There comes a point when using a rolled up pair of socks as a makeshift football, and telling your girlfriend that the curtains are the goal and she’s Joe Hart, just doesn’t cut it anymore. It was fun for a while but the magic had gone. I needed more of a challenge. She knew it. I knew it. Even our new Chinese neighbour had lost interest in watching.
With that in mind, I decided to organise a football tournament at Aihua. One of our affiliated schools very kindly allowed us to use their pitch, and I sent an email out trying to drum up interest. The turnout was fantastic. It seemed I was not alone in sharing the frustrations of recreating goals in the living room. Foreign teachers signed up in their thousands (there was at least 14 of us).
Additionally, when I started to discuss the possibility of a football tournament with some of the Chinese staff, it turned out that they too were interested in participating. A key member of the IT team (Fang) let it be known that he would put together a team that would challenge the foreign teachers. The anticipation for the event was palpable. Whispers could be heard throughout the corridors of the three Aihua centres. Who would win? Who would be the top goal scorer? Would anyone be able to run for more than 10 minutes?
The day of the tournament arrived and Shijingshan’s finest descended upon the hallowed ground of Gu6. Immediately, it was clear that there was going to be a triumvirate nature to the day’s proceedings; English, Irish and Chinese. The teams were based on nationality and a time limit of 10 minutes was set for each game. An early talking point was the controversial decision of Geoffrey O’Tian to play for the Irish team as opposed to joining his native Chinese team. A quick Wikipedia check confirmed that Geoffrey’s great Uncle had once played poker with Tony Cascarino, and the eligibility issue was resolved.
The tournament was a great success. The foreign teachers and the local Chinese players enjoyed some very competitive games, and the whole event was played in a friendly manner. After initially being outplayed by the Irish team in the opening game, the Chinese team made some phone calls. Now my Chinese is not the best, but I think the words being shouted down the phone translated as something like “Son, we need you and the best players you know to get down her sharpish!”
An injection of youthful exuberance allowed the Chinese team to be much more competitive throughout the rest of the tournament. They were cheered on by a vociferous home crowd that had gathered to watch and encourage all of the players involved.
I think the only black cloud over an otherwise sunny day, was the news that broke shortly after the tournament had concluded. The Irish team (perhaps sensing the English team’s natural finesse would overawe them) had secretly been holding daily practice sessions. They had hired a fitness coach and a motivational speaker (Ray Murphy) to aid their preparations for the tournament. This unfair advantage was evident in the opening games as the Irish team looked like a side that had played together for years. Of course they refused to acknowledge any wrongdoing during the tournament. But we know the truth.
Since the tournament concluded, I have been working hard to find a regular venue to play a weekly game of football. We are going to a place tomorrow that will hopefully be perfect for what we need. Fingers crossed that we can maintain the interest and have a regular activity outside of work that brings together the foreign and Chinese players.