Okay….. just have to tell you this story. Several years ago I was helping to coach the Swiss Junior National team with my friends here.
It was an amazing experience!
But during the visit I spent a lot of time with Christian Krattiger who was our General Manager. He did a fantastic job of putting a coaching staff together and they in turn built a very solid team.
For me this was the beginning of me falling in love with Switzerland and more importantly the people of my second homeland.
The friendships I built with Giorgio Volpi and his family, Chris and his family, Stephan, Fulgenzio, Michel, Daniel and on and on make my episodes in Switzerland.
However Chris taxied me all over the place … one weekend we went to watch a game in Winterthur where the Warriors played against the Basel Gladiators. It was a great afternoon of football.
Met so many new friends … drank some beer, ate some hotdogs, drank some beer and sat in the stands and drank some more beer.
Sometime during the third period of the second game I noticed something peculiar about the 50 yard line area. The distance was certainly not ten yards between the 50 and 40.
I mentioned that to Chris as he handed me another beer. He laughed and said “Wondered when you would notice that!” He then explained since these were soccer fields built inside of tracks – they were too short for a US football field configuration.
So rather than cut the end zones short … in Europe – the distance was taken out of the middle of the field – between the 50 and 40 yard lines.Just when you thought you were learning a lot about football in Switzerland… here comes another “gotcha” moment.
Pass the beer!
Hah, what a life!
Best view i have ever seen !