Hi everyone!
In Zambia now, but wanted to write a quick update about the last few weeks of my trip:
After two weeks living with Sheldon Hughes and his family I'm even more excited about Woza and inspired by the incredible primary trip partner we've found in Mtuba Football Academy, or MFA, (where Sheldon is the director). Sheldon welcomed me into his family's guest room and it was a great experience to actually live with this man and his family. If there's one thing the Hughes family specializes in other than soccer it's curries, and they didn't disappoint over my couple of weeks with them.
Sheldon and I spent most days discussing plans for the upcoming Woza trip to South Africa and confirming logistics for all the different elements that come together to make a successful trip (transportation, lodging, food, activities, etc.). After working with Sheldon for a few weeks on all the details, I'm even more excited for all of our Woza 2014 players who get to come be a part of this little slice of "soccer paradise" in rural South Africa. Everyone at the academy and in town are so excited about our upcoming visit. The big goal of our 2014 partnership with Sheldon is to build a beautiful designated soccer field for MFA and it was great to see the actual plot of land (see photo below of Sheldon pointing to it), meet with land developers and construction experts, and just begin to really see this project taking shape. Our Woza players will help prepare the field and will most likely play in the inaugural match!
Also got to spend a few days at MFA training sessions. It's crazy to see how much the (former) little guys I coached back in 2009-2010 have grown and developed as soccer players. The now U-14s and U-15s will probably be some of the players our Americans coach, and it's cool to imagine these worlds coming together with my Woza kids coaching my old MFA kids.
Very excited for the coming week in Livingstone, Zambia with Faagros Soccer Academy, which seems like a great potential Woza partner for the future. Livingstone is home to Victoria Falls (one of the 7 Wonders of the Natural World) and I'm really very pumped to see it.
Some photos:
In Zambia now, but wanted to write a quick update about the last few weeks of my trip:
After two weeks living with Sheldon Hughes and his family I'm even more excited about Woza and inspired by the incredible primary trip partner we've found in Mtuba Football Academy, or MFA, (where Sheldon is the director). Sheldon welcomed me into his family's guest room and it was a great experience to actually live with this man and his family. If there's one thing the Hughes family specializes in other than soccer it's curries, and they didn't disappoint over my couple of weeks with them.
Sheldon and I spent most days discussing plans for the upcoming Woza trip to South Africa and confirming logistics for all the different elements that come together to make a successful trip (transportation, lodging, food, activities, etc.). After working with Sheldon for a few weeks on all the details, I'm even more excited for all of our Woza 2014 players who get to come be a part of this little slice of "soccer paradise" in rural South Africa. Everyone at the academy and in town are so excited about our upcoming visit. The big goal of our 2014 partnership with Sheldon is to build a beautiful designated soccer field for MFA and it was great to see the actual plot of land (see photo below of Sheldon pointing to it), meet with land developers and construction experts, and just begin to really see this project taking shape. Our Woza players will help prepare the field and will most likely play in the inaugural match!
Also got to spend a few days at MFA training sessions. It's crazy to see how much the (former) little guys I coached back in 2009-2010 have grown and developed as soccer players. The now U-14s and U-15s will probably be some of the players our Americans coach, and it's cool to imagine these worlds coming together with my Woza kids coaching my old MFA kids.
Very excited for the coming week in Livingstone, Zambia with Faagros Soccer Academy, which seems like a great potential Woza partner for the future. Livingstone is home to Victoria Falls (one of the 7 Wonders of the Natural World) and I'm really very pumped to see it.
Some photos:
Team benches of one of the high school fields we'll be cleaning up during our trip:
Sheldon points to the plot of land that Woza will be helping him develop into MFA's first ever designated soccer facility. Field 1 to be built in 2014 with the help of Woza players!
Sheldon and his garage full of soccer gear:
MFA Saturday morning training:
Two of the U-11 players mugging for the camera:
Coach Martin with the U-11s:
Young Lions FC - a team outside of Mtubatuba that will be a secondary partner on our trip:
"Amawundlu" means "Little Lions" in isiZulu, the local language:
A couple of fans at the Young Lions match:
Young Lions coaches with their senior team at half time:
Sunset over a Mtubatuba soccer field:
Mtubatuba aka Soccer Paradise:
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