DeMatha Soccer Academy UK Trip 2015
Saturday March 28, Day 1 Our flight landed at Heathrow Airport about 7am local time. With all of the excitement, I’m fairly certain none of the boys got any sleep on the plane. We made our way through immigrations and customs without too much trouble…except for one piece of lost luggage. I guess it’s a good thing the coaches had the boys pack their soccer gear separately. We met our tour guide, Murray Jones and took the 1 hour bus ride to our hotel in Crawley. Even though we were too early to check into our rooms, we were treated to buffet breakfast at the hotel, which consisted of eggs, sausages, breads and baked beans (this was a first for me). Coach Eddie was clearly happy to be back in the UK, as he piled sausage and beans on top of his toast. And since we arrived so early, and our rooms weren’t ready, some of the boys caught up on some rest in the hotel lobby… We were able to check in to the rooms around 12:30pm and had an hour to relax and unpack a little before we would head to a local football match. In the room, I sat in the dark with no lights, because I literally couldn’t figure out how to turn on the power. As I found out later, there is a slot on the wall inside the room to insert your room key. Only then could you get power in your room… another first for me! The match we attended was a Division 1 battle between the local team, Crawley and Gillingham. For the home team, this was a match to hopefully avoid relegation, as they were near the bottom of the table. Even though the quality of the football was nowhere near the level of the EPL, and the wind made it feel very cold, the atmosphere in the stadium was great. There had to be 6 or 7 thousand fans on hand, and both teams had loud cheering sections. The Crawley fans had one chant that seemed to resonate with our boys. In their best London accents, the fans would yell “Come on Crawley…. Come on Crawley” in a manner that was both encouraging and frustrated all in one. This chant will clearly become a popular motto with our group. In the end, Gillingham outclassed the home side, and came away with a 2-1 result. After the game, we had dinner in the hotel and an early lights out to get some much needed rest.
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Sunday March 29, Day 2 Today the plan is for a great tour of downtown London. The boys had a light training session early in the morning across the road from our hotel, near the Three Bridges FC. After a quick shower, we hopped onto the bus for London. On the drive, we saw some of the sights. The team was very excited to see Stamford Bridge, home of Chelsea FC… but not so excited for Herrod’s, the famous department store. We jumped out of the bus at Buckingham Palace, and just by coincidence saw the daily changing of the guard. There was a great deal of pomp and circumstance, and the area was loaded with tourists (like us!) Next was a walking tour of Westminster Abbey and Big Ben. We made our way down to Trafalgar Square. The square was buzzing with activity. Some were street performers. And there also turned out to be some fans from Chile having a bit of a pep rally because their national team was playing in London that night. Another short bus ride and we jumped out at Covent Gardens, where the boys had some time to shop and get lunch. This is an outdoor, but covered mall with shops and restaurants. It was a bit rainy (as usual) so it wasn’t overly crowded. So the kids all split into groups and explored the area until it was time to meet back at the bus and head back to the hotel in Crawley. Before, and again after dinner, our boys walked down to some local basketball courts. But since we’re in England, these doubled as a small football (soccer) court. Some of the local lads turned up and our guys got into a little revolving match, organized by Coach Eddie. Apparently DMSA showed themselves quite nicely!
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Monday March 30, Day 3 The boys had another light training session in the morning to get ready for their first international matches, and then they packed up and headed back to London for a tour of a different part of town. This time, they would also visit a large soccer store and end up at Piccadilly Circus. At this point the two teams split up to go to their respective games. The U16’s were off to Reading FC. Their facilities were quite impressive. They had a large stadium for the first team, as well as a big training facility, including an indoor section. Our boys watched the younger Reading lads train for a while, before getting dressed for their match. The weather had turned miserable, as it’s prone to do over here, but the match was great for our team. Reading was big and athletic, and they moved the ball well. DM had a little trouble with their speed and physicality in the first period and conceded two goals on corner kicks. The second half was quite different. We settled down with the ball and were able to possess and create some good scoring chances. Although we didn’t convert any, the match was decidedly more even. In the end, Reading won 2-0 but was a great first test for the 16s. On the bus ride back, we learned that the U15’s had lost their match 5-1, and according to Coach Eddie they had a similar experience with the size of the opponent. After their match, the U15’s were treated to a nice chili dinner!
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Tuesday March 31, Day 4 Today is a travel day, as we make the trek into Wales. The bus ride is about 3 hours to Cardiff, which will be our first stop. This gives me a little time for some local observations… Football is truly like a religion here. For some it is the meaning of life. Boys from all parts of the UK dream of playing professionally, and they are willing to sacrifice a lot to try. School seems completely secondary to the pursuit of that dream. By the age of 16, boys are entrenched in the club system, trying to set themselves up for some professional contract. The big name clubs will have a bunch of players on contract between the ages of 16 and 21, in addition to players on their first and second teams. These players train and play in their academy programs, and part of their contract includes an “education component”. But that doesn’t seem to be emphasized. The ultimate goal is to develop players that are able to play in the Premier league. That seems to be the pinnacle of life… if you’re not a Royal! Sadly, the vast majority of players in the system, between those ages, are out by the time they’re 21. We know that they drive their cars on the left side of the road in the UK. But what I learned is that this is not only confusing for tourists if you happen to drive… but also as a pedestrian. I found myself constantly looking the wrong way for oncoming traffic, when trying to cross the road. In fact, I took a jog around Crawley on Sunday afternoon and it was quite dangerous. The stoplights are interesting also. Everything is completely the same as the light progresses from green, to yellow, to red. But then when the light is about to turn green, both the red and the yellow shine for one moment. It’s seems like a warning that the light is about to go green. It seems to make cars jump the light and creep into the intersection. I can’t imagine the chaos if we gave drivers that heads up here! I also learned that “Quid” is slang for a Pound… Much like we use the term “buck” in the states for a Dollar. We crossed the bridge into Wales (which is a separate country from England) around 1:30 pm. Judging by the increased banter between Coach Daf and our English tour guide, Murray, I would say that there’s a healthy rivalry between the two countries… Murray’s introduction of Wales… “Boys, welcome to the tiny country of Wales. Population about 3 million; 2 million of which are sheep!” Wales apparently also boasts the largest number of castles per square mile than any other country. And we found out that there are two languages used in Wales; English and Welsh. And even though only
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approximately 35% of the population speaks the native language, Coach Daf is one of them… which may finally explain some of his emails to us! Our first stop in Wales was Cardiff, for a stretch of the legs and a look around. When we got off the bus, the coaches decided to play a little prank on the boys. They were told that all youth under the age of 18 kneel down, with their heads touching the ground and say a little prayer when they first arrive. Most of the boys were skeptical, but ultimately they all did it for a moment… only to find out that the coaches were joking. Afterwards we let them shop through the downtown mall, while the parents got a look around… The boys had a light training session in the afternoon at the Cardiff School of Sport, where apparently both Coach Daf and Eddie received different degrees. The facility was awesome, and included a large indoor track and basketball courts. So after training, the kids got a tour from Coach Eddie, and played a little pick-up basketball. In the evening we were treated to a U21 match between Wales and Bulgaria at the Cardiff FC Stadium. The Welsh lads started very well and took a 3-0 lead into the break. In the second half, they only conceded one goal, on a questionable play. Bulgaria scored after continuing to play when a Welsh player went down with an apparent head injury. But the match ended 3-1, making Coach Daf quite happy. After the game, we drove towards Swansea and checked in to our hotel to call it a night… Wednesday April 1, Day 5 We had a free morning for both squads to get ready for a match against the Swansea Schoolboys. This is apparently a collection of “all-star” players from the local clubs. Coach Daf compared it to playing against an all-met team from high schools. The games were played at Swansea University athletic fields, which is right along the coast and the conditions were very windy. So the play was very different, depending on which way the teams were facing. The 15s played quite well, and won 3-1. The 16s played well also, especially in the second half and got a 2-2 draw. Tonight we had dinner at a restaurant next to the hotel, called The Harvester. It was a nice change of pace.
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Thursday April 2, Day 6 After 2 tough matches the day before, the boys went into Swansea for a recovery training session at an indoor pool. After another quick stop at our favorite supermarket, Tesco, the 15s got ready for another game against a different collection of Swansea Schoolboys. This time the match was at a complex right next to the hotel. And the 16s came to support their teammates… The match ended with a 1-0 victory for DMSA, with Kevin Prophet scoring the deciding goal. Dinner was once again at the Harvester… and the soup du jour was again tomato (apparently it’s ALWAYS the soup of the day!) At this point of the trip, we were joined by Coach Tommy Park, who was beginning a European vacation of his own. Friday April 3, Day 7 In the morning, we took a drive though Swansea and over to Mumbles. The boys spent a few hours playing soccer on the beach and taking in the beautiful scenery. After the beach, we stopped in the town of Mumbles to tour Oystermouth Castle in the middle of town. Someone please free Coach Tommy! That evening, the 16s had their match against the Swansea City Academy team. It was played at their training facility, right next to the Swans stadium, and the pitch was beautiful. DMSA did not play their best soccer in the first half, and it seemed that most were a little nervous. So Swansea City took a 2-0 lead into the intermission. But again, we got better in the second half. Justin Gielen scored a goal to cut the lead to one, and then had another shot bounce off the crossbar with about 5 minutes left. The result was a 2-1 loss, but the boys showed nicely.
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Saturday April 4, Day 8 Last day of the trip, and what a way to cap it off. We have tickets to see a Premier league match between Swansea City and Hull City. We got to the stadium early so the boys could explore the shops around Liberty Stadium. Our seats were right behind the Swans goal for the first half, and we were not disappointed. They scored twice in the first period, right in front of us. The Swans gained a 3-1 result… as well as some new fans from the USA! Sunday April 5, Day 9 Unfortunately it was time to make the long trek home. After a very early wake up on this Easter morning, and a long bus ride back to Heathrow, we hopped on our flight back across the pond. But this was a trip that the boys will not soon forget. We owe a great big thanks to our coaches, as well as our tour guide, Murray. And as Coach Daf liked to sing… “There’s only one Murray Jones… Only one Murray Jones!”
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