant way for our students to develop their skills and gain inspiration.
Having a piece of international football history on campus came with some very strict protocols. The most important rule of the tour dictates that only official tournament winners are permitted to touch the trophy with their bare hands. To enforce this, even the official handler who transported the cup to the College was required to wear white gloves at all times.
However, there was one person exempt from this rule, one of our very own College coaches, Leena Khamis.
As a former Matilda and an integral part of the victorious Australian squad that won the AFC Women's Asian Cup in 2010, Coach Leena is an official champion. Because of her incredible history with the tournament, the gloves came off and she was granted the privilege of holding the trophy once again.
Being selected to participate in this tour was a deeply inspiring milestone for the team. The combination of witnessing a piece of internation football, celebrating the achievements of our own coaching staff and receiving hands-on training from Football NSW made for a truly remarkable day. Our IPSSO girls walked away with sharpened skills and a renewed passion for the game. We are incredibly proud of how they represented the College during this exclusive event.