International Football Festival Day 3

Today, the pitches were dry enough to play on so the boys had scheduled games at 12:30PM & 2:30PM. Their first match was against Isle of Man, a self-governing island off the northwest coast of England. This nail-biter of a game went back and forth all game. Just when the Trojans thought they had the game in hand, Isle of Man's offense kicked in with a last minute goal to defeat the Chicago boys 1-0. Not to be mentally defeated, the Downer's Grove squad took a short rest before their next match at 2:30PM against Altrincham. While the Trojans gave it their best, Altrincham was just too tough, finishing off our team 3-0. With their heads hanging low, they headed back to the hotel to clean up and get ready for dinner. After dinner, they had the choice to go back to Trafford Centre or stay at the hotel. Needless to say, the blonde Norweigan girls won their vote to stay at the hotel and we had a relaxing night in.

International Football Festival Day 2 - Rainout

Heavy rains from Day 1 of the Umbro International Cup soaked the pitches so much that the tournament had to suspend all games for today. We used this opportunity to travel to the town of Chester, a quaint small town about 45 minutes from the hotel.

This historical city is steeped in history, filled with Tudor style buildings and Victorian architecture, as well as the well known medieval wall which surrounds the city.


The players, coaches, and family members used their 5 hours here to check out the shops, take photos, and dine in many historical pubs along the crowded streets. Those who had enough time to step outside the city walls visited the ancient Roman ampitheatre. While it is not easily recognizable as such today, the signs posted around the site provided a great history lesson into what once held thousands of spectators.

Probably the biggest highlight of the visit to Chester was the players' attempt to fill the famous red telephone booths. On first attempt, they were able to fit 8 players in "comfortably."

After snapshots were taken of their attempt, they were soon outdone by 9 players who found every seemingly possible crevice in the booth.

After many laughs and photos by passers by, we boarded the bus and Kevin took us back to the hotel to clean up before dinner.

After dinner, we headed back to the Trafford Centre for more excitement and games. They came back with even more candy and stories to tell tonight before coming back to the hotel.

However, upon return, the boys found the Norweigan girls soccer team who was staying at our hotel. How late they stayed up is a mystery to us but I'm sure they had a great time!

International Football Festival Day 1

It did not take long for the team to get into soccer mode after the breakfast buffet, as they needed to prepare themselves mentally for the match at 11AM. Once we arrived at the grounds, we headed to pitch 24 for registration and preparation. Our first match was against Muswell Hill FC, a team from London. Light showers started the game but held off for most of the match. The boys from Downer's Grove took an early 1-0 lead on an own goal by Muswell's defense. They used the enthusiasm to carry them to halftime. The second half was a slightly different story though. Muswell poured on the offense, scoring twice within a short amount of time, and adding a third goal during injury time.

After a short break between games, they had their second match against Pro Vision North West, a local squad from Manchester. Pro Vision took little time to take a 2-0 lead into halftime, despite strong defense from the Trojans. Torrential rains in the second half posed a challenge to the Chicago natives, as Pro Vision added two more goals to win 4-0.

Once they changed out of their muddy clothes, we boarded the bus to head back to the hotel for dinner. Afterwards, we headed to The Trafford Centre (yes, they use re instead of er here in England) for an evening of fun. Most of the boys spent time playing miniature golf, while others won prizes at the arcades. Coach Brian bowled with the other adults, rolling a disappointing 54. Wayne won their games with a high of 118. Just before leaving, Mike took a 5-3 victory in air hockey over one of the players but it was a very competitive match. Once gathered, we headed back to the hotel to rest up for the next day's games.

The Theatre of Dreams

As we prepared for our travel day, we had a leisurely start with our final breakfast in the Great Hall. Following shortly thereafter was a tour of Durham Castle by a current Durham University student. The Castle is used as student residences during the academic year and is opened up for Bed and Breakfast accommodations in the summer. Here are just a few short highlights from the tour:

• The castle updated their kitchen facilities in the 1970's to keep up with England's food standards and safety practices. The tables they had used previously are still inside the castle walls and are over 600 years old. Yes America, they are older than our country. They have one table so massive it took the entire Durham rugby team to haul it up the stairs into the hallway which overlooks the Castle courtyard.
• They only have one "verifiable" haunting in the Grand Staircase area. The woman has only been seen by students so the accuracy of the story cannot be confirmed. However, you may want to see which pub the students visited before they "saw" her.
• Preservation work is still underway around the Castle grounds. Work includes studying and repairing the exterior stone work, as well as the seats in the main Chapel.

After the tour, we left for Manchester. Movies were enjoyed along the way, with a soccer and comedy film shown on the coach's television screens. Once within Manchester's city limits, we were directed to Old Trafford Stadium, home of Manchester United Football Club. We were taken on a behind-the-scenes tour to see the pitch (field), dressing rooms, and player's lounge.

Once the tour was completed, we headed to check in to the Britannia Country House Hotel. Once settled, we had a buffet dinner at Jenny's Restaurant with a wide selection of dishes. After dinner, the boys either took a dip in the pool or caught up on sleep.

Harry Potter & The Sorcerer's Soccer Ball

Leaving Durham at 10AM, after another spectacular breakfast in The Great Hall at Durham Castle, we departed for Alnwick, the county town of Northumberland. After a short drive, we arrived at the coach drop off point for a leisurely walk to the Castle grounds. The Castle is most famous now for its use as a setting for filming of the Harry Potter movies. The popularity of the movie was quite evident as we passed a guided magic tour with the tour guide dressed in a Hogwart's school uniform. The group was free to roam the castle to take pictures and visit the residence of the Duke of Northumberland. During the summer, the castle is open to visitors. In the winter, the Duke returns to take up residence inside the castle walls.

After our time was done in Alnwick, we headed back to Durham to eat and prepare for the evening match against Stockton Town FC's U-16s. Once we arrived at the newly built complex, the boys changed into their gear and marched out to the field for warm-ups. Once the game was underway, the play was back and forth for most of the match. Downer's Grove was able to put two into the net, before Stockton replied late in the game with a good strike into the top left of the net, just out of the reach of keeper Matt's reach. However, it was not enough to deny the Trojans the victory. Once everyone shook hands and took a team photo, we spent some time visiting with the team and supporters in their lounge.

Once back in Durham, the boys were very hungry and we grabbed a bite to eat at the Court Inn, just across the river and down from the Cathedral. Despite our late arrival (10:15pm), the food and service were enjoyed by all. Once everyone had their fill, we retired back to our rooms in the Castle Keep to end our day.

Roman Warriors and Heritage with a hint of soccer

We awoke to an early morning English breakfast. Coach Oliver was hyping up the deliciousness of the food and it certainly lived up to his kind words. A buffet full of scrambled eggs, bacon (similar to canadian bacon but with less fat), eggs, and a wonderful selection of fruit and cereal. After breakfast, we jumped on the bus and headed to Hadrian's Wall and Housetead's Fort.

The journey was an extra special treat as we surprised the team with the Roman reenactors who were present at the fort, dressed in traditional garments and armor. The views from the Wall and Fort were breathtaking.

While it had rained earlier in the morning, the weather gods held off the sprinkles until after we left. Many of the boys picked up swords and shields as souvenirs, as they needed them to fend off the roman army who approached as we were leaving. A parade of young children, dressed in roman armor and adorned with shields and swords, marched up the hill for a demonstration. It was certainly a sight to see.

Afterwards, we coasted back to Durham to have lunch and then get ready for the match against Billingham Town FC. Lunch was quite nice again but the boys quickly switched into soccer mode, getting cleaned up and grabbing their soccer bags before boarding the bus to head to the pitch (or the field for us Americans). We arrived and the boys headed straight into the locker room to get dressed into their strips (or uniforms) and started to warm up.

At 4:30pm, the referee stepped onto the field and the captains of each team exchanged handshakes and the coin toss was done to see which goal the teams would be defending. Downer's Grove brought one of their high school letters as a token of their appreciation to Billingham Town for their generosity.

Once the match got underway, the boys from Downer's Grove did a superb job of controlling the play. Headed by strong defense, they were unable to finish many of the good chances they had at putting the ball in the back of the net. At the half, the score was tied nil-nil (zero - zero for the non-British). The level of intensity was quite high from both teams. One player from Billingham Town even cursed at the referee because of a hard play along the edge of the field. It was quite funny, except for the player committing the foul, and got quite the chuckle out of the crowd. It was late in the second half when Billingham Town was able to take advantage of a corner kick and scramble in front of the net to score. The game ended at the same score, 1-0, and the teams changed before heading into the clubhouse for a friendly social gathering afterwards. Sandwiches, crisps, and a handful of other snacks were plentiful, courtesy of Billingham Town. Pints for the adults and sodas for the players were enjoyed by all before heading back to Durham.

After a long day of touring and soccer, everyone retired to their rooms to rest for the next day's activities.

Welcome Downer's Grove!

We welcomed Downer's Grove at the Manchester International Airport this morning. After a small hangup at Passport Control, we boarded the coach and headed towards Durham. We introduced everyone along the way and gave them an introduction to England. Displaying currency, why they think the cars are on the "wrong side" of the road, and how to be a pedestrian in England were all components of the presentation. It didn't take them long to find the backs of their eye lids though.

After the enthusiam of arrival wore off, we stopped to have a bite to eat at a service station along the way. Let me be frank and say that it is not your typical roadside service station. The "services", as they call them here, are very nice food courts and shops where travellers can stretch their legs, get a bite, and then head back on the road in great comfort. No dirty bathrooms, oh, excuse me, toilets...although there was a reported "strange bathroom" with an awkward urinal.

We arrived just a little bit ago to the Castle and checked in. Everyone could tell we were out of place as we walked in because it was like a staring contest that no one could win. We dropped our bags off in the rooms and headed into town. Dinner is later tonight but we let the group roam in the very historical town. Cannot wait to show them the rest of this beautiful land!

Afternoon in the countryside

We travelled from Newcastle to an area near Durham to have lunch at "The Ship." This traditional yet untraditional pub was tucked into the countryside, seemingly in the middle of nowhere. Our lunch included a very nice selection and helping of Thai cuisine, set in the back of a quintesential english pub. However, upon arrival, we were able to take in the great views of the English countryside and snap a few pictures of the horses and ponies nearby. We finished lunch early and had coffee and drinks at "Bowes Incline." While not an incline in the traditional sense of what most Americans may think, this used to be home to the wagons that laborers would use to carry Coke, a form of refined coal, out of the mines. The restaurant was tucked in behind a horse stable and we even passed a pony-in-training along the way.

We departed after saying goodbye to friends and family and met up with Kevin from Centurion Tours. He took us to our accommodations, the Ramada Jarvis, in the Blackrod community of Bolton. After a long day of travel, it was nice to retire to a comfortable bed and get some rest before meeting the group at the airport early in the morning.

Arrival in Newcastle

We arrived in Newcastle ahead of Downer's Grove to prepare for their arrival. Weather is superb and town is very quaint and walkable. Quite busy with preparations but will update again once group arrives and settles into their accommodations in Durham on Saturday.