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A very important part of the entire experience for the girls was the Dallas Texans home stay program whereby the girls were billeted out to host families for the week during the tournament. These families all came from the Dallas Texans Reds 98 ECNL team which is ranked number one in the country for their age group and the Dallas Texans Club who were the host of the DIGC Tournament.
These very special families opened their homes to accommodate and share their experiences with our daughters - cooking, cleaning and catering for the needs of the Aussie girls so that they may be enriched by the experiences and varied values that American families possess. By the end of the home stay week, both the host families and the girls were very close and it was a fitting tribute to share a meal together and reflect on the weeks activities and fun.
The girls were honored earlier in the week to meet a sporting legend who's daughter plays for the team - Mr Charles Haley who is the only man in history to have won 5 NFL Superbowls. Charles played for the San Francisco 49ers where he won two rings and then later joined the Dallas Cowboys for another 3 rings. His daughter Madison is following in her father’s footsteps s arguably already the best female soccer player in her age group in the country.
Thanks must go to each and every family who participated in hosting our girls - The Lyles, Tynes, De Paoli, Mackay, Racz and Mshana Families. The Brighton Jets were lucky to have had such wonderful families willing to host them and care for them. We also thank Carolyn Washington – team manager of the Dallas Texans for her work in setting everything up for our visit and making the home stays so successful.
The night was an event to remember with the presentation of gifts to the host families by each of the Brighton Jets girls as appreciation for the home stay. The tournament organizers - Premier International Tours were present for the evening and we presented an Australian National Soccer Jersey to the President Mr Loek van Zijl as appreciation for his arrangements that made the event and the experience so enjoyable for everyone. Some 80+ girls soccer teams from around the world attended the event and everyone enjoyed the festivities of the week.
Tears of joy were evident on the faces of every girl and host family - for this was truly an event that through the advent of soccer had provided memories and experiences that will last a lifetime. Each and every member of the Brighton Jets and Dallas Texans Girls 98 teams had a victory on this day. Australian and American families brought together by the world game and the love of competing on the world stage.
Many thanks to the entire support team of the Brighton Jets - specifically the key sponsors of Nike TSA Team Sports Australasia and the Fifer family. Also to our major sponsors being ITW Buildex and their companies Ramset and Paslode we thank you for your support.
The trip would not have been possible had it not been for the individual player sponsorships - we thank the following companies for their valued contributions.
Langhorne and James Travel Associates, Intralink Wealth Management, BanksGroup Accountants, KPA Lawyers, ComVerge Communications, Sportsmart Sporting Goods, Instant Access, Endeavour Ceilings, MacDonalds restaurants, Chisholm TAFE, Nike TSA, The Village Glen Rosebud, AsiaFootPrint, Kae-One Property Group and Australian Food Exports. Thanks also to The Football Sack and Mr Christian Layland for publishing the match reports and keeping everyone abreast of the events as they unfolded in the USA.
And so this ends another chapter of Stocky’s Scribbles. The many memories and new friendships created by the love of the world game through the passion and energy of the talented young Brighton Jets team. The girls now return to the NTC, EAP and club soccer for 2012. We wish them well in whatever direction they take knowing this experience will be etched forever in their memories.