Netherlands

This past week was spent in The Hague , Netherlands for the end of season International School Girls Soccer Tournament. The tournament lasted for 4 days and involved 12 teams from around Europe including: London (4 teams), Cario, Munich, Brussels (2 teams), Paris, The Hauge, Geneva, and Frankfurt.

The top 10 teams from the tournament stay in the current division, which is the top in Europe, and the 2 teams that placed at the bottom were relegated to the next division below. We played 5 games over 3 days and ended up with a record of 0-4-1. Although the results were not what we had hoped for, the girls did play against very good competition. We placed 12/12 teams and were one of the teams relegated. The girls were disappointed which was to be expected. We are a "young" team and had only 3 returning players. I think it will be good for the girls to gain some confidence back next season in a division that is more suitable to their ability level.

We were not able to field a JV team for the fall season due to low numbers. I was suppose to coach the JV girls teams and as a result ended up being the Varisty assistant coach. The one real "shocker" for me coaching this season has been the contrast between girls soccer in Europe and the US. Wow!! It is really empowering to come from a system where the sport is promoted and supported to the degree that is at home. Here, the more popular sports for girls are field hockey in the fall.

Overall, it was a positive season. I look forward to more free time in the evenings to see more of Brussels!