Jumpers For Goalposts...

...well not exactly, but I think you may guess where this is going!

Last week we started to visit the training sessions of the various junior teams linked with GDM. The venues could be described as anything but football pitches.

The first session we visited was Alex and Abu's in the bull ring. One goal was made from two large bamboo sticks and some string tied across the top, the other made using two of the very few cones available to the coaches, and as you may have worked out, the pitch was unconventionally circular! Despite all of this, after we had been introduced and the kids had welcomed us in a mixture of English and Portuguese, the football on show was of a very high standard. The ages ranged from 9-16 and included one girl. Out of the 20 or so players, 2 had boots!!!

The lack of boots at the first session gave Adam a bit of a headache... he wondered whether the kids would be OK kicking the new leather footballs that we had brought over for them in their bare feet?! I think all of his doubts were soon put to bed when we arrived at Chibanga's session at one of the local schools...

This pitch was literally covered in rocks, and the players ran across it in bare feet as if it were the green grass of The Emirates! Next time I wince walking down my stony driveway barefooted I will remember these kids.

In this session there was no such luxury of cones, or bamboo sticks for that matter, so in order to score, the players had to hit a large rock at one end, and a post at the other end. I didn't realise this at first and once applauded what I thought was a goal...the bemused looks I received make more sense now!

It was also at this session that we heard the GDM anthem for the first time, a whistle and clapping tune that the players perform in a huddle at the end of each session. Just another example of the participation and camaraderie across the age ranges here in Mozambique.

Our final visit of the week was to Quarto Congresso, a school group coached by Ilias, one of the computer teachers. As we pulled up in the red chariot, the kids appeared to be too excited by the two new Arsenal footballs that we had with us to care who we were and why we were there!

After the formality of the introductions were over, we set the kids up into two matches and in the absence of bibs, we reverted to the old favourite, shirts v skins! Grassroots at it's best, with goals made from flip flops! One of the games even had to be settled by a penalty shootout, and unfortunately my favourite player (mainly because he was wearing a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle t-shirt) missed the decisive penalty!