Cringle Athletic Football tour to Berlin

Cringle Athletic is a young developed team with players from around the central Manchester area such as Gorton, Levenshulme and Ardwick. The club has been established since 2013 and was created by young people for young people.

We offer opportunities for children and young adults aged 13-23 to come and play competitive football at a FA licensed and affiliated club. All our coaches are FA qualified and have years of experience. Furthermore we aim to develop new talent by giving everyone a chance regardless their ability, by providing our players with excellent training equipment and fantastic coaching. In addition we regularly plan activities outside football, with as main goal to bring together the team and create a warm and welcome atmosphere, e.g. hiking, paintball or bowling .

We are planning a cultural and sport youth tour to Berlin in April, that provides young people from deprived areas the opportunity to travel and compete against sport teams from other countries. This tour afford experiences and benefits that are difficult to duplicate without international travel taking place. Throughout the entire trip all participants will be guided and supported. Furthermore the trip is based on a Itinerary made by me, I have lived in Berlin for 12 years and therefore know the city by heart. Activities include museums, famous attractions such as the Brandenburger Gate, The Berlin Wall and Checkpoint Charlie, but will also include football activities such as training sessions and a organised game against a german opponent.This means that we address cultural and sport aspects that will help our players to develop and further grow as a person.

Furthermore there are many more benefits and adventure is one obvious result of international travel. Many of our players have never flown before; most have never been to a foreign country where English is not the primary language; and almost all express a fear or concern about the possible problems that could and sometimes develop. Before, during and after the trip, the sense of adventure and accomplishment exists. For some, this may be the greatest adventure of their lifetime, and an experience that will be remembered and talked about forever. The learning that takes place during our tour is another very apparent positive effect of international sport competitions and tours. Hearing a new language, being immersed in another culture, shopping with foreign money in a store where English is not the primary language, seeing and visiting attractions that are the highlights of courses taken; visiting museums and parks; going to local games and living as though a resident of a foreign country provides experiences that cannot be duplicated by reading or the media. Our tour will afford learning experiences in geography, foreign language, sport, math (money exchanging, metric conversions, etc.), history, art and music.

Friendships, sometimes lifelong, can be developed during our travel tour. Meeting with opponents and maybe their families during and after the competitions allow our players to start interactions that possibly result in written correspondence and exchange visits. Competition often results in the reducing of psychological, sociological, cultural and language barriers that impede interaction with others. If you can play against someone on the pitch, you can almost always socialise with him/her off the pitch.

Improved eating habits also sometimes result from foreign travel. With breakfasts, lunches and dinners containing foods not commonly eaten in the UK, the boys on our excursions will find themselves trying and enjoying food they have never previously tasted.

Communication and listening skills are also enhanced during our travel. How does one communicate without knowing the language? Most people going abroad quickly gather this knowledge. Learning key words and/or some basic sign language becomes a necessity. Listening and trying to understand a new friend who has a difficult time speaking English takes patience and attention. Our players who are often considered shy may become more extroverted as a result of this sport trip.

Increased self-esteem and self-confidence is also often a by-product of international sport tours . After lengthy instructions, our Team members are given the opportunity to tour with friends, but without parents, the old parts of Berlin. Getting along on your own in a foreign land, even for just a few hours, provides a very satisfying feeling of accomplishment. They are now world travellers, also playing against different styles of play in different facilities can enhance the individual skill levels of our players.

However the most important benefit of doing a sport trip abroad is to ensure that everyone is enjoying it and gaining a great experience doing so.

Another and the final benefit to be mentioned is the prestige of having competed in Germany that results on the participant’s return to the UK . Families, friends and competitors pay notice of this accomplishment, and the fact that our players will be considered special, because of having participated in international sports play, and having travelled abroad. The participant, of course, will have trophies and mementos of this experience, that when displayed will result in a long-term recognition. Besides having a positive effect on our players it will also involve parents and friends. We often organise charity and fundraising events such as Bag packings and car boot sales, where players, parents and friends help out and provide their support. Furthermore when conducting these kinds of activities we are showing the community our plans and they often respect the efforts we do and therefore support us.