On to Denmark’s Dana Cup via StenaLine Ferry

After celebrating for the Class 15 Girls of Real So Cal, an American team from Calabasas, CA, as they took the stage to receive their gold medals and the G15 Gothia Cup, we watched the Class 15 Boys final game between Norway and Sweden. A very competitive game showing that even with at least a visible 8” difference in height advantage of the Swedish, it is truly skill and teamwork that makes the difference as they tied 2-2 and went into PK shoot out. Final score was 4-7 after PK with the Swedish making all of their strikes under a heavy downfall of rain. We now leave a beautiful county, both the scenery and the people, and are off to Denmark via motor coach and on to the dock where we travel the North Sea via a 3-hour StenaLine ferry (www.stenaline.com) to Fredrikshavn, Denmark.
Dana Cup is Denmark’s largest sporting event and the world’s 3rd largest, but most ‘international’ youth soccer tournament with 850 teams from 45 different nations. The Dana Cup was established 27 years ago as a subsidiary to the women’s soccer club Fortuna Hjorring and the profits from the tournament go to benefit the youth portion of the club. Their Mission statement is to “offer experiences to active people from all around the world, based on sports and cultural events.” More than 16,000 soccer players, plus family, coaches and referees will converge on the town of Hjorring, Denmark during the week to essentially double the town’s population of 25,000. The 179 specialty shops of Hjorring, Vendsyssel’s largest commercial town, have made special arrangements to be open Sunday from 10 am to 5 pm and until 8 pm Monday. In addition there is a special bus service every 30 minutes to the shopping mall Metropol with 35 shops, a fitness center, an internationally recognized library and restaurants. Sunday they will also host the Circus Nietski.
We will begin with an Extra Cup, essentially two extra friendly games, before the Dana Cup. Our first game is Sunday at 5:00 against New Battle England, the other Monday at 11:00 versing Varreg of Norway. The Dan Cup begins Tuesday with 90 teams in our Class Boys 15, five in our Group 03 comprising of Norway & Kenya. The boys realize fully the competitiveness of participating in a World Class soccer tournament. They watched the Final game of the Gothia Cup while sitting in the seats of the stadium they had hoped to be playing on the pitch. I have heard it from many of the players now…they are ready to play in the stadium and walk across the red carpet to receive the B15 Dana Cup! Follow us at www.danacup.com

We have checked into the Feiercenter Fyrklit in Southwest Hirtshals, Denmark; about 17 Km North of Hjorring and right on the coast. It is a beautiful vacation, they call ‘holiday’, resort with kitchenettes, 3 pools, water slide, a miniature golf course, laundry mat and activity center. Careful though, unlike in the US, the residents of this resort get to do all the work that we so often take for granted, like bedding your mattresses, making your breakfast and clearing your tables. The temperatures are much cooler, problably only a high of 60 degress, but our spirits are high and we are ready for the week!