The first day of our trip started early, as in get up at 4.30am early. We met at the airport and flew en masse to Gatwick where we had and hour and a half to collect luggage, check in, go through security and faf. As soon as we arrived it was clear it wouldn’t be that straightforward – a security queue wrapped all the way around the check in area and out to the train station! Luckily our flight was due to depart so soon that once we’d checked in we were lead to the top of the queue – lesson learnt: if you arrive in a large group late enough to an airport everyone’s very helpful!
From Gatwick it was on to pretty Vienna where the scene upon landing was similar to that of take off – rain and grey clouds. We collected our gear and got a train to Wien Mitte and got some lunch. I should be clear; it wasn’t any old lunch for us athletes in our prime, only the best kebab on offer! If Usain Bolt can eat chicken nuggets and run that fast surely a kebab won’t do any harm right? As we went to get our tram we realised we were a bag down. One of the team had been so excited he’d left it on the previous train – odds were against 37 people travelling with 2 budget airlines to make it to Vienna with every piece of luggage intact, but to lose it on a train!! Anyway, we’re on the hunt for it and no doubt it’ll turn up by the end of the week.
Once we overcame the bag issue it was on to the school – our home for the week. We have 2 classrooms on the ground floor (next to the Latvians women’s team) which have been decorated with flags (and more recently smelly socks).
It was here we had our first team meeting to address the week as a whole. We’d prepared well, we were a team and ready for whatever lay ahead. Morale was high, we knew our systems and we quietly confident of challenging teams throughout. We identified the battles we expect to have later in the week and made sure that despite the inevitable heavy losses we keep together as a unit and garner valuable knowledge/experience from even the harshest of losses. We also handed out the shorts, completing the full kit for everyone. A quick change into said kit and off to the pitches for the Opening Ceremony.
Over the years I’ve been to many opening ceremonies – some are like street parades, involving locals, swashes of colour and music. Others are quiet and brief affairs. This one was more of the latter than the former. We were all lead onto a field, lined up by country in front of each country’s flag and called one by one to the centre of the field. Conor Hogan (captain of the A team) was our representative and he was given balloons to release on the team’s behalf. There were a large range of teams, from the 7-team strong British legion to the 9 player Russian squad. Making their debut, along with us, were the Polish – a young mixed team playing in the U-20 Open Division. No doubt we’ll see them later in the week. Following th ceremony we all relaxed and had a throw – the showcase game had been cancelled to protect the fields after heavy rain. A strange decision in our eyes – the pitches seemed in good nick – and a disappointment – it’s quite nice to watch the opening game of a tournament the night before you start playing.
The captain’s meeting took place and it was clear there would be some patience needed as the tournament got up and running. The schedule was still not finalised, there was a chance some games would be moved to astro (think sand hockey pitches) upon which, we were informed, no boots should be worn!, there appeared to be no time for lunch in the schedule (a lunch that was not provided for despite our original texpectations) and breakfast was re-scheduled from 7.30am (an hour before game one) to 7am to allow teams digest and warm up. The schedule was briefly debated – apparently the EFDF had demanded 2 pools of 8 (instead of the organisers preferred 4 groups of 4) in order to create more realistic seedings. There are no crossovers so it’s a very strange system – I’m no scheduling expert but it appears that after the group stage we’ll end up with two excellently seeded groups of 8 with the possibility of one group being infinitely stronger than the other. Either way, that’s the schedule and probably the least of our worries.
From a personal point of view, it’s an exciting but strange feeling I’ve got as we enter the start of the tournament. The usual sense of anticipation at the beginning of an international event is present, the adrenaline is pumping but it’s odd not to be playing. All the lads are nervy/buzzing but can’t wait to get started. The tasks ahead are tough – Germany for the As (winners of this event in 2007) and Finland for the Bs (winners of the U-17s in 2007). It’s a daunting start but one that promises much. Realistically, a win in either of the first two games would be a huge shock…here’s hoping it goes that way
Come on you boys in green!
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