James Ward the Football Studies Programme Course Leader and Coach reports back on the programmes recent visit to the Madrid tournament which was hosted by our International Gateway Partners EduKick:
The team, Matt (physio) and myself left a cold, wet, windy and generally miserable Liverpool on the 31st March for Madrid. All the lads were wearing their new recently purchased team tracksuit with pride and I have to say they looked the part. Arriving in Madrid early that evening, we quickly settled in, unpacked and were straight out for a light evening training session. We trained down the road at one of the many local facilities in the area, the boys put in a great session and seemed totally focused with the task in hand.
Thursday (Match Day 1) - Again the lads travelled to the match in tracksuits and looked really professional. There was an air of nervous excitement about the lads as they arrived to the pitch. The first game was against AD Naya FC; unfortunately we didn't get off to a winning start but they never stopped battling against a strong opposition. We had plenty of positives to take from the game along with plenty to work on. That afternoon the whole team relaxed and cleared our heads with a great tour around the Bernabeu.
Friday (Match Day 2) - The lads knew the task in hand, we had to win to keep the dream alive; anything else and we were out of the competition. The lads were up against a strong Spanish outfit in the shape of FC Guadalajara. They showed real heart, hunger, passion and desire in what was a very hostile environment. The boys battled hard and worked for one another and deserved the victory. A very proud moment for me personally as a coach to see a group of individuals so focused and work so hard for each other. A real team effort, well done!
Saturday (Match Day 3) - Another win was needed to qualify further. The opposition were local side and regining champions CD Avance. The lads where welcomed onto the pitch by the hostile crowd which had seemed to have tripled from the day before, not for the first time the boys showed tremendous courage, heart, work rate and belief. The game itself, although controversial was a huge learning experience for our team. Unfortunately we didn't get the result that we deserved but the lads battled to the final whistle and can be very proud of how they performed.
Overall the boys can come away from the tournament with there heads held high, they represented the club, Matt and Myself impeccably. A great learning experience which will help develop each individual further in there footballing career.
Thank you, James Ward