After months of fundraising and preparation, it's official: The Tufts University Football Club (TUFC) will be spending its 2009 spring break in Madrid, Spain.
"A spring break trip to Madrid was a serious undertaking and while it has proven difficult for a team still not recognized by the school, we are well on our way to going," said junior co-captain Dalton Swing, who organized the Madrid trip. "The first flight reservations were made [on Wednesday]. Obviously to go trans-Atlantic to play soccer is rather expensive, and while the entire team is not going, we are in the process of several fundraising events."
Fundraising through the sale of merchandise, corporate sponsorship and special events has allowed all members of TUFC the opportunity to go on the trip for just under an estimated $1,000 per person.
"TUFC is currently selling team shirts and we will also be holding an indoor cup in the spring," Swing said. "Our sponsor Venom Energy, of Dr. Pepper, has offered some money as well."
"The cost per person is roughly $590 for the flights roundtrip, $125 for hostels and then food and personal expenses is whatever you want it to be," added freshman Jake Schiller, who runs the fundraising aspect of the team. "Fundraising is coming from selling T-shirts, as well as an indoor soccer tournament, five versus five, which is going to be held in February ... The T-shirts are very similar to our jerseys, which had received a lot of compliments, so we decided to make the T-shirts in an effort to cut the costs and also to raise our fan base."
Of course, one of the primary questions is what could have inspired a club soccer team, which receives no funds from the university, to spend such a large sum of money to go to Madrid.
"I have seen varsity and club teams at Tufts go on team trips before and felt it was an appropriate time for TUFC to do something similar," Swing said. "With the other captain Jon Zindman abroad in Madrid for the entire year, it was the obvious choice ... He is setting up housing over there as well as games versus Madrid teams."
Zindman, a junior, is abroad in Madrid for the entire year and has arranged for TUFC to play the club soccer team in Spain he currently plays for at the Universidad de Madrid. The squad also hopes to attend a professional soccer game between Atlético de Madrid and Villarreal of La Primera Division of "La Liga" while in town.
TUFC completed its fall season at 6-6-1, with its top win coming at Div. I Fairfield University on Oct. 4 in front of over 100 of their fans, winning 2-0. Swing and the rest of the squad hope to carry some of their success in the fall to their games against collegiate Spanish teams, in which they will need to play as well as possible to stay even remotely close to their competitors.
"I look forward to picking up where we left off in spring season which starts before our Madrid trip," Swing said. "The trip will be a great opportunity for us to bond more as a team and get great experience from playing quality Spanish teams."
While the games overseas will certainly be good practice for the players, it is more likely that the increased team chemistry from such a long trip together will ultimately result in stronger performances when the squad resumes play at Tufts after the break.
"This trip provides us a great opportunity [to] bond as a team," Swing said. "To travel as a group and play against foreign teams during vacation while still enjoying everything Madrid has to offer will do our team much good. We plan to play the Universidad de Madrid as well as several youth club teams of pro teams. We also will attend an Atlético de Madrid game of the Spanish Primera Division. Watching an elite soccer team will be an amazing learning experience as well."
"It's going to be a good bonding experience for the team," Schiller said. "I know everyone is looking forward to it."
