Paul,
I just wanted to say thank you to you and Challenger Sports for coordinating a memorable trip for the U12 YMS Xplosion. Our goal for the trip was to better educate the players (and parents) on the history of the game of "football", see the passion for the game when it is the number one sport in your country, play against high caliber opponents to compare our level of play to youth academy teams in England, and most of all to have fun. The itinerary that you put together for this trip accomplished all of these goals. There were many highlights on the trip, including, watching the players (and their coaches) experience the atmosphere of a Premier level professional game for the first time (Blackburn vs Wolves) and personally meeting goal keeper Brad Friedel after the game for a chat, pictures and autographs. The trips to Anfield and Old Trafford to see the history of Liverpool FC and Manchester United and tour the stadium was an awesome experience. The team also had a great training session with the coach from the Liverpool Academy. The games between Blackpool, Sheffield and Tranmere was an eye opening experience for the players, parents and coaches. The Xplosion team finished as state finalists last year so we are considered one of the top teams in the area for our age group. I could not believe the difference in play at the same age group between our team and the academy teams. We left England realizing that we need to continue to focus on the basic skill level of our players instead of concentrating so much on tactical play. The academy teams played a simple game of receiving a ball, passing and moving. The primary difference was that just about every ball that was played to their feet was controlled effortlessly and they looked for their next option. Many of our passes were received not under such control and the defense would be ready to pounce on us as soon as we made a mistake. The way that the players communicate with each other was also very impressive. I have a few players who left their egos in the UK and are ready to come home and work on their skills. Last year in our fall league we conceded 3 goals all year. In the Tranmere game we conceded 10 goals in 75 minutes. It was truly an amazing learning experience for us all.

The Hotel Sachas was an excellent choice for us, as it was in the middle of Manchester and close to shops, etc.. The people at the Sachas were very accomodating to our schedule and continually went out of their way to have dinner ready (special requests for the players as well) for us at whatever time we requested (including 11:00pm pizza when we returned from Sheffield). Neil the bus driver became part of the trip for us all. He scheduled a lunch for us at an authentic English pub one day prior to one of our games.

Finally, Chris Brennan was an excellent representative for Challenger Sports. From the minute he met us at the airport to the time we all left, Chris was part of the Xplosion family and made sure that the trip was enjoyable and memorable for everyone. He was patient with the group, flexible with our schedules and assisted the coaches with pre and post game discussions. Many of the boys got up early the last day just so that they could see him off.

Thanks for all of your hard work and patience with us during the planning process. I can not wait to provide a trip presentation to all of the other YMS coaches at our next monthly coaches meeting. I would expect that you will be hearing from some of them shortly.

Sincerely,

Jim Powers
YMS Xplosion

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If your team or organization would like to find out more about Challenger's exciting British Soccer Tour program and custom-designed travel packages, contact Andy Bennett. 800-739-9441