Football Au Printemps : Fixtures

One of the things i want for the soccer team simply is more games. Last year - this being my second year now in this program - our team had seven games. Seven. These seven games are the ones that every team plays - the "conference" games. Each team in the city plays in an eight team conference - there is a Premier for the best eight teams, the First Division for the next eight top teams, and then the Second (North and South -eight teams each) and Third Divisions (North and South -eight teams each). So, four levels, with the lower two levels having separate north and south divisions: six different conferences, segregated w/ talent levels - 48 teams all to-gether in the city.

So -each team is automatically scheduled to play the other seven tams in their conference - and then the coach gotta know/call other coaches to arrange for to her games. the last program iw as w/ - the guys were famous in these circles. They had grand reps, and they knew everyone. (( I have a lotta pride - the Smithsonian ''sunshines outta my backside" - because I was in this program - i just feel i'ma just a wee bitty kooler than any other mortals that have strode this earth because i was in this program - but back to... )). Since they knew everyone, it's easy for them to fill up their schedules, get an ebb and flow to schedule good teams mixed in w/ 'breather' teams.

But me?

Well, I know three teams programs. It was easy enough to set up fixtures w/ Nek and Lek - but the coach @ has hasn't yet gotten back to me. So - our seven games are now nine. But I put in another flurry of calls to try and get more matches on. On Thursday and Friday, coaches from Nag and Ned also finally got in touch w/ me.

These programs are Second Division clubs - one division below us - but they will be great to get some the team to-gether. There are two type of games in this context - easier teams to play, which we will use to try and get the team playing w/ a rhythm. The other type of game in this context is against superior teams. We need to pay teams that are better than us so that WE CAN GET BETTER. We need both easier games and harder games, for the rhythm and for the competition.

So, for rite now, we have four games. I am proud of that. one is against Nek, my frenz. As long as I am here, we will always play them. In full truth, i just love being around them - my frenz - and it's very special that I have these frenz to get games with. then there are the two other second division teams. And, finally, the premier club Lek- that means they are in the one level that is higher than us - we need to play these teams to get better.

So - rite now, we have 11 games scheduled - and I'm aiming for a maximum of fourteen, but prob will stop @ 13. What I'm trying to do now is get @ least one Catholic school and one Suburban public school. I want diversity for my girls - really bad. I want that mix of teams, from different places, I want to expose the girls to it all. To make the girls understand that this program is changing and moving forward, in a big -well... my plans are big - fashion.

So - in this area, the catholic school generally are pretty good in girls soccer. My niece plays in one such team - they are really good and an a minor power around here. Bu they may be too good for us. I knida know the coach a little, so it would be a little ok to email him and ask for a game. But because they are so good - do i really wanna bring my girls up just to get beat 9-0?? So - I hesitate to email him - but, so dearly would I love to schedule them so I could coach against my niece. It'd be fun......until it hit 0-4 or 0-5........so, I hesitate.

But I emailed/called/faxed 15 other catholic/ suburban teams coaches to see if I can scrounge up some more games. Funny - i hit the emails these last few days looking for ONE THING- A RE: from a coach I'd tried to get in touch w/ earlier.

Fourteen games is what i want...this year. In Illinois, we can play 17 games, or 16 and one tournement, or 15 and two tournements. We play one tournemnt - the City playoffs. I doubt till I raise my teams visibility high enough we will not get invited to a another tournement - so , we get to schedule 16 games max and the city tournement this year.


And there are problems: Money.

The city pays for the buses and referees for the conference games. For the non conference gaems, I gotta come up w/ $ for referees and buses. Buses can be partly solved w/ 'fancy scheduling': talking w/ the Nek coachs about our game, I asked if we could get it dome over Spring Break - so I wouldn't have to hire a bus for $155 or so. I want to get in a weekend game as well - again, no buses, since the girls can show up (plus, get more parents and little sisters to the game - i really am recruiting, now, for my team in the 2010's. referees cost about $70 a game - and generally we use ywo. I'm gonna see if we can get by w/ only one ref a game.

$$$, dogs. A big deal everywhere. In all truth, I hav a feeling that I'm gona have to partially pay for this team outta my own pocket. I'll get paid somewhere around $2400 for this year, and I bet about $1000 will be sent on the girls. And, as you can probably tell - I feel they are worth it.

So, scheduling: 11 games so far this year. K'mon Catholic coaches, gimmie one time. K'mon subarban scools, thrill me one time. And, if we could - just ONE MORE CPS team -another one from the Premirship? Fourteen games, and I'll be happy.

Fuck it- the way things are going, I'm very happy. Soccer wise, it's been a thrilling ride this week: more on that later.