Beloved coach leads St Mary’s to Dubai Schools Football Cup championship

Shermil Fredita led two St Mary's Catholic High School girls' teams to victory in the local tournament.

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Few of the chattering pupils seemed to notice the street sign fixed high on a lamp post outside their hotel: Sir Alex Ferguson Way.

Perhaps that was because the St Mary’s Catholic High School girls had an all-conquering coach of their own. Shermil Fredita guided two teams, the under-13s and under-16s, to victory in the Dubai Schools Football Cup tournament.

“It was the students’ hard work, not mine,” she insisted.

But Christopher Chandra, head of PE at St Mary’s, was happy to give credit where due. “She trains them continuously,” he said. “They practise every day, even Saturdays, and the students await it eagerly. They love her.”

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