WSC News

WSC UK Report #10 – Saturday, April 2, 2005

Well today was our last full day in England hope the April Fools Joke didn’t catch too many. Today was Match Day #6 for both teams as we travel to Colchester and then it’s off to our last pro game and then back to the dorm for the final dinner.

The day began with breakfast as normal at about 8am. Unfortunately a couple players weren’t feeling well again but by the time we reach the games they were feeling better and both played.

We departed for Colchester at about 8:45; a little behind schedule. The bus ride was about an hour and 15 minutes so we arrived about 10:00. Because we were going to the pro game in the afternoon the games had to begin virtually as soon as we could get dressed and on the fields. Both games started about 10:15. The boys played 4 20-minute periods and the girls played the normal 3 25-minute periods. Unfortunately the girl’s string of wins came to an end as they fell 2-0; the boys got a result and tied 1-1. Again the field conditions came into play for both teams. They were very small and the playing surface was not very good. Unfortunately we were spoiled by the fields at Bradfield or even at home.

After the game both teams head to the locker rooms for a quick shower (and shave, just kidding). After pushing everyone out we departed Colchester at about 1pm for a short ride to the stadium at Ipswitch Town.

We arrived at Ipswitch about 1:30/1:45. After walking to the stadium everyone headed to the team store and again purchased uniforms, scarves, and other souvenirs. England’s pro leagues end in about a month or so and there for they are beginning to discount this year’s jerseys, etc. so deals on replica jerseys can be found almost everywhere.

After the store visit it was lunch at the stadium with its many street venders. Fish and Chips was definitely a favorite choice and most said it was some of the best they had had.

We entered the stadium and were seated behind one goal fairly high up, but it gave everyone the view point of being able to see the players runs and positioning and heard many comments at dinner from both the players and parents about this. We again were seated amongst the “real fans” and to our right were the opponent’s fans so there was much banter back and forth; another great atmosphere to watch a game. This time we heard more songs and chants than the previous games. The game ended with the home team winning, which is the first time in about 10 games that WSC has attended were the home team has one. It was a great game with lots of scoring and excitement. The players were pretty jazzed up after the game so I’m sure they had a blast.

We departed Ipswith right after the game and arrived back at the dorm at about 7:30, about an hour and a half bus ride. It was a very scenic bus ride, seeing the countryside and farms. Upon arriving back in London, it was rumored to be a George Clooney sighting in a limo, but think Craig was pulling everyone’s leg, but it didn’t stop the girls from trying to get the bus driver to turn around, unfortunately for them to no avail.

Our final dinner was at the dorm at 8pm, nothing special on the menu. At about 9:30 Rich began the program. He began by giving a synopsis of the tour and then talked to the players and parents about the important aspects of the tour and why WSC conducts a tour. Then he thank individuals, including the parents, players and coaches. During the program, which lasted about 45 minutes, a raffle was held where small door prizes were given away. Following the program the players performed little skits that outlined some of the funnier moments on the tour. It was hilarious and no one was safe.

Curfew was about 10:30pm with lights out soon after.

Tomorrow is the flight home so we will see everyone at JCC. Think everyone has had a blast but the consensus is that its time to come home.

WSC UK Report #9 – Friday, April 1, 2005

Want to start out with some unfortunate news or maybe fortunate for us. We are not returning on Sunday as planned. Due to a scheduling snafu our tickets are for the following Sunday. Laurie and Rich are working on a solution but as of this report none has been found. We are not ready to return anyway and are now adjusting to life in the ‘big city’ so there does not appear to be too many complaints at this point. The laundry room was full this evening however. Will keep you updated.

Today’s itinerary called for a cruise on the Thames River and then we had another free afternoon.

We did not depart for the cruise until around 11am so many slept in this morning. Probably a lot of adults stayed up too late also. Didn’t see too many of the players early this morning which was a good sign. All the players appear to be healthy again, so hopefully that was the end of that.

We departed on schedule and arrived at the docks at about 11:45 for our 12:30 departure. Everyone appeared to be spending this time planning their afternoon and evening activities. For the most part their appeared to be two contingents on the boys team; going to the Fun Land (arcade) or going to Arsenal Stadium at Highbury. Most were also going to shop again to try and find those last minute souvenirs to take to our fans at home.

Our cruise began loading at 12:15 and by 12:30 we were seated and lunch was beginning to be served. On the menu for lunch were chicken breast, potatoes, and vegetables. For desert we had the choice of carrot cake, chocolate cake, or various types of cheesecake. While eating lunch we began to see the sights of the river. Seeing Big Ben, Houses of Parliament, The London Eye, London Bridge, and the Tower Bridge, from a different angle this time. Very fascinating. Also very fascinating was the different types of architecture along the river and a lot of construction showed many different building methods also. It was a great lunch and tour of the river.

The cruise lasted a little over an hour and then we boarded the buses for a short trip back to Piccadilly Circus. Piccadilly Circus is where Fun Land is located and is on one end of the main shopping district. Also Covent Gardens is a short walk away.

As mentioned above people appeared to split in three main directions. Shopping, Fun Land, or Arsenal Park.

The contingent heading to Arsenal Park used the Tube to travel about 15 minutes north to Highbury Street, which is at the top of Arsenal Station. A short walk to the stadium followed. After purchasing tickets everyone was able to go into the stands and see the field and the awesome stadium. Following a few pictures we proceeded to their museum, with was very fascinating. All their winners cups, old uniforms, pictures of the team, etc where on view. About 20 minutes into the museum tour we went to watch a 20-minute video of Arsenal FCs history. We saw some awesome footage and especially some the greatest goals scored by Arsenals players. Great way to spend the afternoon. This group split up and headed back to the shopping spots and everyone was last seen diving into the stores.

The second contingent headed directly into Fun Land and proceeded to have a blast playing arcade games in the huge five-story building. After spending all their money (just kidding) they then proceeded to Covent Garden. At Covent Garden they got to see the street performers and heard that several of the parents and players got into the act. Hope to have some pictures posted. Most of this group was last seen diving into the stores by afternoon’s end.

The third main split headed straight down Regent Street for some shopping and then headed to Covent Garden to get their view of the fun.

It was funny to see several people having to purchase additional suitcases to bring home all their loot.

When dropped off this afternoon we were handed dinner money and told to meet back at the dorm for lights out at 9:30. Not really given instructions on how to do this, but fortunately it looks like everyone made it back safe and sound. The Tube is a great transportation mode as mentioned before. Just drop down off the streets slide your pass in, then find the right train and then board and you’re off to your destination. And during today many probably repeated that task 5 or 6 times to get around London. Probably the hardest part was maneuvering the walk home from the station this evening, which is about 4 or 5 blocks away.

Tomorrow is our last full day in England. Oh yea, that first paragraph was an April Fools Joke!

Tomorrow is each teams last game in England in the morning and then we are off to our last Pro game. Should be a great game. Both teams play pro club teams again so their games should be exciting also. Tomorrow night we have our final dinner and then it is off to bed and some packing.

WSC UK Report #8 – Thursday, March 31, 2005

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Today was our trip to Cambridge and it began like it was going to be a cold wet one. Upon leaving the dorms for breakfast it was drizzling slightly and definitely cold.

Breakfast was normal, except we unfortunately discovered had a couple sick ones today. Justin Currin had been sick earlier in the week, and now three of the girls have come down sick, but none see to appear to have the same symptoms. The three sick were Jessica Napoleon, Tori Cooke, and Anne Gerhardt. Not sure of their status as they were not a dinner, although did see Tori in the hall and she appears to be better. Yesterday was a long day, with everyone walking tons of miles and as mentioned a few left pretty early on their free day yesterday. Tomorrow is a sleep in day as we don’t leave the dorms until 11am so I’m sure that everyone will be better in the morning.

We left for Cambridge about 8:30 and it took us about an hour to get there by bus. Upon arriving we set out on foot towards the historical section or university section of Cambridge. The meeting spot was a bridge that overlooked a small canal, and immediately players started noticing the punting boats. There was a split on the morning’s activities; half went for the shopping and half went for the punting. Everyone who went punting had a blast. Some of the pictures showed a good time shopping also. Should mention that by the time we got to Cambridge it had stopped raining and warmed up considerable; still overcast but no rain.

After the punting and shopping everyone got lunch on their own. There were several different restaurants, cafés, and pubs to choose from.

After Lunch it was off to the games at around 12:45pm. Today we played at two separate locations. Due to the recent rains our fields had changed and after sorting things out, back tracking in our travels both teams arrived at about 1:45 for their 2pm matches and unfortunately both teams had to also get dressed before warming up. Neither field was a nice as the fields at Bradford; we were definitely spooled out there. Fields were mudding with a hard mud and very slick. Very few of our players have screw-in cleats, but they would have been preferred.

The girls continued there impressive run of results winning their fourth in a row 6-2 and the boys went up against a very talented team and lost 0-9 but against this opponent played extremely well.

After the game the teams showered in locker rooms at the fields and then headed home, meeting up along the highway for the hour-long ride home.

Dinner was at 7:30 and then the players had a couple hours to relax, play pool, and foosball. Lights out was at 9:30 and although we had two long days it was difficult to get everyone to bed on time.

Tomorrow we head towards the Thames River for a lunch cruise, and then it’s off to the player’s favorite Fun World, a multi-story arcade. Then we head for Covent Gardens where we will spend the late afternoon and evening. Covent Gardens is fun because there are many street performers, little souvenir shops, and a small flee market. We will eat dinner their also.

Many more pictures from almost all the previous days have been posted. Make sure you see the deer picture on Day 5, its pretty amazing.

Match reports also are coming...

Fridays tour update is going to be delayed, will attempt to get it up before the internet café closes tomorrow night but if we are late returning from will probably not get to post it until Sunday morning with Saturday’s also.

WSC UK Report #7 – Wednesday, March 30, 2005

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For Today’s free day we woke to mostly rainy skies but by afternoon the rain had stopped with average temperatures; jacket weather but not cold at all. It started to mist again by the evening but not bad.

Breakfast today was somewhat different, fried eggs replaced soft-boiled eggs, but for the most part everything else was the same. Kids are still loading up on cereals.

Several groups left after breakfast at vary times. Breakfast was from 7:30 to 10 so some choose to sleep in a little before heading out. It was nice to see everyone leaving in groups of 10 to 20 for the day. Some players may have left with parents only but only a few.

Since everyone kind of went in different directions it is kind of hard to report everything. But it appears that just about everyone saw some historical sights and then hit the stores toward the end of the day. Heard reports of seeing Big Ben, Parliament, Tower of London, London Bridge, some parks (see picture of Princess Diane Memorial), Buckingham Palace, Westminster Abby, and a host of others. The main mode of transportation appeared to be their subway system, called the Tube or Underground, which is awesome. Groups armed with a Tube Map and $8 a day you could go just about anywhere pretty quickly. After seeing the sights most did the shopping thing. Guys to the sporting goods stores like Niketown and Lillywhites for replica jerseys and other team gear. Girls also finding the replica jerseys and such but also shopping at the Gap, French Connection, and many others. Regent Street and its surrounding streets contain and endless number of shopping opportunities but even if you spent a week, not sure you could reach them all. And yes the streets were crowded even on a Wednesday. Most got to experience Rush Hour on the Tube coming home.

After returning home most of the adults headed to the pubs to watch England play Azerebaun (sp?) in a World Cup Qualifier. Unfortunately the players are too young and therefore they were not allowed into the pubs. So most of the players were hanging out in a few rooms with each other just relaxing and talking about the days experiences. All appeared to once again have a great day.

Couple fun notes: Upon returning home this evening from sightseeing saw a group of WSC boys playing “football” on a side street with an English kid about their age. Unfortunately didn’t have a camera, but it was quite entertaining watching them try moves on each other. Believe the English kid won for the most part, but the Americans knew a thing or two. Also see pictures from Day #7 and then ask Jeff Pherson about his new girl friend from Hard Rock Café (waitress), think his new nickname is know “hotlips.” It was fun watching the adults cheer along side the other England supporters in the pub; the “Americans” might have been a little louder.

Lights out for the players was at about 10pm and think most were ready for bed. Tomorrow brings another game against Cambridge United FC for both teams. Before the matches we get to spend the morning touring Cambridge, which should be fun. Hopefully we will see some players and parents try “punting”

Pictures have been posted for days 5, 6, and 7. Hope to have some more posted soon…

WSC UK Report #6 – Tuesday, March 29, 2005

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Today is moving day. Today we moved to inner London close to the Angle Tube Station if you can find a London Subway map. A little northeast of Oxford Circus, where the main shopping districts are.

The day began with normal breakfast and then it was off to final packing and final dorm inspections. This process went extremely well and we had the buses all packed an hour ahead of schedule.

Out beautiful weather from yesterday suddenly turned into extremely cold and windy and then cold rain this evening.

From Bradford College we headed towards the London Eye, which is downtown along the Thames River. It took us about 45 minutes. Due to our expedited departure were able to make our London Eye flight an hour earlier than expected. The London Eye is a very tall Ferris Wheel to best describe it. The cars that you ride in hold about 20 people and there are 34 different cards on the wheel. It takes about 30 to 45 minutes to travel the whole circumference. From the moment you board you can start to see all of London and the river below. On a clear day you can see forever, but unfortunately for us it was cloudy and foggy. However, there were still many sights to see. Everyone appeared to enjoy the ride, including those of us that are heights challenged.

From the London Eye we departed towards Rosebery Hall and our new norm for the balance of the trip. We ate lunch along the way.

We arrived at Rosebery at about 2:00 and were checked into our new rooms by 3pm or so. However, if you talk Danny Salmon please let him know that his room is now available; he was last seen taking shelter on the street somewhere.

Dinner was at 5:30, so everyone unpacked and had a little time to relax and make a short trek to a small grocery store (about the size of a 7-11 at home) that contained everything that you would find at a large Farm Fresh or Ukrops just not as many different brands. Most stocked up with bottled water and a few snacks.

Dinner was at the new dorm and was very tasty. We had the chose of vegetable lasagna, lamb with rice or cottage pie (like Sheppard’s pie) all were very good.

After dinner is was off to quickly get dressed for our evening out at the Theater. We departed at about 6:45 for a quick bus trip to Piccadilly Circus where the Theater was located. Tonight we saw Mamma Mia; a musical featuring the music of ABBA. The storyline is about a girl who is getting married and doesn’t know who her dad is. After reading an old journal of her mothers she invites three men to the wedding that all could possibly be her dad.

Well the musical appeared to be a huge hit. Even most of the boys loved it. Really didn’t hear of anyone that didn’t enjoy it. Some of the girls were ready to dance in the aisles but unfortunately most of the audience was not. It was a great time, some are thinking about hitting another play or musical in the next couple days.

We arrived back at the dorm at about 10:30 for a quick “bank” and then it was off to bed. Bank is where Richard lets them withdraw from their spending money, which he holds for them.

Tomorrow is a free day all day; so many of the parents were milling about the lobby discussing plans for their activities. Some are heading out early but for the most part everyone appears to relish the idea of getting a little extra sleep. Most will see the sights of London, like Big Ben, Tower of London, Buckingham Palace, Westminster Abby to name a few. Then it will probably off to do some shopping and I’m sure that Niketown will be one of the big hits.

Because Internet is not readily available at the dorm these updates might be delayed. Sorry!

WSC UK Report #5 – Monday, March 28, 2005

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Today we awoke to a beautiful day that had some early morning fog that soon gave way to sunny skies and very warm temperatures. Fantastic day for short sleeves.

Today was Match Day #4 for the girls and boys teams. The Girls were playing Fleet United U13/U14 team and the Boys were playing Westwood Wanderers U13. Both games were to begin at 9:30. The afternoon was filled with our second pro game than the day was finished off with some “friendly” (used loosely) parent/players games on the astro-turf field at Bradford College.

No changes on the breakfast menu. More cereal choices perhaps. The boys players were definitely a little sluggish this morning with a couple not making it to breakfast. Girls were their normal ‘raring to go” attitudes.

The girls won their third game in a row today 5-1. The boys played hard but settled for a 2-5 loss.

After lunch and some preliminary packing for the move to inner London tomorrow, it was off to the pro game. This game was a 2nd Division game between Brentford FC the home team and Peterborough United FC. It was about an hour-long bus ride to the game.

The players and parents were treated to a more traditional English lower division atmosphere. Very tight seating, closed in stadium. Chants from the home team’s fans could be heard, although not really close enough to allow the kids to join in. The final score was 0-0 so unfortunately we didn’t see any goals scored but it still was an exciting game. Games at this level are very physical and the players tend to get by on physical speed over soccer talent. This game did not disappoint on either case. We saw some blood after two heads collided in the box and a player continue playing after chasing a ball into the stands, over some sign boards and then falling on his head on the concrete, then get up a little woozy but continued to play the full 90 minutes. Wish we had seen some goals but it was exciting to the very end.

The players continued to find the team shops and bought a few jerseys and scarves. The players were also treated to having their team pictures in the game day program and were each given one as a souvenir.

After the game the players returned back to the dorms for dinner and a little rest before the “Big” games on the turf.

At about 8:15 the players and parents made a long trek up a hill to the turf fields. The girls team’s parents were the last to arrive and were heard chanting ‘Ole, Ole….” From far in the distance and then began other chants as they arrived at the fields. Three fields were set up across the full field and teams were organized with the boys playing their parents and the coaching staff and the girls parents playing their daughters. Have no idea the winners other than everybody had a fantastic time. If I had to make a wager I would say the parents came out on top more games than not. Saw many parents taking the ball away from their own sons or daughters. Saw a mother (Rhonda DeBean) score an apparent nutmeg on her son (Lee) playing goalie on one of the boys teams. Rumor has it that Head Coach Richard Butler is in contract talks with Sandy Waterman to join the Williamsburg Legacy as goalkeeper when training starts May 1st.

The games ended about 9:30 and the players returned back to the dorm and had lights out at 10pm. And the aches and pains from the parents are beginning....

Tuesday is moving day as we move to inner-London tomorrow. Also highlights for tomorrow is a trip to the London Eye and then at night the theatre to see Mama Mia. Tomorrow is a long day but should very a fun one.

Tuesday’s daily report will unfortunately not be posted probably until Wednesday night as we return from the theatre late and again have to sort out the Internet connections.

Today’s game reports and some additional pictures from the last couple days have been added.

WSC UK Report #4 – Sunday, March 27, 2005

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Easter Sunday arrives with typical or at least perceived typical England weather; colder and damp. We had a few sprinkles during the games, but no rain. And the afternoon got a little warmer but was still cold and damp.

Today was Match Day #3 for the girls and boys teams. The Girls were playing Reading FC’s ‘A’ U13 team and the Boys were playing Woodley Hammers U13 a local Reading club team. With the Boys playing at 9:30 and the Girls starting at 10pm. Then in the afternoon a trip to Windsor Castle and a trip to Eton were on the itinerary

Breakfast was same as the others. The players appeared to be wide-awake and ready for their matches of the day.

The Boys team won their first game of the tour 2-0 scoring two goals in the first of three periods and the Girls team won their second game of the tour 8-0.

After the games the teams headed to lunch for a fantastic Easter lunch. Spaghetti was the favorite of the players, not your typical Easter faire, true. However for the rest, Roast Beef, potatoes, cooked vegetables with salad greens and for dessert apple cobbler with a cream sauce. Probably the best meal we have had at the dorm.

After lunch the players had an unscheduled player meeting and were surprised by the parents putting together an Easter Egg Hunt. It was a blast to watch the players scramble to find the plastic eggs filled with candy and 6 surprise eggs which contained English money. Reportedly, Christian Waterman was the big winner getting 4 or 5 of the “money eggs.” We had a few that came in to unexpected contact with some water (small creek), but no injuries were reported.

We departed for the thirty-minute bus ride to Eton at about 1:40. The players and parents appeared to really enjoy seeing some of the History of England. The royal family was supposedly “in residence” as the family flag was being flown on the flagpole atop the Castle. Unfortunately no official sightings could be confirmed as we do not have any photos, however many reports were discussed upon returning to the bus. The tours of the Castle showed parade grounds with marching guards and visitors were allowed into State Apartments were many artifacts were viewed along with Armour; the staterooms could be viewed. Walking tour took about an hour or so and most appeared very fascinated.

Upon exiting the State Apartments a short walk out of the Castle led us into the town of Eton. Most went to search for Dinner and others did a little shopping. Eton has many souvenir shops and think most were hit. Some players again found the team uniform shirts, this time many by the girls. Dinner was on your own and pretty much the gamut was found; from American Fast Food; to fish and chips; to pubs with English faire; to traditional steak and fries.

Players and parents arrived back at the buses at around 7:30 for the return trip. The players were very hyped up upon entering the buses so guess today was a GREAT DAY in England. Two wins, Easter Eggs, tour of a Castle, and Pizza Hut, what more could they ask for. Oh yea, an early lights out call to settle them down.

Tomorrow brings a game each for the boys and girls and then it’s off to a pro game from the second English Divisions. Rumor has it that parents versus player game is in the works after dinner as I think the parents have not gotten the “Football’ bug. Should be another great day.

Everyone appears to be having a great time, and no homesickness reported by those traveling alone.

Some pictures from today have been posted and the boys report is posted, hope to have the girls report posted by noon our time tomorrow (sorry for the delay)

Please be sure to check all the pictures as some have been added to some of the past days.

WSC UK Report #3 – Saturday, March 26, 2005

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Today was again a beautiful day. A lot of sun and a few clouds mixed in. It did sprinkle a little on the bus ride home from Wales.

On tap for today was the trip to the World Cup Qualifier between Wales and Austria.

The day started with breakfast. Same menu. Players are starting to roll out of bed a little slower now; it’s probably a good thing that the teams did not play games today.

The players and parents departed for Wales about 9:30 for the 2 1/2 to 3 hour bus trip to Cardiff, Wales for the game. Trip was uneventful, again seeing the countryside with farms shaping the landscape. We did cross over a large bridge over water that separates England from Wales (Sorry do not have the name of the body of water). We arrived in Cardiff about 12noon and had lunch. Brown Bag, sandwich, fruit, chips, and a candy bar.

Then it was off to the town center for a little shopping and seeing of the sights. No real stories to tell other than players were buying Wales National Team hats, scarves and a few t-shirts. It appeared that when we met back at 2pm most everyone had some form of red on in support of the home team.

Then it was off to the stadium through crowed, noisy streets amongst the thousands and thousands of supporters for the home team. Crowd was estimated to be 47,000, not a sell out but a very large crowd in comparison to games in the US. Outstanding atmosphere; think the players got some sense of European soccer. The game was outstanding with many scoring chances for both teams. The halftime score, however, was 0-0. The second half was much of the same until Wales had two defensive let downs that were capitalized on by the Austrians and the home team went down to defeat 0-2.

After waiting for the majority of the crowd to exit we began the trip back to the buses; probably about 10 blocks. Surprisingly the crowd didn’t seem too bad considering their team so desperate for a win went home empty handed. Everyone made it back to the bus without any problems.

For dinner the buses stopped at a travel plaza along the highway. It was very similar to the travel plazas you see along I-95 in Maryland. To eat; everyone was able to chose between traditional English fare of fish and chips, bangers and mash, curry, etc. or the US traditionals of Burger King and KFC. Yes you read that correctly. Players flocked to BK and KFC. Parents and coaches tended to go towards the English fare. The report on the “fast food” was some similarities in taste to some saying it tasted just like in the US. The English fare was excellent.

Everyone returned home about 9pm with lights out about 9:30 for the players. Tomorrow brings games number #3 for both teams in the morning and then it’s a trip to Windsor Castle.

Finally got match reports posted and the photos are starting to be posted.

WSC UK Report #2 – Friday, March 25, 2005

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Today was a beautiful day. Temperature around 60 to 70 with some sun mixed with some clouds. For the most part t-shirt weather although some of us coaches probably wished we’d taken our fleeces to the field.

Today was games #1 and #2 for both teams. Lots of excitement and anticipation was the feeling at breakfast. Oh to mention breakfast. Bake beans of course. Actually we haven’t had a meal that didn’t have baked beans. Breakfast also contained bacon (ham to us), sausage, soft-boiled eggs, tomatoes, mushrooms and some cereals. Not bad, not sure anyone went hungry.

After breakfast and some quick team meetings both teams headed to the fields for their first games. Both teams played on the beautiful fields here at the College. The girls game was delayed due to an accident on the “roadway” so both games started about 10:30. Full match reports are to follow as soon as the parents can complete their assigned tasks. However the scores were 1-6 with the U14 Reading girls beating the WSC Phoenix. They played three 25-minute periods with period scores of 0-4, 1-1, and 0-1. The boys played the Reading FC U12 boys and lost to a final score of 1-12 but played four 20-minute periods and were 1-2 down after the first two periods. Again full match reports and photos to come.

After the games the teams went directly to lunch. Lunch contained the famous Fish and Chips (Fries). Not bad considering it was dorm food. Think most of the players just ate the fries and some pasta. Bake Potatoes also appear to be a favorite.

After lunch Rich introduce some parents and players to the game of Cricket. Very fun with many stories of going team or striking out (still using the baseball terms, not sure Rich was able to teach them the proper terminology) But in the end think everyone figured out how to play and the basic rules. Hope to have the photos and possibly some video up soon.

Then it was off two the second games with both teams playing at the same time on the same fields at the College. A much better showing by both teams after getting the nerves settled with the first games being complete. The boys lost 3-4 with period scores of 2-1, 1-1 and 1-1, with WSC giving up a late goal. The girls really turned things around and beat Reading’s U13 team 6-1, with period scores of 4-0, 1-0, and 1-1.

After the games the parents and players had a group photo taken and a brief meeting before heading back to the dorms. After getting the players back to the dorms for some much needed rest the parents and coaches snuck out for a friendly game of their own. The trash talking has begun. Not sure who won the game but fortunately no paramedics had to be called although slide tackling was allowed and came into play. Think there was mugging that took place in one of the corners as the teams continued to play into darkness. But Craig managed to escape and continue the banter at Dinner. Danny appeared to have some early fans as the girls showed up but soon turned on the coach and gave him some of his own medicine. Think the favorite saying was "Your first touch is killing us!!!!" Not sure who was more tired at the end of the day but think the parents might win that battle.

Dinner was baked Chicken with some pasta and can’t forget the baked beans. Players are still finding the potatoes to be the staple of the meals. And salads. The players had a little time this evening to relax, watch a little TV and work on their foosball games. Lights out was 9pm and believe it or not a few players were awakened at bed check..

Tomorrow brings the World Cup Qualifier between Wales and Austria. It’s about a 2 to 3 hour bus ride but should be an outstanding atmosphere for a game; and a very high level of soccer.

We are still working on the photo uploads, sorry. Hope to have them and the full match reports posted soon!!!

WSC UK Report #1 – Thursday, March 24, 2005

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With a virtually uneventful 24 or so hours, the first day of the 2005 tour has come to an end. With almost everyone getting a couple hours of sleep on the plane it’s now time to get some much-needed rest.

Our plane departed Dullas on time at approximately 9:45 and arrived on time at about 9:45 am local England. With the exception of a very bumpy 30-minute ride right after dinner everyone appeared to settle down for some rest. No reports of the dinner reappearing so not too bumpy. Not sure how much rest everyone got but the general consensus was a couple or so hours.

After clearing passport check, claiming our baggage and clearing through customs we began loading the buses at about 11:30. The drive from the airport to Bradford College was about 25 to 30 minutes and was your typical (used loosely) ride through the country. The end of the journey into the country side displayed rolling hills, farm land and eventually hundreds and hundreds of deer grazing as if you would see on a large cattle farm. Bradford College is a beautiful campus and contains as we would find later in the day some of the most immaculate fields that will be our game fields over the next couple days.

The first order after arriving and unloading our gear was lunch; always a mystery on the first day of the tour. But everyone appeared to find something to eat, with a mixture of Chinese cuisine to pasta to bake potatoes, and some funny tasting pork “balls” (opps meatballs)

Then it was off to room assignments and a little unpacking. Followed by swimming, which appeared to be enjoyed by all with plenty of water toys around. This was again followed by some unpacking and preparations for the first and only training session.

The boys met at about 3:45 and began the short 10-minute walk to the fields. Upon arriving finding some of the best fields that these guys have probably played on. Imagine Warhill Sports complex, but flatter, and with perfectly manicured grass that was cut tightly. Don’t think I saw a bare spot on the fields including the areas in front of the goals. The girls arrived a few minutes later and the teams began some very competitive training that hopefully will lead to some exciting games on tap for tomorrow.

After training it was dinner. Enjoyed but all. Pizza, Pasta, Peas, and Waffle Fries. Maybe the Fish and Chips tomorrow.

Then it was off to bed with lights out about 9pm for the players. Getting some much needed rest in preparation for each teams two games on Friday.