Les Gars de la Ville (LGV) and the STCP sport family had an eventful and exciting Spring. From joining a new futsal league, to participating in a solidarity football tournament, to incredible Champions League watch parties with new and old friends, April and the start of May were a blast!
For the spring, LGV had two new interns joining the team, Flora and Julien! They meshed immediately with the team, participating in many activities, helping with organization, coaching and supporting the team and even subbing into matches to play when needed! It was a pleasure to have them for this period, and we will be happy to reunite with them at matches or watch parties whenever they come back through town.
One of our highlights of last year was participating in the Solifoot tournament. We were happy to be one of the 12 solidarity teams participating again! The Solifoot Tournament – organized by the FSGT Ligue -invites solidarity football teams from the Paris region to compete in matches and football-related mini-games, with the top teams winning fun prizes. It was a great chance to meet other solidarity teams and share a common love for football. The first few matches were tough, with a win, two defeats, and a draw. But after coming together during lunch, discussing as a team, regaining some strength and having some laughs, we came back out in incredible form, winning three straight matches and performing exceptionally in the mini-games. Everyone was happy with how we turned things around, and our joy was multiplied when we found out that LGV had finished second in the rankings, winning a team visit to triumph! The rest of the afternoon was a blur of photos and celebration with the trophy and medals.
This spring, LGV also joined a solidarity futsal league for the first time. This has been a great opportunity for the team to get even more playing time together, make new friends with players from other teams and especially have a great time. Led by coach Hamza, we have been playing regularly on Tuesdays. This allows players who might not be able to make it to our weekend matches to stay connected to the team. The team has at least three matches left and still has everything to play for!
The spring was also full of friendly matches and training sessions with other teams and amongst ourselves. We had training sessions with Equipe Sans Frontières and another team, along with some friendly matches at the American Church and Le Five. This offered our players an opportunity to meet and play with other teams and our coaches to see new training methods, which could help us improve. All in all, this helped form new connections between our teams and was a great time for players and coaches alike!
Perhaps the most memorable part of the spring for the team was the Champions League watch parties. The first one, for Real Madrid vs Bayern Munich, was held at the famous Belushi’s with huge screens on almost every wall, perfect for watching a match. We had a great group present, a mix of players, volunteers and coaches from our team as well as fellow solidarity teams – a perfect mix. In the first seconds of the match, Madrid scored, causing a roar from their supporters in our team, and then minutes later, Munich answered with a goal of their own, causing another roar. What followed was one of the best matches of the year, ending 4-3 for Munich, but more importantly, it created a memorable night for all our players.
Seeing how fun this watch party was, we organized another for the next round, opposing PSG and Munich, this time held at Impact Cafe with plenty of soda and pizza to go around. When everyone arrived, a paper was passed around for each person to write down their score predictions: 2-1, 3-0, 2-2… What followed, nobody could have predicted. Nine goals, 5-4 victory for PSG and possibly one of the greatest football matches of all time. It seemed as if every other minute there was a roar of joy when PSG scored, then a groan of frustration (with some whoops of celebration from our Munich supporter) when Munich scored. In the end, this was another amazing night of football and bonding for all the players, coaches and volunteers present!
After the craziness of the 2nd watch party, we didn’t hesitate to organize a party for the rematch, and also to say goodbye to Julien, whose internship was coming to an end. We also welcomed back our old friend and coach, Logan, for the party. This match was a pleasure for the fans of amazing defensive football, and it still had some big moments of excitement. In the end, the Paris supporters were relieved to go through to the final. It was a great way to spend time together as a team and allowed our players and coaches to give Julien a warm farewell.
This spring was full of fun moments for LGV, and the summer promises to keep that up with more matches, training, cultural activities, and watch parties for the Champions League final and World Cup. Join us as we support these inspiring young men week in, week out.
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