Where there are two football dads…
“Where there are two football dads (and a ball) there is a match.”
These were the words of our fearless leader, Giancarlo, who is crossing the “STANS” of central Asia as an ambassador for the Football Dads. The Club has already branched off to most of the world (64 nations and counting), but there are still a few remote places that need evangelisation.
Encouraged by Giancarlo’s words, 6 dedicated FDs gathered at the pitch… without a ball. Fortunately, a ball was readily sourced from the friendly neighbourood children’s club, and the game was ready to kick-off just in time for the adoring fans to arrive.
Teams were rapidly formed using several complex methodologies, including an AI-driven algorithm tasked with analysing the age of players.
The “Young Guns” team lead by Thomas, featured two rampant kids: Adam and Al, while Julien, Victor and Christian (“JVC”) formed the opposing team. The anticipation was palpable as the players took to the pitch.
The Young Guns immediately launched at full speed and opened the score board with a precision goal by Adam. They kept the pressure up with a relentless set of attacks constructed by Adams and Al. But eventually, the diesel-powered JVT started getting into gear and Julien, Victor, and Christian played a well-coordinated defense that was increasingly difficult for Al and Adam to penetrate.
As their confidence rose, the JVC started attacking with Victor converting a beautiful pass to equalise the score. The JVC then continued to accelerate the pace and gained the advantage against the Young Guns who, in exuberance of youth, often left Thomas as the lone defender against the JVC attack. The score was 7 – 4 for the JVC team, when mid-time was called and the teams re-trenched for a strategy session.
As the teams regained the pitch, the JVC made an unprecedented offer in the history of FD: reset the score at 0 – 0. Almost offended by this patronising offer, the Young Guns promptly refused, and rightly so! Within minutes the score was 7 – 6 with Adam showing an incredible dribbling prowess. But once again, the trusted diesel engine of the JVT kicked in, and the goals starts to flow. Both Julien and Thomas demonstrated sniper-like precision by scoring long-range goals, which unfortunately were declared null due to the official rules of the game that banned scoring from behind the halfway line. The final score was 10-7 for JVC and crowds were enthusiastic about the show.
But in this beautiful mid-summer day there was a tinge of nostalgia as this was the farewell game of Christian who is relocating to the US.
In the post-game interviews, Christian spoke emotionally: “It’s with real sadness that I leave FDs. This is an incredible community and I will miss it dearly. But rest assured, I will carry the FD flag proudly across the Atlantic; we may soon have a new FD franchise in Boston. Also, this is not goodbye as I plan to be back in London soon. I’ve checked, and there is a direct flight from Boston that arrives in time for the 10:00 kickoff at Kensington Park. See you soon!”
“Christian will always be one of our most valued player and our best friend” said Francesco on behalf of the Club “Since joining the team he has offered countless impressive performances. His attempt to arrive in time for the Master Game from China, albeit unsuccessful, will be forever a testament to his dedication. Come back soon Christian!”.
JVC-Young Guns 10-7
Young Guns: Thomas(2), Al (2), Adam (3)
JVC: Christian (4), Victor (3), Julien (3)