It started as an off-the-cuff remark to motivate the 樱桃视频United U15 boys' soccer team, but now coach Andy King is eating his words, and he's loving every minute of it. Years ago, King teased the team, saying that if he considers them good enough he'd take them to Manchester, England, a soccer mecca to so many fans as well as King's home turf.
But when the team made it to the gold division for the second year in a row, team members, parents and coaches began taking the trip seriously. The boys kept at their training and played stronger than ever, until they came home the Vancouver District league champions.
King said they've earned the trip.
"They've just done phenomenal over the last five years," said King. "They've matured a lot."
By Christmas 2004, King realized this could be the best season ever for the boys, and that's when the fundraising began.
The boys undertook bottle drives and solicited donations, but it was the idea of selling space on a poster of the team to local businesses that really took in support.
"Businesses have been absolutely outstanding," said King. "They really appreciated what we were doing."The poster alone raised $12,000 for the team, and total fundraising efforts topped $19,000.
The 14 boys and five adults are taking off Thursday (April 19) for eight days in London and the Manchester area.
The team will get a training session by premier league coaches, and then get to see Blackburn in action against Manchester City. They'll meet former England team captain Ronnie Clayton who will take them on a tour of Ewood Park, home of the Blackburn Rovers. They'll attend a potentially league- clinching game between Bolton and Chelsea.
And they'll get a tour of the English Football Museum and Old Trafford, home of Manchester United.
It's a testament to their love of the sport that even with all the exciting events planned, what the team is most looking forward to is playing their own scheduled games, one of which will be against King's former school, Saint Augustine. "We want to see how we compare," said team captain Dylan Ackerman.
