European Championship Football

[Anita Silva]

Today the Euro 2012 Football Competition begins. For the next three weeks there will be football matches on nearly every day. The whole nation seems to have football fever. Throughout the country streets are decorated with orange banners, the supermarket hands out football stickers and the bakers sell orange cakes. Football is not one of my passions and I am not really looking forward to all those matches which my husband and son will probably watch most of. I usually watch the matches of the Dutch team and of course I hope they will do well, but my enthusiasm doesn't go as far as most of my fellow countrymen's. But this Championship has given me a nice opportunity for a gift. I have joined a football pool. I learned about it through a post on Facebook.This pool is organised by the daughter of a friend. Some years ago this young woman did a work practice in Kenya and met a young woman her own age who was looking after 14 orphaned cousins with very little means. She decided to help and founded a charity which supports children, often orphans, who can't go to school because they have no money to pay the school fees. Half of the proceeds of the football pool go to this foundation so with very little knowledge of the strength of the football teams I filled in this pool. The chances of me winning something are slight, but I am happy to donate 10 euros for this good cause. The foundation has a beautiful website. For anyone interested in their work here's the link (on the homepage there is a possibility to change the Dutch text in English): http://www.africafamily.nl

[Aunty Nean]

Good on you for finding a way to embrace football fever Anita. It sounds like a great time for the city.

[Lois55 wwt]

I can feel your excitement! This is an awesome way to cheer on the team you love and be part of the fun! Thank you for the link. Have a great weekend!

[Anita Silva]

Yes Lefty, our football is also what you call soccer. Guess what? The first match has been played and my prediction was right! So I got my first points in the pool already :-)

Thanks for the book tip.

[Deb~ Community Manager]

Thanks for sharing the link~ Enjoy the weeks ahead! xoxo

[Lefty]

Just curious-is your football comparable to America's soccer?  Your pool sounds like a great way to donate.  A great non-fiction book which ties in with the struggles of children being able to afford school in Africa is The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind.  It is about a whip-smart young boy who figured out how to bring electricity to his village with a windmill.  I loved it!