Day in Portsmouth

Today is our last full day on the trip! Time is flying by 😕
The wind has died down and we had another full day of no rain. I am still in disbelief with how amazing the weather turned out for this crew.
The girls had their last games this morning.
Again it was a clean sweep for the ladies who all played their hearts out and went undefeated this trip.

After our games, everyone rushed up to the dorms to shower and change before eating lunch and heading back on the buses to the Portsmouth Dockyard. 

The younger boys teams from Benfica and Maine toured the Victory

Meanwhile the older boys and girls teams went shopping at the Gunwharf Quays Outlet shopping district located right on the waterfront of Portsmouth.

Afterwards, the entire group headed up to Hollywood Bowl for a last night of team fun bowling, playing pool and other arcade games.

On the drive home, the bus stopped in Worthing to have a classic meal of Fish and Chips on the beach.

The last night is here. Some of the British dorm staff is leaving and the groups are trying to pack!

Tomorrow we will finish packing and have a closing ceremonies with the Brighton and Hove Albion staff to end the trip!

Fulham Match Day

Last night, rain and wind swept across the South of England causing this morning's last games for the boys teams to be messy fields and difficult windy conditions.
Benfica played a local Lancing team; playing well and coming out victorious again.

The Northshore and Northern Maine teams played hard fighting the wind.

The girls play their final games tomorrow morning but came down to the fields to cheer the boys on.

After a quick shower and change, the entire group boarded buses for a trip back into London to watch Fullham take on the Blackburn Rovers in a EFL Championship game.
The Stadium, known as Craven Cottage, is on the banks of the River Thames and is the oldest football stadium in London. It was originally a royal hunting lodge and that cottage still stands in the corner of the stadium where the owners and important Club personnel sit.

We had great seats close to the field.

The kids tried classic meat pies from the stadium vendors.

They also saw a great match with Fullham winning 2-0 fielding a team with ex Premiership player Mitrovic and current Premiership Club Brighton and Hove Albion player, on loan this season to Fullham, Anthony Knockaert.

Tomorrow the girls play their final games in the morning before the group spends the day in Portsmouth.

Day in London

When I looked at the forecast leading up to this trip, I packed rain gear for 5 days of rain including our walk around London.
We have been incredibly fortunate and today was no exception.
Slight cloud cover and a quick passing shower were small blips in an otherwise beautiful hot day in the city.
There wasn't even bus traffic this trip to dampen spirits.
As we entered the city, coach Andy grabbed the Mic and pointed out key sites and building like the London Eye, Big Ben (under scaffolding), London Bridge and Parliament.

First stop on the tour was Nike Town.

Don't worry parents, all the kids found ways to spend their money.

From there the ENTIRE group set off walking over 3 miles through the city.
First big stop was Trafalgar Square.

From there we moved on to a private tour of the Horses Cavalry which is normally closed to the public. The group got to go through the museum and meet one of the Horses and riders. It is a very unique experience.

Next, the group had some free time to take pictures around the city and buy trinkets.

We walked through St James' Park and ate lunch.

Last stop on the tour before boarding the bus back home was Buckingham Palace.

Tomorrow the boys play games in the morning before we jump back on the bus to London to enjoy the Fulham v Blackburn Rivers at Craven Cottage.