14 sixth-graders and 3 fifth-graders from Tsukuba Junior, a total of 17 players, departed Narita on the 23rd to participate in a tournament in Italy (COPPA ANGELO QUARENGHI 2016). They arrived in Milan, Italy, via Doha, Qatar. It took about 1.5 hours by bus from the airport to SAN PELLEGRINO, where the tournament is being held.
Upon arriving at the hotel, we could see that the town was bustling with excitement for the tournament. We immediately went to the stadium, which is the match venue, for practice. The venue is about a 5-minute walk from the hotel. The opening ceremony and opening game of the tournament will be held tomorrow, but the main matches will start the day after tomorrow. We intend to prepare thoroughly and participate in the tournament.
For practice, after a warm-up, we did ball control and passing drills, followed by two 15-minute small-sided games on a half-court. After cooling down in the adjacent park, we walked back to the hotel.
After dinner, we went to bed early. Due to the fatigue of the long journey and the consecutive games during summer vacation, some players were feeling a little unwell, but we hope to fully condition ourselves for the tournament starting tomorrow.
