FCK!
No, you dirty-minded offended people, I am not using a cuss word. Nor am I speaking of a brand. Today, I had a true European experience. I attended an FCK football game! Now, I realize the average American is thinking of the oblong ball and the men in helmets, but European football is of course soccer, and the local team is FC Kaiserslautern, or FCK ( pronounced eff-say-kah).
We originally bought tickets to a Thanksgiving game that the LA Galaxy were supposed to come play against FCK, but the Galaxy bailed, the game was cancelled, and we were left with really expensive tickets that turned into game credit. So we decided to do it right, got second row seats right at the mid-field line, and official fan scarves to go with. It was awesome! I could see the players sweat! And you could actually tell when they were faking the foul! It was hilarious to see all the showmanship for what we clearly saw was nothing...and to even see the players peak at the ref to see if he's buying it. :) The game was really exciting too! This year, FCK has been vying for first place in their league, which means they would graduate back to the national league at the end of the season, and today they won! 3-0.
As much fun as the game was to watch, the rowdy fan section was just as entertaining. I'm guessing this section is the equivalent of Wrigley field's bleacher bums. They stood and clapped and cheered and jumped all the way through the game. They seemed to magically know when to wave scarves, flags, or napkins simultaneously. There must have been a choreographer somewhere leading them. :) I took some grainy video of them and a few pics, but I think my favorite is the "Super, super FCK!" song at the end.
I think I was most surprised by the sportsmanship. You always hear about soccer hooligans, but these players were really polite! I could tell when a collision was accidental because they would help opposing players up. And at the beginning of every game, the players take the field holding hands with members of a pee wee team. They all walk out to the middle, wave, and then the kids run off. It takes no time, and I'm sure it makes those kids feel like a million bucks. The other really cool tradition is that win or lose, the players will walk around the edge of the stadium and thank the fans. A few waves, signatures, and handshakes. The trip took them about 10 minutes, but what an awesome public relations move!
I had a super time. Wunderbar!
We originally bought tickets to a Thanksgiving game that the LA Galaxy were supposed to come play against FCK, but the Galaxy bailed, the game was cancelled, and we were left with really expensive tickets that turned into game credit. So we decided to do it right, got second row seats right at the mid-field line, and official fan scarves to go with. It was awesome! I could see the players sweat! And you could actually tell when they were faking the foul! It was hilarious to see all the showmanship for what we clearly saw was nothing...and to even see the players peak at the ref to see if he's buying it. :) The game was really exciting too! This year, FCK has been vying for first place in their league, which means they would graduate back to the national league at the end of the season, and today they won! 3-0.
As much fun as the game was to watch, the rowdy fan section was just as entertaining. I'm guessing this section is the equivalent of Wrigley field's bleacher bums. They stood and clapped and cheered and jumped all the way through the game. They seemed to magically know when to wave scarves, flags, or napkins simultaneously. There must have been a choreographer somewhere leading them. :) I took some grainy video of them and a few pics, but I think my favorite is the "Super, super FCK!" song at the end.
I think I was most surprised by the sportsmanship. You always hear about soccer hooligans, but these players were really polite! I could tell when a collision was accidental because they would help opposing players up. And at the beginning of every game, the players take the field holding hands with members of a pee wee team. They all walk out to the middle, wave, and then the kids run off. It takes no time, and I'm sure it makes those kids feel like a million bucks. The other really cool tradition is that win or lose, the players will walk around the edge of the stadium and thank the fans. A few waves, signatures, and handshakes. The trip took them about 10 minutes, but what an awesome public relations move!
I had a super time. Wunderbar!
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| FCK game |
posted by Claire | 2:05 AM
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