So far here is what you know … I find contact with a European experience – it happens to be in Switzerland with their Junior National Team. We will have a short training camp and then go to Amsterdam and have two games – the first of which will be against the German team – and they are really good!
Now… as you know I missed my original flight and I am flying to Milan a day late (and a dollar short??). No worries Giorgio’s wife picks me up and we head north to Lugano, Switzerland from Italy.
I will be staying in Lugano with Giorgio and his family for a few days before moving on to Luzern, Zurich, Sursee, Fribourg and then on to the training camp in Zuchwil.
One thing that kind of caught me off guard was the fact that as you climb up into the Alps outside of Italy and towards Lugano you can find palm trees (Chinese windmill palms – by the way) along the lake.
Well … Lugano actually has a mild Mediterranean like climate. Interesting to see the palms with the mountains in the background!
The National Team has me visiting several Swiss club practices across the country. I will attend and work with each group on several nights the first week. I guess this is part of the deal the National Team made with the national league – known as the SAFV (Swiss American Football Verband).
First up will be with the Lugano Lakers, then on to the Luzern Lions, Zurich Renegades and finally the Fribourg Cardinals (whose colors are a surprise … blue and white!) Following that I will do a clinic for coaches somewhere near Sursee.
As I do these things I meet some interesting people, make some friends and also see how football operates overseas. It truly is a learning experience for me. I am truly impressed by the organization of the practice by the coaches and the players’ effort.
First … these guys buy their own equipment, pay for a license to play, find their own way to practice (for some it may be more than an hour drive, train or bus experience.) Then, they practice at night because they all work or go to school.
****Just a note here – there are no school sports in Switzerland (and most of Europe as well). Therefore everything is done at the club level – soccer, ice hockey, basketball, rugby etc.
Oh yeah then at 9:30 after practice is over then find their way home.
Generally, teams practice only twice a week because it is just to hard to get together more often due to family, school or work commitments. (Imagine some of these guys are married with families!)
Well, we work our way through these things then I watch two games, one in Winterthur where the Warriors host the Basel Gladiators. Then a day later in Thun were the Tigers take on the Zurich renegades. Ironically Thun is now my home several months of the year.
After we watch the Tigers beat the Renegades we pick up Stephan Puliver (who just played in the game) and head to Zuchvil for our football camp at their training center.
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