London 2011; A Huge Success

London 2011 has come to an exciting culmination and everyone involved can agree that it was a great success. The competitive and exciting football, the engaging events with our supporting organisations, the shared meals, the stadium tours, and the newly formed friendships between students all lent to an enriching and fulfilling experience for all. The effort and organization put into London 2011  proved more than worthwhile and will surely be the source of some unforgettable memories in the city of London. We would like to express our appreciation for all of our friends, supporters and our sponsors who helped make London 2011 an unforgettable experience.


Once again, thank you and congratulations to everyone involved - we hope this is the first of many International Football tournaments hosted by Football Beyond Borders!

ULFC Crowned Football Beyond Borders: London 2011 Champions

Football Beyond Borders: London 2011 finished with co-hosts SOAS and the University of London playing out a 0-0 draw after extra time, with ULFC eventually triumphing 5-4 on penalties.

The match itself was a typicallly tense and physical English cup final, with both sides defending strongly and attacking unconvincingly. To be fair to the English representatives, both teams were understrength, and coming in from a very tough week of football, on a very warm July afternoon at Wadham Lodge, in East London.

For their part, ULFC had only eleven men, and winger Reed Cataldo was carrying a knock so severe that for the full 120 minutes he was acting only as applied pressure to SOAS' defence, and as a 'wall' to play passes against. Cataldo worked tirelessly throughout though, and it was the absence of key creative midfielder Chris Michael which really hindered them, as they struggled to play it through midfield, resorting to long-ball tactics and staying compact in defence. It was a style of play which ULFC had used previously against Paysandú, and in periods against the AUC. Although it was criticised by many as being a negative tactic, it showed the strength of the ULFC players, who all season have been playing free-flowing attacking football under head coach Andy Zeller. With Zeller away throughout the tournament, and with key players missing, they instead put a truly English performance on display for the visiting teams in attendance!

SOAS, in contrast, stuck to their attractive style of play and passed the ball around their midfield and defence extensively, dominating possession and keeping the ball well. However, without key forwards Toib Olomowewe and Juan Dorrego, they were somewhat blunt in the final third, and with ULFC's compact defensive shape they struggled to create real openings.

However SOAS it was who cam closest to opening the scoring, as an opening created on the left by Kain and Watfa left Alex Skinner with time to shoot just inside the penalty box, but his firm strike was beaten away by Bailey. The next chance fell to Omar Salha, as the ball fell to him in the box after a cross from Omacar was not cleared properly. He volleyed well into the ground, but the deflected shot was scrambled away by Bailey, low down to his left.

The second-half saw less clear chances created, but with Theo Ohene getting on the ball more for ULFC, the threat of a breakaway goal was always present. However SOAS centre-backs Alex Kaszyicki-Williams, and in particular former ULFC player Erhan Sancak, defended superbly to keep the threat at bay.

The threat of Ohene and Chapman continued into extra time, but it was SOAS who almost snatched the game-winning moment, as in the dying minutes Taurean Antoine-Chagar found space on the left-hand side of the box, and with ULFC defenders Shane Gaughan and Owain Tomblin (who were both superb throughout) fearful of giving away a penalty, Antoine-Chagar was able to chip the ball goalwards, only to be denied what would have been a stunning victory goal by a fingertip save from Bailey, which took it onto the crossbar.

With both 90 minutes and extra time unable to separate the teams, it came down to a penalty shoot-out.

ULFC captain Owain Tomblin stepped up first and fired home confidently, before Jasper Kain's penalty sneaked and bobbled it's way past co-organiser Sam Bailey (much to the annoyance of the ULFC goalkeeper) to make it 1-1. Rob Walls stepped up for ULFC, and confidently sent SOAS keeper Emmanuel Boateng the wrong way to give ULFC a 2-1 lead. Jack Reynolds' penalty was unconvincing, with Bailey again getting a hand on it, but his tactic of going down the middle paid off to make it equal after two penalties each.

A confident penalty from Theo Ohene kept the pressure on for SOAS, who's captain Joseph Watfa then stepped up for the third penalty, but Bailey guessed right for the third time and this time managed to keep it out, to give ULFC the edge. Another good penalty from Shane Gaughan maintained ULFC's advantage, and though Timothy Omacar sent Bailey the wrong way with a well-placed finish, the younger Gaughan brother Chris again sent Boateng the wrong way with an assured penalty, to give ULFC the victory. SOAS won't be too dissapointed though, as the five games they played won them many admirers, and will serve as a great warm-up for the players going out to the Middle East this September.



Although an all-English final was not the expected (or particularly wanted) result of an epic week of football, both ULFC and SOAS deserved their place in the final, with both teams winning crucial final fixtures on Tuesday 26th and Thursday 28th July.

On Tuesday 26th, SOAS overcame Paysandú 3-2 in an exciting end-to-end game, with Timesh Pillay scoring twice to seal the victory. Meanwhile ULFC beat Egyptian visitors AUC 2-0 in an vital and very hotly-contested game, and Adnan Menderes beat Helsinki 4-3 to grab their first points of the tournament.

On Thursday 28th, the early kick-off saw Helsinki and Paysandú play out a great game of football, with the well-tempered 4-4 draw not only showcasing great attacking football, but also truly displaying the spirit of Football Beyond Borders. SOAS then recorded a second 3-2 victory in two days, this time against the AUC, whilst ULFC saw off Adnan Menderes 3-0 in the day's final game.The last two day's results meant that no team left without a result to their name, which was a nice touch to round-off the group stages of the tournament.

The Football Beyond Borders Fair Play Award, awarded to the team who played the game and participated in the project in the best spirit, was given to the University of Helsinki, who made plenty of new friends with their sporting attitude, their disciplined and spirited performances, and their enthusiasm and well-mannered natures throughout their time here.

We would like to thank all of the teams who participated, for making the tournament such a resounding success, and also such an enjoyable event to run, and also all those who came down to support the teams down at The Hive or at Wadham Lodge. We hope to see you all again at future Football Beyond Borders events!

BBC presenter Zeinab Badawi endorses London 2011

We're proud to announce that Zeinab Badawi, who currently presents World News Today on BBC Four and BBC World News, has given Football Beyond Borders: London 2011 her official endorsement.

[caption id="attachment_1378" align="aligncenter" width="217" caption="Zeinab Badawi and Football Beyond Borders' Jasper Kain display the official event t-shirt."][/caption]

The Sudanese-British presenter was delighted to endorse a project that she has called 'a great student initiative'. Badawi graduated with post-graduate degree on the Middle East from the University of London's School of Oriental and African Studies.

The endorsement was timely, as the action kicks off tomorrow at 1pm with the University of London FC defending their home turf against the visiting Paysandu University team from Uruguay and SOAS University squaring off against the University of Helsinki, who have travelled from Finland. At 3pm, the well-organized AUC squad from Egypt go head to head with Adnan Mederes from Turkey. The games will take place at The Hive Football Center in Edgware - please come down and support the teams!

David Goldblatt Confirmed as Speaker for Wednesday 27th July

CARA and Para Siempre FC are delighted to confirm that David Goldblatt, a highly experienced Sports writer, broadcaster, journalist and author, will be giving a short introduction to our Workshop.

David has published two books, The Ball is Round: A Global History of Football, which provides a definitive historical account of beautiful game, and the World Football Yearbook, a yearly annual that has been widely published.
As a journalist, he has written for most of the quality broadsheet newspapers including the Guardian, the Observer, the Financial Times, and The Independent on Sunday, as well as for magazines such as the New Statesman and the New Left Review. He is a regular reviewer of sports books for The Independent and The Times Literary Supplement and is currently the sports’ columnist for Prospect magazine.
As a freelance reporter he has worked for BBC Radio 4 and the BBC World Service, including producing documentaries on football in Jerusalem and the politics of football in Kenya. He has also appeared on other BBC radio programmes including The World Today, The World Tonight, The Sunday Morning Show, and Africa – Have Your Say.
In addition to his extensive writing and broadcasting career, he has also taught the sociology of sport at the University of Bristol and has run literacy programmes at both Bristol City and Bristol Rovers football clubs, as well as teaching sport, film, and media at the Watershed arts cinema, also in Bristol.

We are extremely privileged to have him speak at our event, and are all looking forward to hearing his views.

England National Disability Team Coach Added to Lineup of Speakers at London 2011

[caption id="attachment_1360" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Lyndon Lynch with National CP Squad"][/caption]

Football Beyond Borders: London 2011 is proud to announce that Lyndon Lynch, the current England National Cerebral Palsy (CP) Head Coach, has been added as a keynote speaker in the schedule of events.

Lynch, who is also a PE teacher, has been involved with the National Disabilities Team since 2008 and has taken the CP squad around the world, competing in tournaments in Japan, Australia, and most recently, Holland. In 2009, the CP squad won the Arafura games, defeating the hosts Australia 2-0 to claim gold in their first competitive tournament win.

Over the next year, Lynch will be drawing players from his England squad to add to Team GB for the 2012 London Paralympic Games.

On the evening of Monday the 25th of July, Lynch will join Let's Kick Racism Out of Football to speak in a seminar on discrimination in football.




Source: www.thefa.com

New Website for Partner University of London FC

[caption id="attachment_1345" align="aligncenter" width="226" caption="University of London FC"][/caption]
The University of London Football Club has just increased their organization of their club with an upgraded website - www.ulfc.co.uk

The website will serve as the foundation and home-base for the club moving forward, providing players with increased exposure, match records, club information, and giving fans a reference for the Purples.

The club Chairman, Colin Hancock, has provided a page offering an insight into his background history and experience with the prestigious University of London FC.

Like the SOAS Football Beyond Borders squad, the University of London FC are gearing up over the next two weeks to prepare for the London 2011 International tournament. The tournament is surely to spur inter-competition between the students of the University of London. Follow this blog for updates on the tournament, highlights and stats, and also check the ULFC website for updates on their performance in the London 2011 tournament!

Football, Universities and Students: formulating an action plan for Academic Freedom

The Council for Assisting Refugee Academics (CARA) and Para Siempre FC are excited to be participating in the Beyond Borders International Universities Football Tournament. CARA in collaboration with Para Siempre FC will be running a workshop; ‘Football, Universities and Students: formulating an action plan for Academic Freedom’ that aims to discuss with and familiarise international student footballers to the notions of academic freedom and the mediums in which to promote it.

CARA was established in 1933 in response to the persecution of academics across Europe by fascist regimes. It was founded by leading figures such as Sir William Beveridge; Lord Rutherford; John Maynard Keynes; A V Hill, Lionel Robbins; and Margery Fry.78 years on, CARA awards grants to enable Refugee Academics to achieve employment in the UK at a level commensurate with their skills and experience in the long term. Academics are frequent targets of state-sponsored violence and repression. In times of conflict, academics and intellectuals often suffer intimidation, torture, and imprisonment.

Para Siempre F.C. is a one-of-a-kind football team, sponsored by CARA, comprises of academics, lecturers, postgraduates and undergraduates from an array of social and cultural backgrounds. Their aim is simple yet powerful; campaigning for the right of children to have an education. Para Siempre F.C. are using football as a universal language to promote sustainable education for those in the most impoverished regions of the world, to facilitate support for existing educational charities and maintain development through schemes of self-sufficiency.

CARA and Para Siempre FC will openly discuss any issues surrounding academic freedom and to present recommendations, activities and campaign designs to promote academic freedom. Our intention is to produce a collaborative report on the outcomes of the issues discussed to at the workshop to be published by CARA and distributed to Universities, students and football teams across the globe.

CARA believes that with initiatives such as Beyond Borders can create a formidable grassroots medium to promote academic freedom on a global scale. We hope that the students will be able to return to their countries will a clear idea of how to facilitate and support academic freedom.

FBB to Run Summer Tournaments Alongside 'Lost in London'

As part of the preparations and fundraising drive for Football Beyond Borders: London 2011 and Middle East 2011, FBB will be running 6-a-side tournaments from next Wednesday (June 22nd) all the way through to 28th August, the day before we fly off to Hurghada for the first leg of Football Beyond Borders: Middle East 2011.

We have teamed up with student events company Lost In London to deliver weekly football events for the thousands of global students who visit London each summer.

Every Sunday from 12noon-3pm we will run an Under-18s soccer academy on Clapham Common, and after that from 3-6 we will run an Over-18s mini-league and knock-out.

With prizes to be had, friends to be made, and all the profits going towards Football Beyond Borders, why would anyone want to miss out?!

denticare Ltd to partner Football Beyond Borders: London 2011

We are delighted to announce that Denticare Ltd have officially agreed to become the main sponsor of Football Beyond Borders: London 2011.

Denticare was set-up by former University of London FC player and King’s College alumni Colin Hancock, who has built it up into one of the UK’s most successful and well-trusted dental companies.

Colin played for ULFC in the glory days of the 1960′s, when the Purples would regularly play Arsenal, West Ham and Spurs. A quick and skillful inside-forward, Colin regularly put goals past the likes of Bob Wilson (Arsenal), and in 1965 came up against a Geoff Hurst just coming into form, as Hurst bagged a brace against the Purples down at Motspur Park.

Denticare have been strong supporters of the University of London Purples since the side was resurrected four years ago, and we are delighted to have them on board with us for this groundbreaking project.

Competition Hotting Up for Football Beyond Borders: London 2011!

With just six weeks to go, the excitement is building and the competition is heating up for Football Beyond Borders: London 2011!

Representing Turkey are Adnan Menderes University from Aydın, and  they have already set up their own Facebook page, complete with photos of  previous successes and motivational videos!

 

 

[caption id="attachment_1256" align="aligncenter" width="264" caption="Adnan Menderes show off their winnings"][/caption]

From Uruguay we have Paysandú University, and they too have been on the promotional trail on Facebook. Their page already has over 1,000 friends, and it was these friends to whom they turned when faced with the prospect of increasingly expensive flights.

 

 

[caption id="attachment_1257" align="aligncenter" width="512" caption="The visiting students from Paysandú"][/caption]

 

Ingenuity and hard work is always something we like to see here at FBB, especially when it’s for a good cause, so we were delighted to hear that the charity raffle held by Paysandú (in order to raise funds for them to come over) made it into the Uruguayan press.

 

Denticare Ltd. to sponsor Football Beyond Borders: London 2011

We are delighted to announce that Denticare Ltd have officially agreed to become the main sponsor of Football Beyond Borders: London 2011.

Denticare was set-up by former University of London FC player and King’s College alumni Colin Hancock, who has built it up into one of the UK’s most successful and well-trusted dental companies.

Colin played for ULFC in the glory days of the 1960′s, when the Purples would regularly play Arsenal, West Ham and Spurs. A quick and skillful inside-forward, Colin regularly put goals past the likes of Bob Wilson (Arsenal), and in 1965 came up against a Geoff Hurst just coming into form, as Hurst bagged a brace against the Purples down at Motspur Park.

Denticare have been strong supporters of the University of London Purples since the side was resurrected four years ago, and we are delighted to have them on board with us for this groundbreaking project.

 

Carling Cup Final 2011

ULFC were privileged to perform the opening ceremony for Sunday's Carling Cup Final between Birmingham City and Arsenal at Wembley Stadium.

This video favours the Birmingham City lads, but I couldn't find one from the Arsenal end - I guess their fans haven't been in the mood to re-live the day just yet...

Beyond Borders: West Africa 2010

Here is a short video of last summer's Football Beyond Borders tour of Ghana. This is what Beyond Borders is all about.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0lxxpqhKk1o

Thanks go to Symeon Brown for this video.

The blog of the trip (including photos and updates from when we were out in Ghana) can be found here:

http://soasbeyondborders.tumblr.com/

What Is Beyond Borders London 2011?

ULFC AND SOAS BEYOND BORDERS ARE PROUD TO PRESENT

THE INAUGURAL LONDON INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITIES FOOTBALL TOURNAMENT

23rd - 30th JULY 2011

Welcome to the official blog for the inaugural ULFC and SOAS Football Beyond Borders International Universities Tournament.

ULFC is the representative football team of the University of London, the largest federal university in Europe, with a student body of 135,000.

SOAS Beyond Borders uses football as a common medium through which to engage in cross-cultural dialogue, faciltating understanding and experiential exchange, with a focus upon building lasting links between international students, communities, and educational institutions.

In the summer preceding the London 2012 Olympic Games, ULFC and SOAS Beyond Borders will be hosting an event which will see student-footballers from across the globe come to London in order to participate in an international football tournament with a difference.

Each 'Gameday' will comprise afternoon or early evening matches, followed by a chance for the players to change and shower, before all heading back together to the UoL and SOAS campuses in Bloomsbury, central London for a communal dinner, in which teams will eat and socialise with their opposition.

The evening meal will be followed by lectures, debates, seminars and cultural presentations. Each visiting team will have the chance to chair one evening's events, and to choose the topic and focus of debate. The evenings will encourage and stimulate cross-cultural dialogue, experiential exchange and discussions concerning the future of our global society.

On free days between matches, and during the aforementioned evening events, we will be engaging community groups and grassroots social initiatives from London and beyond, so that they can become involved with and benefit from the Beyond Borders project. We will also be hosting special events such as open training sessions and educational activities.

The project will be extensively documented, with a view to producing a short documentary and photo exhibition, both of which will be touring educational and community institutions in 2012.

Bringing together future leaders from across the globe, and students from both the global 'North' and 'South' will bring into sharp focus both the differences and similarities between students from across the globe.

The issues we now face are global ones, and the nature of our financial system means that global students and communities are increasingly interlinked in ways which are not always immediately obvious. Yet, even at a highly cosmopolitan university such as the University of London, we have yet to explore the global links possible with students around the world.

This project hopes to;

- Engage in cross-cultural dialogue, understanding and exchange

- Create closer links between international educational institutions

- Highlight and engage constructively with the UN's Global Compact of 2000

- Provide a unique opportunity for students to participate in an event with international scope

- Get local community groups and social enterprises involved with an international project

- Expand and circulate the Beyond Borders initiative within the British and international community

- Use football to foster friendships and alliances between global students

- Inspire students and young people to become involved in social enterprises

- Offer the opportunity for London to host an international sporting event of precedence in the prelude to the 2012 London Olympic Games

 

We are back but Beyond Borders starts now

Between September 1^st – 22^nd 2010, 15 student footballers from the University of London lead by Toib Olomowewe (History & Economics), travelled across Ghana and engaged in grass roots organisation with local NGO’s and community groups, cross-cultural and political dialogue with students, and collected research on local perceptions towards education and development in the Southern regions of Ghana, using football as the medium of exchange.

SOAS Football Beyond Borders is a SOAS student lead project that uses the universal game of football to engage with communities across the world with the objectives to: include the voice of grassroots communities within the academic debate, break down barriers and prejudices, champion education, and create a transnational network of students dedicated to international development.

Paul Agyeman-Duah a Sociology and Political science student at the University of Ghana who was engaged through the tour reiterates its importance by stating, ‘in a global village international and cross cultural dialogue is important, football is a great means for this, football unites people, football truly goes beyond borders’.  

The students travelled across the Central, Eastern, Ashanti, and greater Accra region of Ghana over three weeks playing 7 football fixtures, running voluntary projects, and engaging in debate with students. The tour started in Legon at the University of Ghana before moving to: Kumasi, where the team played Kumasi Polytechnic; Elimina, where they played the University of Cape Coast and worked with the S.A.B.R.E trust that is improving the educational infrastructure in rural communities; before the tour closed in the coastal village of Kokrobite. In Kokrobite the team volunteered with the Kokrobite Chiltern Centre (KCC) that supports primary education in the village. The KCC was co- founded by Jane Zohoungbogbo who commended the project as ‘a great effort’.

Symeon Brown (Economics and Politics), a tour participant stated ‘Development is future business and I am thankful that I have been able to reconcile my development studies with grass roots development organisation and exchange ideas about the future of Ghana’s economy, education system, and society with the students that will lead Ghana’s future ’.  Timothy Omacar (African Studies and History) another participant said ‘travelling to Ghana was eye opening and the reception was amazing. Beyond Borders was definitely a huge success’.

More information can be found at the SOAS Beyond Borders online home http://soasbeyondborders.tumblr.com. From the tour four audio podcasts on: education, development, society, and investment in Ghana recorded over the tour will be available for download in December 2010.

Development in Action

SOAS Beyond Borders get their hands dirty helping the S.A.B.R.E. Trust build a community latrine.

Captain's Log: Development on my mind

The first 10 days of our journey was nothing short of mind blowing: We spent some time working with children that have special educational needs in a local school. We also volunteered at a hospital for disabled orphans. We were been given a “baptism of fire” by the University of Ghana football team. We were able to successfully engage in dialogue with the University of Ghana students. We were asked to name and officially open the “Beyond Barbers” barbershop in Kumasi. We have even featured on Ghanaian TV and radio!

These are just a few of the things we have been doing and it gives a flavour of what we have been up to. As we leave Kumasi, we look forward to our jam-packed schedule in Cape Coast. It involves 3 training workshops with children, as well as two volunteering sessions with a local NGO. Our games there are against two Div. 1 sides as well as the University of Cape Coast.

We flew out from Heathrow airport on the morning of September 1st and landed in Lagos later that evening. We then faced a 14hr overnight stay in transit whilst we waited for our connecting flight to ghana at 7am. The airport stopover was filled with plenty of conversation amongst ourselves and airport security, but on the whole was pretty uneventful.

The real action kicked off once we touched down in Accra. We were met at the airport by Eric K. Akwei, a friend of Tom & Jasper, and Doe Abega, a staff member in the sports faculty at the Univ. of Ghana, and taken to the university campus. The day was spent meeting various supporters of the tour ranging from the University of Ghana sports faculty, the Dean of Student services, and the executives at Gold Coast Matcom. Gold Coast Matcom are the sole distributors of Dimes juices, our team sponsor, in Ghana and have been incredibly generous in their support. They organised a 20 seat minibus and driver for our entire stay in Accra, as well as donating well over 1000: milk drinks, fruit juices, cakes, and biscuits to the Beyond Borders project and the University of Ghana students.

Once we had settled in we went about exploring the campus and two things immediately became apparent; the sheer size of the campus and the open and inviting nature of the students on it. The University of Ghana is the premier higher education institution in Ghana. It is a state university and therefore heavily subsidised by the government; fees roughly equate to £140 per academic year for Ghanaian students and £450 for international students (outside of Africa). To put this into context, private universities charge roughly £750 per semester, whilst the expected average graduate salary is roughly £200 per month. For the vast majority of the students in Ghana private university simply isn’t an option. The Univ. of Ghana is often ranked as #1, only occasionally being move to #2 by Kwame Nkrumah University of Science & Technology. Competition for admission is ferocious, but this doesn’t mean that the students here are a bunch of lifeless bookworms and academic drones. Every night popular r&b music can be heard from any halls of residence until the early hours, this is normally replaced by a couple of hours of silence before the morning singers reclaim our ears. Football is played from 6am until darkness on any spare space, whilst handball, athletics, and hockey seem to be popular too. Basketball pick-up games are played through the night under the floodlit courts. This campus is a cauldron of energy and it is epitomised by the fantastic market we found. It became our daily stop for jollof rice, fish, plantain, pineapple, coconut, water, chicken and a raft local specialities we came to love.

We ventured out of the campus quite a few times and these visits opened our eyes as to what life is like for many of Accra’s inhabitant. At the University of Ghana it became easy to forget that we were surrounded by predominantly middle-class and well off students. However, our trip to the fishing hub of Jamestown painted a far more sober picture of life in Accra for the average citizen (picture). The time we spent at the hospital for disabled orphans was particularly powerful. It is hard to capture with words exactly what we witnessed and the impact this had on the team; I only hope the pictures can give you all an insight. As soon as we left the orphanage a great debate was sparked about the nature of development and the sustainability of it. As a SOAS student this was nothing new, however this debate has a unique angle to it. The debate had a new and localised tint to it. People we debating from the heart and offered their solutions according to what they had just experienced on the ground at grassroots level; this is exactly what Beyond Borders is about.

Captain’s Log: Toib Olomowewe

Arriving in Kumasi

We’ve arrived in Kumasi and have been treated to the hospitality of Chris and Kofi at Chabda Events, who have arranged a match for us later this afternoon against Kumasi Polytechnic - and who have been welcoming us into Kofi’s home every night for an evening meal. Ghanain hospitality truly is something special.

The team has been training heavily and putting into practise new techniques and strategies which we hope will match Ghanain ninja football. Today’s match will be televised by GTV 3 - we only hope we can do our country proud…

University of Ghana Radio Interview

 



We’ve just been interviewed by the University of Ghana radio station, ahead of our game this afternoon with the University team. We’re in fine spirits; though it was a bit difficult to rein in our confidence during the interview, and we’re now honour-bound to live up to Tim’s 3-1 prediction. Still, hopefully it’ll get the spectators out - and as Symeon pointed out, we’re here to meet the students and engage with the other team, and what better way to do that than to drum up interest in the game?

Training

Training proceeds well. The boys are in fine form.