The trip of Asker to the Liverpool-Knowsley Soccer Tournament

I am writing this as one of the leaders of the girls team from Asker, Norway, that played in the under 14's girls championship. We participated in the tournament for the first time, and no other team from our club had ever travelled so far to take part in an international tournament.
After an intensive period of planning and money collecting, we were therefore looking forward to visit this English city that we all knew through some famous musicians and some (almost) equally famous football teams….

Upon arrival in Liverpool, we were received as if we were guests of honour, and the tournament officials made us feel at home from the very first moment. We were accommodated at the Carnatic Halls of Residence at the Liverpool University, located in very nice and quiet surroundings. Being responsible for 14 young girls (many of them being away from their parents for the first time), we appreciated the feeling of security this gave us.

Our girls came from a lazy summer holiday in Norway and we needed the first two matches to "wake up" from the holiday feeling. But after that, we made quite well, and in the end we managed to win the Plate, after a thrilling final match that had to be decided by penalties. I don't think the girls will ever forget that match and the good feeling of winning an important match.

In the afternoons and evenings, the girls socialized with all the other international teams, and they made a lot of new friends from many countries, spanning from China to Canada, during this tournament. Some of them are still E-mailing and chatting with each other on the Internet. In particular, the telephone lines to the boy's team from the Canadian west coast are very hot…
The tournament also arranged for a number of events and sightseeing options. This gave us the opportunity to visit famous sites and seeing down town Liverpool and Manchester (and to perform some heavy shopping in the shopping centres….). In that respect we are very thankful to the tournament transportation department for showing patience and flexibility to a rather indecisive bunch of girls (and leaders) not able to decide where to go before the last minute…

Our girl's team, as all the international teams, were very well looked after and taken care of by the tournament officials and the tournament management. We experienced a well-functioning organization providing us with personal and individual service. This created an atmosphere of respect and friendliness both on and off the pitches, and made us feel comfortable throughout the whole tournament.

We had a very good time in Liverpool, and we hope we will be able to come back another year. We can certainly recommend the tournament to other teams that are planning to take part in an international soccer tournament.

Best Regards
Magne Ramlo (Asker, Norway)