For Mika Caspi, football became a serious part of her life later than it does for many players. She started playing at 11, inspired partly by her father, and joined BISP midway through Year 8 after receiving a football scholarship.

I started to really enjoy football and then decided to take it more seriously. The school was a great opportunity to do that.

As part of the BISP Cruzeiro Football Academy, Mika has competed in Thailand and internationally, including tournaments in Spain, Portugal and Malaysia. Alongside football, she is completing the IB Diploma, balancing early-morning sessions, school, afternoon training and evening study.

I think just being consistent and disciplined, because showing up every day really does matter,” Mika says. “When things don’t go your way, you just have to keep going.

Representing Israel

A defining moment came while visiting family in Israel, where Mika had the opportunity to train with a senior club. After impressing the coach, she was recommended to the national team set-up and later invited to attend trials.

It was pretty intense, very high level and very nerve-wracking, but it was really good.

Representing her country has since become one of her proudest achievements.

Just getting to carry the badge and represent my country, knowing that I made it to a level that so many girls would really want to be at as well. I didn’t want to take the opportunity for granted.

Looking beyond BISP, Mika hopes to study exercise science in the United States while continuing to pursue football at the highest level possible.

Her advice to younger players reflects the determination behind her own journey:

Do it tired, do it unmotivated. All the hard work, the private training, the gym sessions and the runs in the morning that no one knows about – they’re all going to pay off. Just keep going.

From starting football at 11 to representing her country, Mika’s journey shows just how far consistency, discipline and determination can take you. As we bring our series celebrating female football at BISP to a close, we hope the journeys of these young women encourage the next generation of girls to get involved, challenge themselves and discover their own path through football.