Serving the Beautiful Game

ZIDANE freekickmag.com | July 2009 Contents

4 Contributors

5 Editor's Note

6 Football Under the Rising Sun By Trevor Kew

8 Soccer Shorts

11 Red Card Yellow Card

Recipe: Chocolate Chip Banana Loaf By Heather McLean

12 Zizou

16 Football Economy By Michael Oldham

18 Ayurvedic Coaching: The Science of Life By Jeffrey Armstrong (Kavindra Rishi) & Carrie Serwetnyk

20 Cosmo Striker By Piper Bradley

21 Kidz Section

22 SoccerScopes

Cover Photo by Martin Bazyl

n e wi e s r to e s to nt et E tick P.19 Serving the Beautiful Game

David Beckham The power of Football in Africa by Ibrahim Dabo

Exclusive Subscription FIFA Women's World Cup CHINA 2007 Coverage August / September August Issue (1/2) . by Carrie Serwetnyk Free Free . 30 min Interview Christine 5 issues for $19.99 www.freekickmag.com Sinclair

Hot Yoga with (includes postage) KARA LANG All payments by cheque.

2 free kick July 2009 July 2009 free kick 3 Free Kick Team

Fernando Fei, Design & Production Martin Bazyl, Photography Raised in Argentina, Fernando always jokes Martin is a freelance photographer, with a passion that football runs through his veins. His passion, for the game that unites all. Based in Toronto, he knowledge, and design talent gives Free Kick its face. hopes to be a part of a rise and breakthrough in the Serving the Beautiful Game nation where football is the number one played sport. Editor’s Note Editor: Carrie Serwetnyk Carrie Serwetnyk, [email protected] First Woman Canadian Soccer Hall of Fame Lindsay Marsh, Editorial Assistant Neil Humphrey, Webmaster Equipped with a BA in English Lit and a Sustainable Neil is a passionate local coach and suit in the football Design & Production: Fernando Fei Community Development Post-Bacc Diploma, community. His multi-talented skills in competitive [email protected] Lindsay spent 3 years teaching and volunteering in sailing and the beautiful game gave him a compass to ur man on the cover is a face easily recognizable Japan and SW Asia. Her passion for sports led her to travel extensively around the world. Here at home, he Photography: Goga Bayat around the world. Almost. In our country, many many muddy games of soccer with boys and girls at consults in marketing, PR, Internet sectors and all the [email protected] people tilt their head trying to remember why they a children’s home in Thailand. www.go-mad.org. latest soccer junkie info. Beware Voyageurs! might know him. For others, he brings instant joy Feroze Hamid andO love. Zinedine Zidane is the three-time FIFA player of the Contributors [email protected] year and he is coming to our backyard to play. A tour was set up for him and his “friends” to play in Toronto, Montreal and Mailing Address: Suite 128 Vancouver. For Free Kick Magazine, he is literally coming to Piper Bradley 1917 West 4th, Avenue our neighbourhood. Anna is a 17 year old Vancouver artist who is crazy Vancouver, BC, V6J 1M7 for cartooning…and just a bit crazy in general. She migrates around the city in her cardboard starving Advertising Inquiries: 604.551.7006 Free Kick has organized for 100 children in East Vancouver the artist box doing art for food and stealing your single [email protected] opportunity for a free two day camp which includes tickets to socks from laundry machines. the match at BC Place and a session with Zidane and top stars Editorial Inquiries: 604.551.7006 from Europe. The Britannia Soccer Program could only dream [email protected] Jeffrey Armstrong up such stars on their field each spring when kids wear t-shirts Jeffrey is the Founder of VASA - The Vedic with a variety of countries’ names on the back. This time, Academy of Arts and Sciences. He is a charismatic Printing: Mitchell Press French, Italian and Cameroon mega-stars really will strut their speaker and counsellor who teaches the Philosophy stuff. We are extremely grateful to bring this opportunity to the of Yoga as a way of being, and Enlightenment as a Commercial Drive community. way of life. www.JeffreyArmstrong.com Free Kick is a free publication. It is published monthly and distributed to retail soccer stores, stadiums, sporting retailers, community centres, We are also delighted to share experiences from other parts of Heather McLean and many pick-up locations throughout the the globe. Trevor Kew is our traveling writer who now lives Heather's specialty is healthy and alternative greater Vancouver area. For more information in Japan. Having played in Nihon myself during the rise and vegan creations. She lives in East Vancouver. please contact [email protected] or visit our heyday of the J-League, I could relate to his research and expe- website at www.freekickmag.com. riences attending games. Cramming into trains where strang- ers use your shoulder as a pillow while kids across from you munch on small dead fish seemed quite surreal. Often I sang Publisher’s Note: to myself, “I’m turning Japanese” at trainings to amuse myself Michael Oldham over our vast cultural differences. The Japanese fan has their Mike is a soccer journalist from Edinburgh. Why “Serving the Beautiful Game?” Along with Scottish haggis, he eats up anything own unique brand of polite, ordered zaniness. to do with the beautiful game. He is the As a magazine we have the ability to give a much needed producer of football phone-in radio show acknowledgement to individuals who contribute their energy to soccer. Our mission is to serve the players, The economy is a subject we would like to ignore but it is in- and is presently writing a book on the MLS. deed an undercurrent affecting us all. For players like Ronaldo, www.insidesoccerusa.blogspot.com fans, parents and coaches who want information and support for their passion. who transferred to Real Madrid for 142 million dollars (CAD), Trevor Kew we hope his fans can afford tickets to see him play. Regard- Brazilian star Pele’s most renowned quote was when Trevor is a Canadian teacher and writer based in he called “football” the “beautiful game.” The quote less of the crash and burn economic situation hitting businesses Yokohama, Japan who spends most of his time speaks for itself to all those who have played soccer or in every category, football has always been known as the poor playing, coaching or watching football. Trevor admired it in the stands. It hits the mark between how man’s sport and will continue to bring intrinsic joy and passion supports Watford and Manchester United. He also it looks on the outside and how it feels on the inside to billions of people, no matter the story. claims to have fouled strikers on three continents. playing it. Red Card! We feel the combination to “Serve the Beautiful Game” In the case of our journey with the beautiful game, we hope you matches our ambitions as a magazine. will enjoy and embrace our gift of passion to your pursuits.

Best wishes, Copyright © 2007. No portion of this publication may be reproduced in whole or in part, without the written permission of the publisher. All rights reserved.

Free Kick Magazine is an environmentally friendly publication. Printed on recycled paper. 4 free kick July 2009 running onto the pitch. Japanese players became the focus, which helped bolster the national team. The league now boasts two professional Football Under the Rising Sun Even more surprisingly, they hold on. It ends in a 1-1 draw, divisions and ambitiously aims to gradually increase the Story by Trevor Kew with Uzbekistan, at home. I glance around at the Japanese number of football clubs in Japan to 100 by the year 2092. Photos by Kujira supporters. Hailing from Vancouver as I do, I’ve been as thrilled as t is not the first time I’ve been on a packed train to a “Nippon, Nippon, Nippon…hey! Hey, hey, hey…!” No one is swearing or kicking things. No one is even anyone since the Whitecaps made their recent glorious football ground, but it is the first time I’ve done so with frowning much. Most of the fans, so passionate during the announcement. And so, that day, sitting there in a packed a whole lot of men in suits. Luckily, most are so easy that even a gaijin (foreigner) like match, are simply emptying out of the stadium in an orderly stadium in a nation me can figure them out. manner, bowing slightly when they get in somebody’s way. which didn’t even have I glance around. Where are the football kits? Where are the a professional league scarves? Where are the uncomplimentary songs about the Inside, the large stadium – a legacy of the 2002 World Cup Having lived in both Canada and England, I was baffled. when I started high mating habits of the other team’s players’ wives? – is crammed to the roof with blue and white shirts, large Drawing with Uzbekistan in football is like Canada tying school, I was filled with Japanese flags, smiling faces and a hockey game with Japan. And if England ever drew with hope that professional clapping hands. We find our seats, Uzbekistan at home…well, you know what would happen football in Canada park our beer cups in the drink- then. might this time be here holders and sit back, listening to to stay. the roar of the crowd. It all begins “Is that what Japanese people look like when they’re angry?” to feel pretty much like any other mumbles my English friend. I also hoped that one football match, despite the fact that day, I might sit in a we’re in Japan and aside from the “Guess it must be,” I reply. stadium back home girls sitting in front of us chopping amongst tens of cucumbers while munching on National obsession with football is, unlike in most countries, thousands of my fellow noodles and dried fish. an incredibly recent phenomenon in Japan. The J-League, Canadians, even if just which now averages 20,000 fans per match and is one of to give our own unique The opponents tonight are the most successful leagues in Asia, only began in 1992 Canadian reaction Uzbekistan, that overlooked nation as an organization, cobbled together from former amateur to a 1-1 draw with of Central Asia, best known in clubs. Since then, Japan has participated in three World Uzbekistan. the West as the fictitious enemies Cups (including, of course, the World Cup they co-hosted of Borat Sagdiyev. They are not with South Korea in 2002), won three Asian Cups, exactly powerhouses in the Asian and its clubs regularly feature prominently in the football world. Unbelievably, at Asian Club Championship. Youth club teams and least to me, a solid contingent of school teams have multiplied rapidly, and there is The train pulls into a station too populated to see the name perhaps two hundred Uzbeks have actually made the trip to a women’s league, the L-League, with an ever- and a few more bodies, through some miracle of physics, cheer on their team. growing fan base. manage to squeeze in. As we pull away, I shake my head, amazed, but not at this fine example of human tetris. What Japan scores first and the crowd explodes, fifty thousand In so many ways, Japan is not suited to football. I simply can’t believe is that we are now one subway stop supporters jumping up and down, high-fiving, beating drums, There is little available flat land and the facilities away from a World Cup Qualifier and yet I’m actually able and singing. are generally horrendous. I never thought I’d to hear the train accelerate. actually feel relieved to play on a packed dirt pitch, But in the second half, against the run of play, the Uzbeks but in Japan, a lot of football is played five-a- Trains in Japan are meant for two things: getting to where snatch an unlikely equalizer. Their two hundred fans do side on something resembling a tennis court with you’re going and sleeping. I have Japanese friends who everything short of ripping the seats off and sand thrown all over it. It would be hard to think actually factor train travel into their daily amount of of a worse surface for football, actually. Also, shuteye. I’ve been on a bullet-train with several hundred when the J-League began, it had to compete with people and been the only one awake. It isn’t uncommon for long-established (or in one case, ancient) sporting businessmen to wake up back in Tokyo after tumbling into traditions: sumo, baseball and golf. a deep slumber on their way back to the suburbs. In the first few years of the J-League, a rush of But on the way to an international football match? It’s all a foreign stars in their twilight years flooded the bit hard to believe. rosters and attendance spiked. But when the league over-extended itself and Japan entered into a Thankfully, things quickly change when we get outside. recession, fans began to shy away and teams began On the road towards Saitama Stadium, men shed company to go bankrupt. It seemed like it had been all just a jackets, tugging scarves from briefcases, and Japanese passing fad. National Team shirts begin to appear all around us. Instead of giving up, the J-League re-organised, And the songs begin. reducing the number of teams and encouraging local involvement. Most importantly, perhaps,

6 free kick July 2009 July 2009 free kick 7 Whitecaps Hopes Turned Upside Down

obbed might be the kinder words the Vancouver Whitecaps choose to describe their hopes during the Nutrilite Canadian Championships. All they needed was for Toronto not to beat the Montreal Impact by four goals inR the final game of the series – a huge long shot in the low scoring game of soccer. Instead, the Impact rested seven of their starting players including their defenders and goal keeper declaring that the game wasn’t important to them. As the Whitecaps sat in the stands anticipating their winning hardware and the opportunity to represent Canada in the CONCACAF Champions League, Toronto flooded the goal. In the end, the scoreboard revealed $uper Deal for Cristiano Ronaldo their worst nightmare: Photo Credit Gil Gatchalianl Toronto 6 – Montreal 1.

uperstar champion Cristiano Ronaldo agreed to a world-record, unconditional transfer offer from Manchester United to Real Madrid for 142 million dollars (CAD). The 24 Portuguese winger stirred up controversy with the price tag but FIFA President Sepp Blatter backed the$ move on the Real Madrid website. “Cristiano Ronaldo’s signing is good for football. It shows the market of the sport is healthy despite the world financial crisis. This means our product is still good. This is the people’s sport and they need stars. The transfer will cost a lot of money, but it shows that there is still demand for a football star.”

United fans were not too keen when they learned that Madrid had courted Ronaldo last summer and convinced him to leave the following year. Ronaldo told reporters “after we won the European Cup, I thought there is no more I can achieve here. And when you have done all you can, you know it is time for a new challenge. I stayed one more season and it was nice to make it three titles in a row but it was my dream to play for Madrid.”

“Of course, I have not gone for the money. To go down as the greatest. It will take lots of work but that is my target. If you go down as the greatest at Madrid it means you are one of the greatest of all time."

Ronaldo also praised his Red Devils manager Sir Alex Ferguson, who brought him to Old Trafford from Sporting Lisbon in 2003. “I have said many times that it is the relationship a son has with a father. He respects me and I respect him and when one of us is talking, the other one listens. He taught me everything about football and I have never met a man who is so passionate about the game after so many years. In an ideal world, I would like him to be my life coach and for me to never leave him but that is not possible and I just have to continue my journey and hold on to what he has taught me.” 8 free kick July 2009 July 2009 free kick 9 by Heather McLean

We interviewed folks about their ‘nightmare’ dating moments. You know those situations, when you are on a date and suddenly the other person says or does something that makes your head swivel, eyes bulge, or sends a shiver of major doubt down your spine. Just for fun, YOU get to be the referee in this scenario. Does this person get a red card, yellow card or would they be a perfect match for your team?

She makes an excuse to go for a pedicure every time I ask her to come watch me play. Bruce, Langley Chocoloate Chip Banana Loaf

My girlfriend thinks she’s a pro player and won’t shave her - Preheat oven to 350 degrees and oil loaf pan legs throughout the entire playoff period. Ken, Kelowna - In bowl combine 1/4 cup ground flax seeds and 1/2 cup water. Let sit. If you have flax I played soccer with him once and he didn’t pass the ball to seeds combine same amount in blender and me. He said “I play like a girl.” blend on high until mixture is gooey and thick. Maria, Scarborough

He told me he couldn’t see me the night before his games - In seperate bowl mash 2 1/3 cups bananas because he needs to be alone to prepare for them. Then I (about 5-6 ripe ripe black bananas). Beat in 1/2 saw him out at the pub with his friends doing shooters. cup butter, 3/4 cup brown sugar. Mix until well Kelly, Brampton blended and creamy. Stir in flax mixture and 1 teaspoon vanilla. She has a “soccer ball” tattooed on her hip and I don’t even like soccer. Kyle, Vancouver - Finally add 2 1/3 cups spelt flour and 1 teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon baking soda. Mix well, but don’t overmix. Lastly stir in 3/4 cup chocolate chips/carob chips and 1/4 cup crushed pecans.

- Pour into loaf pan, spread evenly.

- Bake for 45-60 minutes until done.

- Let sit for 15 minutes before cutting into it.

July 2009 free kick 11 Photo credit ALEXANDRE BATTIBUGLI

10 n France, he is affectionately known as “Zizou.” Around the world, he may be known as the guy who “headbutted” the Italian in the World Cup Final. To soccer fans, he is considered a genius ZIZOU the likes of a Maradona or Pele. In Canada, as he makes his way in charity matches in Montreal, Profile... Toronto and Vancouver, it’s a mix between blank faces requiring explanation and genuine Iadmiration and gratitude from the converted. Jersey Number: 10 We thought we would help our Soccer 101 nation out with some basic facts about superstar Zinadine hits for Zidane on Google: Zidane. 10 x 10,100,000 Won: ‘98 World Cup in France scoring 2 goals in the final. Zidane was crowned Ballon d’Or (MVP) of Born: the tournament. Afterwards the French showed they know how to throw a party. The Champs was shut down for a parade that surpassed the end of World War II. Apparently everyone called in sick that day to June 23, 1972 in Marseille say their great aunt died.

Sign: Cancer Also won: Euro 2000, 2002 UEFA Champions League with Real Madrid. (see SoccerScope on page 23) FIFA World Cup Player of the Year – 3 times! Position: An American was once overheard saying with a thick southern accent “What country’s FIFA?” Don’t Attacking Midfielder ever ask that question yourself. FIFA stands for Federation International Football Association and it is headquartered in Switzerland. It is the second largest organization in the world behind the Catholic Professional Teams: Church. Sepp Blatter is the President. Cannes, Bordeaux, Juventus, Real Madrid He is on “Pele’s Choice” for the greatest footballers ever. Pele was a dazzling Brazilian in the 70’s and 80’s known as the greatest player ever. Maradona fans will argue their stocky Argentinean favourite was the best. Country: France At age 17, he played in his first Ligue 1 match with AS Cannes. On Feburary 8th, 1991 he scored his first Children: goal and received a car as a gift from the club president. 4 boys – Enzo, Luca, Theo and Elyaz. In 2000, Zidane tested his first head butt in a Champions League game on Jocher Kientz from Hamburger (2 are members of Real Madrid SV. He liked it so much he would later be expelled a total of 14 times in his career for a variety of Infantil B Team) infractions.

Teammates at Real Madrid in In 2001, he was a part of the largest transfer fee in football history at the time, joining Real Madrid for 73.5 2003: million Euros. David Beckham, Luis Figo, In 2005, French center midfield star Eric Cantona kicked a pesky fan in the chest during a Premiership Ronaldo, Roberto Carlos match resulting in the end of his international career. This gave the opportunity for Zidane to take over the playmaking position for Les Bleus. Fans at the Euro Championship in England wore t-shirts with a UEFA European Championship footprint in the chest saying “I met Eric Cantona.” 1984: Ball boy In 2006, Zizou was talked out of retirement to lead the French to the World Cup final against Italy. After Urban Dictionary: 110 minutes in overtime during a 1-1 tie, ZZ shocked the world when he rammed his head into Marco July 29, 2006 Urban Word of Materazzi. The Italian defender immediately flopped onto the ground like he had been hit by a stampeding the Day: Zidane bull or rocketship and Zizou was sent off with a red card – never to play an official match again.

To headbutt someone in the chest Surely one of the most remarkable and controversial moments in sports history, the story has been relived during a crucial moment. over and over via the internet where fans can play numerous video games of Zidane headbutting Materazzi. Lip readers were hired and believed Materazzi had called him “the son of a terrorist whore.” Nearly a year later, it was revealed that the Frenchman annoyed by the pulling of his jersey by the Italian defender said Player 1: Give me the ball. “if you want my shirt I will give it to you afterwards,” which followed the remark, “I prefer your whore of Player 2: No. a sister.” Then Bam! Player 1: Don't make me go Zidane on you. France lost 5 – 3 in overtime penalty kicks.

Christian Dior: Today, Zinedine is the Advisor of the President for Real Madrid. He is actively involved in charity First Male Model matches around the world. He is the Goodwill Ambassador for the UN and is endorsed by many companies including Adidas, France Telecom, Orange, Audi, Volvic and as an action figure with Lego.

Asked why he enjoys coming to Canada, he says its one of the few places he can go where no one 12 free kick July 2009 July 2009 free kick 13 recognizes him. Zidane Interview upon arriving in Toronto

Listen, everyone spoke in English, I will not be able to do it, I will do it in French. I hope that you all will understand. I am charmed to be here. I believe that it is true, as you said, Achène (tour promoter) had come to see me with an aim of having me come here to Canada to make a small tour. And then it is true that is also to promote football. I found the idea sympathetic. He said that it was an insane dream but it is a good thing for me to come to Canada far from Europe. I had already come here on holiday, to spend time with my family. I am happy here to make 3 matches in Canada here in Toronto, in Montreal and to finish in Achene’s town Vancouver.

Precisely why does it interest you to come here to Canada? There is an effervescence of football here recently since Toronto FC. Are you aware of this in Europe?

I think that we realize in Europe that soccer is not the number 1 sport in Canada, but at the same time when one is young, it is. I think it is the most played sport. After when the young players grow up, he turns to another thing because there are other activities to do, other sports more important and soccer becomes less and less. It would be good to change the mentality. If the tour can help to change this and to bring fun, it is my goal and also the goal of Achene.

Do you believe your presence will help young people to be more interested in soccer in Canada?

Yes, even though I have been retired for three years, I hope that young people are inspired by memories of the highlights of my career to which they identify as players themselves. The goal of my visit is to inspire young players and this is what I wish to do with these three matches. Also, it’s a pleasure for my family to spend time here in Canada. New Castle Utd. 8.22 -12.81% Southhampton 0.1 +0.03% Leeds Utd 4.14 -5.88% Rangers FC 3.05 -8.27% Barcelona FC 4.2

the University of Barcelona, warned that financial approach (perhaps Beckham aside), While this reference was met with a Spanish soccer faces financial collapse if are another of the few leagues bucking the less-than-grateful response from Yankees clubs continue to spend what they do not trend. Seattle Sounders FC, the most recent President Randy Levine (“Hey Don, worry have. addition to the league, have enjoyed the about Beckham, not the Yankees. Even he Football Economy largest crowds, with Qwest field attracting wants out of your league” - Levine), Garber by Michael Oldham “We have to force the clubs, via a an average of more than 29,000 fans every asserted that “all businesses are experiencing supervisory body, to live within their home game. In Toronto, there are talks to some impact from the economic downturn.” been affected, though. Newcastle United’s means”, said Gay. “The bubble is being build additional seats considering there is a According to the Virgin Money Football Mike Ashley has shown that even club inflated with even larger amounts of air and seven year waiting list for season tickets On a global scale, FIFA president Sepp Fans’ Inflation Index, the cost of going to owners are not immune to the recession, at some point it’s going to explode.” Blatter agrees. He is worried that while a single match for an individual in the EPL losing half his £1.4bn fortune in the last Philadelphia Union will join MLS next the effects of the recession have not yet hit is now £89.53 (about $135). For a single year alone. Valencia in particular have been under season while Portland Timbers and the soccer, we have yet to see the worst. match! enormous pressure, and stars such as David Vancouver Whitecaps will enrol in 2011. Ashley, the 60th richest man in the UK Silva, Joaquin & David Villa could all be And the early signs are good, with the With the World Cup in South Africa on the That cost has gone up by 14% in the last according to the Sunday Times Rich List, offloaded in the summer to keep the club Whitecaps selling all 5,000 of their first horizon, FIFA can expect to make around three years and, according to the survey, one valued the club at £350m last September. afloat. allocated season tickets within 48 hours of $3.2bn in TV and marketing revenues over response from fans is that only one in four He is now reported to be willing to sell for a going on sale. the next year or so. But in the four years fans will now purchase next season’s kit. third of that figure. In France, and particularly at Lyon, the until the next World Cup, perhaps we will With prices varying from £25-40 ($35-60), situation does not look quite so ominous. In MLS commissioner Don Garber, focussed see what Blatter refers to as the football these are a major earner for EPL teams. The club’s wage bill is currently more than recent weeks, Lyon’s president Jean-Michel on achieving overall league profitability, economy ‘Tsunami.’ £60m, and for a club that’s on the brink of Aulas refuted claims that team manager remains aware of the potential risks. He Clubs rely heavily on shirt sales, as well relegation, and without a meaningful trophy Claude Puel would remain in charge for used the New York Yankees baseball team “Football has not yet been touched by the as TV money and player sales, to generate since 1955’s FA Cup, the £120M price tag purely financial reasons: as an example of how sports in general are first wave,” warns Blatter, “but the second revenue for new signings. And while the still seems fairly high. struggling to cope. wave will touch football, especially with rest of the world counted its pennies at the “The cost of sacking him does not come in the sponsorship of club football and sport in start of 2009, the Premier League clubs But relegation could be just the start of to consideration – financial issues do not “It’s incomprehensible that you watch a general.” seemed almost oblivious to the economic Newcastle’s problems, should it come bother us, since we currently have the best game, and there will be front-row seats downturn, with teams forking out a record to that. They are no doubt aware what economic structure in French football.” empty,” said Garber, referring to the highest Perhaps this is the calm before the storm. £160M ($240M) on new players in the happened to Leeds Utd when they lost their priced seats remaining empty at the new s we are now reminded every January transfer window alone. Premier League status, and this season Major League Soccer, famous for its cautious Yankees stadium. time we switch on the TV, another former EPL team – Southampton the economy has seen better Thanks to the recession, those levels of – took Leeds’ place in League One. days. spending could become a thing of the past. Southampton, along with several other football league teams including Stockport ItA is only when we turn off the news, and As it stands, Premier League clubs each County, also went in to administration. switch over to the soccer, that we see the receive at least £30M every season from stands full; the fans decked out in their club TV money. Just three seasons ago, that was According to research by John Beech at kits and their money being handed over the the amount the champions would receive Coventry University, there have been 68 junk food stands left, right and centre. for winning the competition, giving an cases of clubs in English league football indication to the league’s growth in recent becoming insolvent since 1986. It could At this stage of the season (and I’ll try not years. well become a far more realistic threat than to call it the ‘business’ end), there is so before to many teams over the coming much at stake that people can’t afford NOT But those huge sums could soon disappear, months. to see their team in action. due in part to the financial collapse of Setanta Sports, the Ireland based sports But it is not only in England that the But has football really managed to escape broadcaster. Setanta failed to retain both of recession is affecting soccer. North of the economic crisis? its Premier League rights packages beyond the border, Scottish Premier League side 2010. Their main rival Sky has exerted its Rangers announced in March that they were Well, as the season draws to a close, and power, winning five of the six packages of offering their staff the option of voluntary with no international tournament to look games available. redundancy. They also announced that they forward to until next year’s World Cup in were willing to listen to offers for any of South Africa, the players will no doubt head Though it does not represent a full their players. off to Capri or the Costa del Sol for a couple monopoly, Sky will be in a strong position of weeks of sea and sun. when the next set of rights becomes And in Spain, where many clubs have available, and with Setanta out of the been plunged in to the red amid struggles But back home, this promises to be a much picture, prices will inevitably be lowered. with wage and transfer costs, the Spanish tougher summer for the fans, not to mention As a result, prepare to see the EPL clubs professional soccer league (LFP) has been the clubs. Believe it or not the English rein in spending until the competition for forced to defend the surging level of debt Premier League, the most lucrative league TV rights can be re-ignited. among its clubs. in world soccer, could be as badly hit as anywhere else. It is not just the TV companies who have A study by Jose Maria Gay, a professor at

16 free kick July 2009 Manchester Utd 10.9 -23% Southhampton 0.1 Leeds Utd 4.14 -5.88% Chelsea FC 1.44 +1.78% July 2009 free kick 17 Coach’s Corner He believes we would all benefit tremendously if we began together for movement and data transfer. These three are called www.scrimmageville.com learning this knowledge of our specific body type from the time we respectively: Kapha (Earth and Water), Pitta (Fire and Water) and are in kindergarten. Vata (Air and Space). They are the three formative substances of all bodies, also known as Doshas. He explained it like this: Ayurvedic Coaching Whichever one of these three Doshas is most abundant will define The Science of Life Say you owned a Mercedes, took it in to a garage for some repair your primary body type. In modern terms, these create three body and maintenance, and said to the mechanic, “Do you repair types: Endomorph (‘morph’ means body), which is the heavy, by Jeffrey Armstrong (Kavindra Rishi) & Carrie Serwetnyk Mercedes?” If the reply is, “No problem, a car is a car, they’re curvaceous body, smooth, slow moving, deep sleeper and able to all the same. They all have engines, tires, wiring, brakes and skip breakfast. The second is the Mesomorph or medium build, exhaust,” would you be confident that your expensive car would muscular, hot, impatient, tolerates pain easily, intense, and must eat be fixed properly? Just because cars run on the same principles, breakfast. This is the fire type dominated by force, heat and direct Talk about preventative medicine. are they identical and therefore all repaired, tuned and operated in intensity. The third is called Ectomorph, which is slender, nervous, the same exact way? Or are there different types and models with a light sleeper, fast in speech and action, high strung, cold in the As coaches stepping into practice with precise specification, design and performance differences? extremities and irregular and inconstant in habits. The Endomorph multiple body types and characters, it’s is Kapha or Water and Earth. The Mesomorph is Pitta or Fire and easy for us to lump all players into a mass The answer, of course, is that there are many kinds of vehicles, Water. The Ectomorph is Vata or Space and Air. of similar expectations and challenges each of which must be maintained according to its manufacturing without taking note of each individual’s specification. This being so, when was the last time you went to a By Nature’s arrangement, the three types expand by combination innate disposition. There will be the player doctor and were told the exact body type and repair specifications to ten basic body types, according to the dominant Dosha: Kapha, who doesn’t like to run or the kid who of your unique body? The Western or Allopathic doctor will Pitta, Vata, Kapha/Pitta, Kapha/Vata, Pitta/Kapha, Pitta/Vata, brings you up to date on every statistic, usually tell you the condition of your body or which part is Vata/Kapha and Vata/Pitta. Equal amounts of all three are called the striker who cannot sit still or appears stressed, diseased, or broken, but will never tell you what model of tridoshic or Kapha/Pitta/Vata. Once you understand your specific not to listen to a thing you said. There vehicle you are driving. Like an ignorant car mechanic who treats body type, how that body will perform in different climates and will be the player who everyone likes to all cars the same, the modern allopathic doctor will confidently tell when fed various foods and herbs will become clear. This is be around, who organizes the food or team you your diagnosis and the recommended medicine to improve because food and climate are also simply some combination of the activities and the person who cannot stop your condition, but there are two things they will never tell you: five elements. uring the winter when I was would be to the soccer community. As screaming about the referee’s miscall. In your specific body type and the lifestyle that will be correct for traveling through India, I kept coaches or teammates, we would all the Ayurvedic community, they would maintaining and improving the condition of your body. This is the Thus, it is possible to tailor an exact regimen of living, eating and coming across Ayurvedic benefit enormously if we understood explain these different scientifically, reason why modern medicine is not preventive. They are body healing that matches the precise body type of every individual. signs. I even stumbled into ourselves and others a bit better via our based on each individual’s body type. mechanics who in spite of their skills and considerable learning, This ancient secret is the missing paradigm that supports correct aD “World Ayurvedic Conference” with own true natures, the type of body we do not know how to recognize the make and model of your vehicle. maintenance. Once we know the model of the car in some detail, plenty of booths selling magic potions live in and the way our personalities Unfortunately, since soccer is often then the most empowering fuels and ways of living become curing everything from arthritis to cancer. are generated to align with our physical dominated by an old-school mostly male Of all people, athletes should be the first to take note of this obvious. There are hundreds of Ayurvedic books in English now Despite all of the pamphlets and experts makeup. Instead of judging ourselves or mentality, and because on a good day ignorance. Athletes are driving their vehicles the hardest, to study and understand your body type and dietary needs, as the around me, I didn’t really understand what others for our differences, our behaviours, men are not oriented toward nurturing expecting very high standards of competitive performance and science of Yoga/Ayurveda is currently being revived. The optimum it all meant and why it was so prevalent in our perceived limitations or talents, we and preventive medicine, the connection must constantly recuperate from injuries quickly and even small situation is to have the best of both worlds–the emergency India, yet only remotely visible in my own would instead learn to see ourselves as a into eastern philosophy remains obscure errors or gaps in performance can be the difference between technologies of Allopathic medicine when needed, and the day-to- Western community. product of Nature and with the particular to most sports leaders. Similarly, the winning and losing. That is why the ancient science of Yoga/ day wisdom of living properly in our unique vehicle, which is the nature of the body we were given. spiritual community often balks at Ayurvedic medicine is an absolute necessity for all athletes, gift of Ayurveda. In the future, all successful athletes will use both One of the intentions of my trip was to the mention of sports, especially team because they can’t afford to be ignorant of their body type and for their high performance needs. stay in ashrams to meditate, do yoga I went to see an Ayurvedic doctor in a activities or physical contact games like the correct technology for fueling, repairing and maintaining their and to learn from the spiritual culture. town called Rishikesh at the foot of the soccer, probably due to the conflicted “Mercedes.” Imagine if you were a high-level coach deciding where to place I discovered that a number of the yogis Himalayas. After a friendly hour-long and competitive nature of the activity. specific team members in certain situations based on an Ayurvedic actually had PhDs in yoga. I thought consultation including the measurement Ironically, to its players, soccer is probably The Sanskrit word “Ayus” means “the life force,” and “Veda” model rather than guesses and biases. There are a number of seven years of study to teach a downward of my pulse and a look at my tongue, she one of the most spiritual activities on means “knowledge,” so Ayurvedic medicine is the science of personality observations we already incorporate to increase team dog was quite extreme, but it turns out described to me in full detail elements the planet: it improves fitness, allows cultivating the life force in all that we do. Ayurveda is based on a performance: he’s fast but lazy; she’s short and feisty but doesn’t these spiritual seekers were soaking in of my personality I had never quite us to overcome challenges, inspires deceptively simple view of matter that sees five basic elements that concentrate etc. The science of soccer investigates every technical, thousands of years of Vedic Knowledge thought about, past health conditions I had sportsmanship, and contributes to social are the building blocks of all material reality. These five elements tactical, physical and psychological edge to gain optimal training in places like Benares, Hrishikesh and forgotten about, future health challenges I development. So naturally I began to are visible to our unaided senses and so do not require complicated and advantages over opponents. However, if we started to Varanasi. Their role in life is to keep needed to consider and even my probable think of a “best of both worlds” scenario equipment to recognize. The five elements are: Earth, Water, understand ourselves specifically through the lens of Vedic Science, learning and passing on the energy and death until I cut her short, not wanting where the greatness of Ayurvedic Fire, Air and Space. All organic bodies are made of these five in our dietary needs would be better adjusted, our relationships with teachings of the masters who preceded to know. Quite frankly, I was amazed preventive medicine could be combined varying ratios. From those ratios, one can understand the design our colleagues would be more effective and our expectations with them. and I asked her how she knew all of this with the greatness of competitive soccer. specifications of each body and how it will function, since each of ourselves and others would be more in line with the exact kind of information about me and she said “its the five elements functions differently. body in which we are living. This awareness could lead to greater After meandering through a few books, science, we see it everyday.” When I returned to Vancouver, I consulted explorations in human achievement, health, social cohesion, conversations, lotus postures and amazing Jeffrey Armstrong, a leading scholar Nature is very practical, so these five elements combine to make relationships and ultimately the enjoyment of the beautiful game Ayurvedic treatments that included I did six days of treatment like a car going of Yoga philosophy, meditation, Vedic three basic building blocks for all bodies. Earth and Water combine we all love. Welcome to the new world of Ayurvedic Soccer. massages, cleanses, steam baths and herbs, in for an incredible tune up and off I went Astrology and Ayurveda and the Director to make the substance of any body. Fire and Water combine I felt I had enough information to access with three months of herbal treatments and of VASA-The Vedic Academy of Sciences to create the engine of transformation. Space and Air work For more information visit www.JeffreyArmstrong.com and realize how valuable this knowledge recommendations for my diet and lifestyle. and Arts, to describe some of his findings.

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CF LM

LF You be the coach!

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Aries: Saying ‘my bad’ to traffic cops may help negotiate fines.

Taurus: Organizing the pub crawl for your team will not guarantee playing time on the field.

Gemini: Washing your shirt may erase all those amazing passes and plays you made in previous matches.

Cancer: Diving in the penalty box may lead to a career in entertainment.

Leo: Watching too many international football matches on TV will lead to alterations in your accent. Which sport do you wish Virgo: Best to start following soccer so your Boyfriend played? you know what you are talking about once the MLS comes to Vancouver.

Libra: Noogying your teammates may lead to cooties.

Scorpio: Hanging soccer balls on your rearview mirror will inspire winks from admirers during traffic jams.

Sagittarius: Teammates will be impressed with your ability to change your clothes out in the open without prompting neighbours to call the police.

Capricorn: Finding someone to massage your feet after your game will reveal true love.

Aquarius: Belting out your team cheer or "We Will Rock You!" in your car with the windows down will release unwanted body toxins.

Pisces: Working on your creative foot skills will prepare you for auditions to “So You Think You Can Dance.”

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