Kicking for kids: Brazilian embassy, enthusiasts hold soccer tournament for Armenian orphans
Children, though, took the game seriously
Yerevan’s Hrazdan Stadium that saw FC Ararat rising to international eminence in the 1970s became a venue for an afternoon fun for Armenian kids and teenagers deprived of parental care.
A soccer tournament last Saturday organized by the Brazilian Embassy in Armenia brought together on a football pitch charges of four orphanages and boarding schools from various regions of Armenia as well as teams of internationals and expats working or staying in Armenia.Yerevan’s Hrazdan Stadium that saw FC Ararat rising to international eminence in the 1970s became a venue for an afternoon fun for Armenian kids and teenagers deprived of parental care.
A soccer tournament last Saturday organized by the Brazilian Embassy in Armenia brought together on a football pitch charges of four orphanages and boarding schools from various regions of Armenia as well as teams of internationals and expats working or staying in Armenia.
Jesse Dijkstra, in charge of press matters at the tournament, said the competition called Mankabol (“Kids Ball”), was primarily an initiative to give the kids from the orphanages, including Dilijan Boarding School of Children Without Care and Protection, Zatik Orphanage, Gyumri Orphanage and SOS KinderDorf Orphanage, the opportunity to interact with several benevolent organizations and different cultures, various foreigners and locals residing in Armenia – an opportunity these kids normally don’t have.
“It’s all for the children, it’s just an opportunity for these kids to have fun and interact with others,” Dijkstra said.
In warm weather conditions on a good green grass at Hrazdan, the four teams of children competed among each other to play in the final against one of the guests’ teams that consisted of amateur internationals including volunteers from European Voluntary Service and several national parties interested such as the Armenian women soccer team. Two of the squads performed for Brazil and Argentina.
Lobel Jehansen, a half-Brazilian half-French, is one of the volunteers who initiated the Football Fun Festival.
“The idea was to bring Armenian kids and people who care together on the pitch to play for fun,” said Jehansen, who has been affiliated with Zatik Orphanage teaching since last September.
Jehansen also took part in the game proper, as did Leandro Smid, a 29-year-old Argentinean who has worked at Armenia’s Zvartnots Airport for a year and a half now. Together with a group of Argentineans Smid had accepted the offer and played as part of Team Argentina.
“I did play some football when I was a teenager and this is just a great opportunity to give a hand to the people who need it,” Smid, playing in midfield, said. “Soccer is only a means to create a union between people. And playing soccer with kids and for kids makes me feel happy and get really emotional.”
The goal scored by Smid didn’t help his side to beat Armenia’s women team, which eventually triumphed 4-3. But the midfielder still looked undaunted by the result: “Simply the girls played really well.”
In contrast to what appeared to be a “feel-good mood” among organizers and international participants, children showed a no-nonsense approach to the game. Not talkative at all, in utter concentration, they looked a “menace” [for their opponents] in spic-and-span football gear.
Arsen Shahbazyan, a coach of SOS Kotayk team, said the tournament was a very important experience for his charges. “They’ve trained seriously for the games and would not settle for second place,” he said. And the team were saying in one voice they all wanted to score a goal and take the top prize. Later at half time they were already lively discussing tactics for the second half in which they had to contain Zatik.
The pitched battles over, the children could enjoy the rest of the day in a more relaxing atmosphere provided by Sadia food products in the form of a barbecue party, followed by an award ceremony for the winning team.
The Mankabol soccer tournament was supported through means of donations of funding by the Brazilian Embassy, the Sadia chicken processing factory, Hrazdan stadium, Centro Hispano, AIESEC (Association Internationale des Etudiants en Science Economique et Commerciale), HUJ (Voluntary Service of Armenia - Republican Headquarters of Student Brigades) and various private donations. The Football Federation of Armenia had also provided support to the event.
According to the organizers, all proceedings from the soccer tournament would go directly to the orphanages.
A soccer tournament last Saturday organized by the Brazilian Embassy in Armenia brought together on a football pitch charges of four orphanages and boarding schools from various regions of Armenia as well as teams of internationals and expats working or staying in Armenia.Yerevan’s Hrazdan Stadium that saw FC Ararat rising to international eminence in the 1970s became a venue for an afternoon fun for Armenian kids and teenagers deprived of parental care.
A soccer tournament last Saturday organized by the Brazilian Embassy in Armenia brought together on a football pitch charges of four orphanages and boarding schools from various regions of Armenia as well as teams of internationals and expats working or staying in Armenia.
Jesse Dijkstra, in charge of press matters at the tournament, said the competition called Mankabol (“Kids Ball”), was primarily an initiative to give the kids from the orphanages, including Dilijan Boarding School of Children Without Care and Protection, Zatik Orphanage, Gyumri Orphanage and SOS KinderDorf Orphanage, the opportunity to interact with several benevolent organizations and different cultures, various foreigners and locals residing in Armenia – an opportunity these kids normally don’t have.
“It’s all for the children, it’s just an opportunity for these kids to have fun and interact with others,” Dijkstra said.
In warm weather conditions on a good green grass at Hrazdan, the four teams of children competed among each other to play in the final against one of the guests’ teams that consisted of amateur internationals including volunteers from European Voluntary Service and several national parties interested such as the Armenian women soccer team. Two of the squads performed for Brazil and Argentina.
Lobel Jehansen, a half-Brazilian half-French, is one of the volunteers who initiated the Football Fun Festival.
“The idea was to bring Armenian kids and people who care together on the pitch to play for fun,” said Jehansen, who has been affiliated with Zatik Orphanage teaching since last September.
Jehansen also took part in the game proper, as did Leandro Smid, a 29-year-old Argentinean who has worked at Armenia’s Zvartnots Airport for a year and a half now. Together with a group of Argentineans Smid had accepted the offer and played as part of Team Argentina.
“I did play some football when I was a teenager and this is just a great opportunity to give a hand to the people who need it,” Smid, playing in midfield, said. “Soccer is only a means to create a union between people. And playing soccer with kids and for kids makes me feel happy and get really emotional.”
The goal scored by Smid didn’t help his side to beat Armenia’s women team, which eventually triumphed 4-3. But the midfielder still looked undaunted by the result: “Simply the girls played really well.”
In contrast to what appeared to be a “feel-good mood” among organizers and international participants, children showed a no-nonsense approach to the game. Not talkative at all, in utter concentration, they looked a “menace” [for their opponents] in spic-and-span football gear.
Arsen Shahbazyan, a coach of SOS Kotayk team, said the tournament was a very important experience for his charges. “They’ve trained seriously for the games and would not settle for second place,” he said. And the team were saying in one voice they all wanted to score a goal and take the top prize. Later at half time they were already lively discussing tactics for the second half in which they had to contain Zatik.
The pitched battles over, the children could enjoy the rest of the day in a more relaxing atmosphere provided by Sadia food products in the form of a barbecue party, followed by an award ceremony for the winning team.
The Mankabol soccer tournament was supported through means of donations of funding by the Brazilian Embassy, the Sadia chicken processing factory, Hrazdan stadium, Centro Hispano, AIESEC (Association Internationale des Etudiants en Science Economique et Commerciale), HUJ (Voluntary Service of Armenia - Republican Headquarters of Student Brigades) and various private donations. The Football Federation of Armenia had also provided support to the event.
According to the organizers, all proceedings from the soccer tournament would go directly to the orphanages.