Winning is not everything!!

We played against our nemesis team at seven a side soccer tonight. This team is very competitive and very rough! 
Unfortunately we only had 6 players tonight as two of our boys were unwell, so you would think that the opposition would also play only 6 players to make the game fair but no they did not! That’s just what they are like.
You can’t imagine how good it felt then when our boys – the underdogs – scored the first goal of the match!! 

By half time the opposition has scored twice making the score 2-1 in their favour. They were so angry that our boys were fighting back, it was actually quite funny to watch. 

One of our boys actually told them to calm down as the whistle for half time sounded.

We lost in the end 6-1 but the score does not in the least reflect how awesome the boys played. I couldn’t have been more proud of each and every one of them. 

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When will I ever learn ????

Remind me not to put my hand up for anything again – I know I won’t listen – I never do, you see I just can’t help myself.
I volunteered to coordinate the summer soccer program for our kids again this year – we were changing clubs and we were looking forward to a new and exciting summer season. 
Turns out though that we have registered for the wrong district.  Instead of playing 5 mins from home as we were all expecting we are now playing somewhere in the middle of whoop whoop which is hours away!! 
I have been emailing the Football Federation Victoria in hope we can rectify the problem but it doesn’t look promising at all. I can see myself making the long trek out to Thornbury, on my own, car full of 13 year old boys. Help!! 
  

  

Feeling content

Feeling quite content at the moment. Even though Harry lost both his soccer games tonight in the City 7’s competition, the boys he played against were just awesome.
They were older, stronger, bigger and they played superbly, yet they were not at all full of themselves, instead they were encouraging, helpful and inspiring.

The first game was against the under 14 reining champions, this team has only lost one game all winter season. The second game was against an under 13 team and they too were very good. Our boys are only under 12’s but tonight they matched it with the best of them.

I think our boys learnt a lot tonight. I think they learnt what true sportsmanship really is and I hope that the loss doesn’t not affect them, the scores were not a true reflection of how well they played. And I know that all the parents were proud as punch.

Any excuse for a party

Harry’s soccer coach is turning 50 on the weekend and to celebrate he is going on a child free holiday with his wife to Port Douglas.

The moment I heard that the coach was having a milestone birthday near the end of the soccer season I began planning how the boys could help to make this momentous occasion even more special.

Together with the team manager we arranged to have some photos of the team framed for the boys to present to the coach, and we set about planning a mini surprise birthday party.

Tonight our plans all came together in what can only be described as a great night.

All the boys helped blow up balloons and decorate the table in preparation of the coach’s arrival.

There was lots of cheering and party poppers, lots of food and cake but above all lots of fun.

This has been Harry’s first year of soccer and thanks to the coach and the boys it has been the best experience.

Sport isn’t just about honing skills and playing a game, it’s about making connections and building lifelong friendships.

Another lovely Sunday

Another lovely Sunday filled with soccer and kids and family. If it wasn’t for the freezing cold temperature I would say it was a perfect Sunday. Still the sun was shinning and the ducted heating was cranked up to max and my husband pulled off another super delicious roast pork which is his specialty.

I hope everyone else had a lovely Sunday too filled with good times, family and friends.

Yellow Card

Today Harry got his first yellow card at Soccer and I have to say now that I have actually read up on what a yellow card is for, that I don’t think it was warranted .

Harry chased a boy on the opposing side down the field all the way up to the goal square neck for neck with both boy’s eyes on the ball. Just before the goal square Harry tried to kick the ball away they both slipped in the mud and tumbled over each other. Harry was awarded the yellow card (the first yellow card for our team for the season I might add) and the other boy was awarded a penalty which resulted in a goal.

The yellow card came as a hard blow for Harry, I think he felt as though he were in trouble because of it. The coach made a joke and a lot of the attention was on Harry as a result, something that he is not at all comfortable with. We tried to reassure Harry that everything was ok but the more we went on about it the more upset he became.

Needless to say it ruined the rest of our day, as Harry was too upset to want to do anything after that. A real shame as we were playing in beautiful Healesville today and the weather was beautiful so it would have been a great day out.

I wish I had asked the referee what the unsportsmanlike behavior that Harry was in breach of was, if not for any other reason as to be able to explain it to Harry.

Mini World Cup Tournament

Tonight the soccer club Harry plays for hosted a Mini World Cup tournament for the under 12’s and under 13’s. It was lots of fun and all the boys and the parents cheering them on really had a great night.

The boys were split into five teams, England, Brazil, Spain, Holland and Australia and played little 15 minute matches with 7 a side on a half court field.

With world cup fever all around us it was the perfect treat for those boys stuck at home on the school holidays.

Harry was selected to represent England, he scored the first and winning goal of the first game. The second game was also a win 1-0, but then England had a rest and unfortunately it was all down hill from there.

The final game for the tournament saw Spain and Holland battling it out in a nail biting penalty shoot out. In the end Holland finished as the victor. We celebrated with pizza and lemon squash and the boys left feeling happy but exhausted. It’s great to see just how much the World Cup has inspired Soccer lovers all around the world, tonight I spotted quite a few boys out there sporting the World Cup haircut just like Ronaldo and Balotelli.

Winter sports

Winter is my least favourite season of the year. Cold dark nights and wet and windy days are not my idea of fun at all.

This year winter appears to have set in earlier than ever. Technically we have only just embarked on the last month of Autumn, and yet it already feels like hibernation time. In a another life I could totally have been a bear. The whole idea of sleeping through winter appeals to me on so many levels.

Unfortunately most boy sports are actually winter sports, so tonight I will be braving the elements as I sit and wait for my son to finish his soccer training. Once he is finished I will rush him home only to pick up the other son who also has basketball training tonight.

Luckily last years Mother’s Day gift from my daughter was a cute travel mug which I plan on taking along with me tonight. I think a nice steaming cup of tea is just what is in order.

Sunday fun day

Can’t believe the weekend is almost over. Here in Melbourne we have been lucky enough to have yet another long weekend and for that I feel very spoilt, but all good things must end alas.

The highlight of my weekend was definitely Harry’s soccer game. Somehow the soccer club managed to get all the boys jumpers and socks for them to wear today, so although they didn’t actually win their first game for the season they all looked amazing and played really well. To see his beaming happy face as he came off that field was just priceless.

Chaos

I was so disappointed today! My son has finally joined a soccer team something he has been wanting to do for a while now, and the soccer season is about to kick off on Sunday. Today only 3 days before the opening game we were advised that we would finally be collecting the uniforms and kits, for which we have paid quite handsomely for I might add, back in November last year when we first registered for soccer.

I received a text message this morning asking if I would be able to help out with the distributing of the kits, to which I said ofcourse I would. So as promised I turned up early ready to help out, only to discover the most chaotic, the most unorganised event I could have ever imagined.

All the sizes they ordered were all wrong, apparently they have a large amount of XXS and Mediums but no Small sizes. Even the few children that did mange to get their kits today did not necessarily receive the correct size.

I mean come on people, what a disgrace!! The children are so excited so looking forward to finally receiving their gear and then this. You only had 6 months to arrange this. How could you mess up so badly? What happens to the kids that won’t have a uniform in which to play in on Sunday?

The people who were so called in charge today had no idea, they were totally clueless. Our boys don’t even have their player jerseys yet. How bad is that!

I was really looking forward to soccer, I know how much this means to my son, and I was so pleased that he was finally going to get a chance to play the sport he loves so much, however if today was any indication of what we can expect from the club, then I am really worried.