The European Competition You Didn't Know About!

this english non-league team is dominating in a European competition you've never heard of and you have to be invited by UFA to play in it but how did the club who are currently mid-table in the ithan Premier League get the call up we're going to find out what non- Lega way days are like in Europe how the club are able to afford it and how they're preparing for the finals in Italy so what is this European competition all about let's ask the gaffa the chairman um yeah he just found me in the summer and just said we've um been approached by a competition to in Europe and I was like what and then yeah he just said that yeah like this company in line with U for started this new tournament with found on clubs from around Europe it's been going for a couple of years now and they want to expand it and we've got an invite him what do you think so I was like okay just give me a DI I did a little bit of research on it to see that I think FC United had won it a couple of years ago and then norian team had just won it but the final was at sanero yeah so I was like finally back I was like how's that going to work with the league and you know the questions and then you just explain the format that you'd have like one at home before Christmas one away before Christmas and then the same after and if you get to the final it' be after the season so I I just looked and I didn't think it would interfere too much and yeah it's just a once in a last time opportunity so I just said yeah like if you're good with it we'll go with it yeah three English non-league clubs were invited to this tournament Lewis FC FC United of Manchester and envil town the competition was set up by Italian side FC barera and has received approval from UEFA it's an Invitational Tournament for clubs playing at a nonprofessional level the competition is into its third season with BK skia from Denmark the reigning Champions and here's the format four groups of three teams play each other twice with the winners of each group playing in the semi-final and final what is the level out there how different is it to what we've got over here in England because three out of the four teams that have qualified for the semis semis and the finals are all from the UK mvi being one mentioned FC I mean Oslo were decent I mean Oslo had some good players when we played him here we beat him one nil but we should have beat him by more but when we went to Oslo I thought they were really good we drew one or bit they got some good players I think when they played us They just won the fourth division out in in Norway so they're not they're no idiots and I think they take it less serious than maybe the English teams so like when they're playing away they'll send half a team or a lot of youngsters well when you play on the is they'll use it as a as a proper game I think the English teams take it a lot more serious than maybe the Europeans team I think they use it for what it is and but when you go away from home I think it's a lot trickier than it is how different are the facilities compared to what we've got over here especially here at Lewis because you've got the best pitch certainly from probably from you could even go like national league this is a good Premier League surface you got the stand this is ready for the football league what's it like out there well the first game we went to when we went out in Belgium we couldn't plan on their pitch because it was water logged it was raining so much that it got switched to a 3G which is it wasn't particularly great in terms of facility wise um the second one the Gava game in noo got snowed off and so we had to go on a 3G as well so it's hard I I don't know what their home grounds were like we didn't play on the home ground so we yeah like Monsoon conditions it was ridiculously raining in in Belgium soaked and then we got off the plane in Oso and the snow was pushed up Banks of it we we was in the transfer going to the hotel and it was just snow was just everywhere what's the biggest difference between England and European non-league football um I think the speed I feel Percy is a bit quicker in England so in our games here but the quality I think is the same technically they're very good but obviously like a low block they play in the Counterattack obviously he speak like English football now but um yeah I thought that was a difference in between the two I think physicality I think most of the teams that we've played are quite physical especially when we play the way we play they don't really like it so they tend to be a bit more aggressive less time on the ball it's more about moments than it is about like actually making stuff happen European non League football they probably not expected uh that physical battle as much so I think there were a couple of times where we were we were kind of getting in in a r and they didn't really enjoy it uh but in saying that when they they they certainly kicked us a lot of times so I don't know maybe we didn't actually enjoy the physical nature of it I feel like in England they they'll find different ways to try and beat a team whereas I think in Europe they will try to stick to football as much as possible when teams come here what's it like hosting a European game is there a little bit of a different Buzz around with all the fans like you said 12200 900 the fans here which is a very Community Based football club fanone they must love it did it give the fans something a little bit extra to come down and get more bums on SE yeah I when I said it it's the best atmosphere that I've had since I've been here the the Oslo game it was just a buzz like when we come out in the Walmart they were really really early it was like they know it just felt different they wanted it you know the locals wanted you could just set like At first I wasn't too sure about how to play I I mixed it up a little bit but I could just tell like our fans wanted this we and even when we went Belgium we couldn't believe it we got off the coach and they were everywhere like we went through the town and we see a load of them in the bar we thought ah you know there's a little pocket of them whatever we got to the ground and there was there must have been two 300 in Belgium and I mean they were obviously enjoying the locals uh tiple because they were rotten we went into the bar afterwards and it just like I sound to like to vany my sister I got get out of here cuz we walked in the bar and they were just so drunk but on you yeah like one guy was crying W what you done for this club and I was like it was a bit much like it was obviously it was just a drink you know what I mean but even we went to Norway like it was all our fans like they we probably took sort of 80 to 100 out to Norway like they've embraced it like and I I'm pretty sure we'll probably take anything between 3 to 400 to Italy yeah they are they got t-shirts I think there bucket hats coming out they're going for it like Could you um prepare for any of these games I know like you say it's a bit of a side tournament the League's probably the priority but could you do any research on the team because all the games are streamed live on YouTube right I've watched loaded loads of the games I I watched FC United play last week so they play the French team well I just sat and watched it so you can yeah 100% it's like what's the point that's what I said to the players before like what we're here we're in this tournament like yeah we might as well cuz I looked at it like I try to give the players something different we have a lot of players from different backgrounds many of them who wouldn't have gone to places like Belgium and and Norway and I and I come at the angle that it's an opportunity for us to go and visit cities that we wouldn't have done and if you win if you win your group we unlock something else we unlock Italy I many you've been Italy and there was only like literally a h I think it's two this this will unlock Italy so that's how we looked at it like get to Italy like get maximum game out this competition don't let it just be a competition like get to the finals and and go as far as you can and now I'd never been or heard much about Lake Garder but since I've got there every time I speak to some like oh I know Lake beautiful everyone's getting mad about it like so we're looking forward to it how much did you enjoy the European tour I loved it every minute of it never done that before so obviously a club like this um and obviously the boys given us it go it was really good mate yeah going away to Osa and um yeah was amazing and just spending time with the lads I loved it oh great man it was unbelievable great time to be L had a lot of fun got 90 minutes good experience as well not many people get to experience that sort of stuff so to be part of that is very grateful how does the club fund it cuz it's obviously very expensive to travel cuz your two games away with Belgium and Norway so how does the club fund that so it works that like the Home gate you get so I think as a home team you pay for the flights and hotel oh okay um and they coach to them from the the ground so it's up to the home team to accommodate them we just sat down as a club and just like what figure do we need to get to in terms of fans to to break even on it and they felt about 6 700 now usually at Lewis we we're very fortunate enough we we get good crowd so we just felt if we promoted it well enough then we could we could hit them targets and the first game was 1200 against Oslo um I think the second game was 900 and sank so we hit we hit them targets thankfully um the Oslo game we had to put a bit in ourself because um it was quite a way to go just to come back so we have to go for two so I think they played paid for one and the flight and we pay for the extra Hotel night stay and that so yeah I think I think we've um yeah I'm pretty sure Club said we broke even on it so we're we're all good to go did it create a bit of a buzz in the changing room between the players yeah well it was helpful initially because um we lost most of the team last year we got to the end of the season and for whatever reason you know we lost pretty much everyone so we had pretty much a new group so we've done all the coaching but bonding is very tricky to do especially early on so going away to Belgium was really good really tell me about it well um the bit you can yeah yeah good good um yeah no so we got we met in London got got the Eurostar um got there and the refer to the the club that is really well organized so like we got there and then the boys got a chance to go around and twer so a funny story that I can tell you is so we get we get to the we get there and we had night in the club was really like structured on it so they had like 4 hours to kill before the before we to come for our pre-match meal so we I said to the players that it's really important that we that you go and explore the city like there's no point just coming here playing yeah having a c the beers and going on this isn't the Champions League no just going just go and enjoy the city you know so they all got separate ways and so me and the staff were walking through an and we found a coffee shop it' been raining as well and then we're walking along and my assistant was like should we should we ring about 3 hours in should we ring some of the players to make sure where they are and I said no no listen we got a a grown adult so we got to trust them like they're enjoying theel and we literally come around the corner and we had a traffic lights and he went green and he went he electric scooters with all LS gear it's raining and they're in the middle of the road zooming with electric scooters and I was like oh God so I phoned one of them I was like what are you doing they're like nothing GA we're just walking down the road I was like oh no I've just see some idiots on the scooter I just want sure if it was you like no no no we can see them all dumping them and walking were you one of the players that got caught on the electric scooters no no no no that's not being me that's more like a childish boy so I'm a bit more growing up now days no no not not not me no that wasn't me that wasn't me um I think I Su no I was going to say probably not best not to do it but I couldn't yeah I was on the back of one of them with someone but I wasn't on them all the time I was only on it back once were you one of the players that got caught on the electric scooters maybe what does it mean for the football club to be involved in a competition like this it's mixed really because obviously we've not had the best league campaign what we thought what we hoped so I think it's easy and lazy thing to say oh well we distracted by the European stuff I think it's a lazy thing to say I actually don't think that has got anything to do with it it's more to do with the fact that we lost 15 players in the summer so I think that would have more of a thing but I think one or two have maybe labeled it of that but I think as a general rule of fun I think he's been welcomed by everyone I think it's I think they've enjoyed it my look I look at the action speak lad was and the fact that they're traveling such big numbers to watch us play in this competition tells me that they're in it yeah and what's next for this football club because I've been here a few times and it is on the cusp of doing something great it like when I think we came here last time it was pushing for playoffs and it just fell short at the end we lost out on goal defense one goal which is tough at this level like you say that could be the biggest Catalyst of like say losing players because you got you've always had a very good squad here how do you rebuild that at this level in non League every year I've been here it's happened it's the only Club of previous clubs I've managed to keep a core group and ad um but it's it's not been the case here for various reasons which I which I've spoke to the club about and some of them are out of control there's nothing we can do um and we've had five go full time from us so you know it's great in one sense but obviously when we've sold players for a lot of money and it's gone back to the club and they signing on sell on fees and so potentially could be really great for the club But ultimately I think you look around this place for me this is a national league football club absolutely the facilities are unbelievable there's a 3G back there are sponsored by L and Scott I know it doesn't mean anything but it's there it's all set up I say it to everyone the players but until we as a club can keep hold of our players then this is going to going to it's going to keep happening because our Brand's good people want to come and play for us but we've got to recognize like if we've got a good core of seven or eight players before the season ends we should have them tied up Bank them and then we build around them rather than it just being an absolute in and out all summer like just just oh don't no bad news and you like trying to find one driving here like you're I'm coming you're driving just I'm not sure my can with another summer like that because I'm I can't I got Center half like we was literally was going to go Dubai and I signed Ronnie Vin that Center off at the airport amazing going to Dubai I was literally was in and she was like flying I'm like yeah we come it be a great move for you I'm walking to the gate like I swear I'm not even joking my son's over there you can ask him she was going crazy but then you have Little Gems as well like Ole Tanner which made headlines and yeah like I spoke to you when it was happening and he almost went to Swansea didn't he before Cardiff like how difficult is it to find those little hidden Gems or is there another oi Tanana coming mean I've had I've had a few over the I've worked with some really talented youngsters and they've gone on even this season Deon Moore like he scored for sat United at the weekend they drew one he you see it shot across goal he scored you know he he didn't have a club couldn't get in a cold short one get in a club we get him in and polish him up and give him a little bit of belief and some coaching and I think five I say five in the last two and a half years have gone on fulltime for us so it's good in the sense that as soon as you get to the summer you have a lot of Agents Corner we've got two now in this squad that I'd be very surprised if Don't Go Pro very very I know full world at his Club sniffing so the captain half a penny who just turned 21 he's a superstar mate can play holding Midfield um which he did but tonight he'll play center half just because we're going to have to tactically do it but and our left back again 21 years years old Superstar mate so like there's clubs I have it all the time I have managers ring me like even Lo when I come into it like like Russell Martin shows a keen interest in what we do I've spoke to Russ loads of time I speaking to Crawley last week we had forest green so and Danny Cary coach when he was at Portsmouth we used to speak obviously about the O stuff so it's it's it's a reputation that the I've had in the sense that they tend to want to know like I have people with me who have you got you got any and I go yeah that we've got a really good left back cuz I I genuinely want them to go on as well so it's just finding that balance I've always I always want to do that but you would want three or four of them and then you want your core Squad around that so you have a couple of youngsters real talented ones and then you have your core yeah they show them the way of how to behave and conduct themselves and at the moment we've just we cannot do that half a penny Center back or CDM was at Mill since the AG of nine and then got released last year so yeah me my life really what's your ambition uh hopefully to get back into the football league so hopefully that's the that's the case and what's it like captaining this side at such a young age it's quite an experience I'd like to say that going into your first year at Men's Football being the captain is quite quite a big achievement what's been the biggest difference from youth football to Men's Football uh definitely the physicality I'd say um yeah definitely the physicality and the willing to needing or the need to win because every game means something whereas Academy football is not really like that so the semi-finals and finals in Italy near Lake Gard what do you hope to learn from that experience I just want to win it if I'm be honest with you it's it's the FL it's an opportunity that it's two games just two games just win two games um where people want to put it up as a an achievement is frankly I don't care yeah because if you win it no matter what you can say you can say you've won a Europe champions of Europe you never SE that you can win a European competition people can put what they want you they it's you for back it's a they've put it up there and if you win it that's yours that's I said to the players like you win that no one can take that away from you any can play it down all they want but they're going Summer's their season's over you're going out to Italy for 5 days yeah

Channel: Location Football

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Id: e0PwirHBDAI

Length: 17min 16sec (1036 seconds)

Published: Sun Apr 28 2024