On the second day of Douro Cup 2018, the first games. After a debut day dedicated to the arrival of the teams and different extra-sport activities, the ball began to roll on Wednesday in the several games played between Lavandeira Stadium, Canidelo Stadium and Silva Matos Park, in Coimbrões.
“I think the tournament is going very well. We had the normal setbacks of a first day of competition, but we are being able to respond positively, assisted by the experience accumulated in the first edition”, points out Miguel Costa, member of the organization, satisfied with the positive reviews received.
The values transmitted and the competitive aspect not so focused on the outcome naturally help the process, and promote an environment of strong interaction and well-being among all the committees.
“We wanted a more familiar tournament and with values of respect, integrity and well-being among all. Douro Cup does not raise the competitive indexes to the negative side and, therefore, it seemed a good decision to us”, reveals Romualdo Caldeira, coach of the União da Madeira’s U-13, seeking to provide their youngsters “unique, fun moments”.
“The organization has been available from the beginning to provide us with the best conditions, and we just have to be thankful. The tournament has exceeded expectations and we are very pleased to have decided to come”, he says, in the same page as his athlete, Tomás Almada, who guarantees that participating in the event “is emotional and full of joy”.
“We don’t have such a big tournament in Madeira. It’s a unique experience”, he claims.
One of the new stories of this edition are the night games, which cause a frenetic feeling among all the players. “We implemented these games so that parents can watch more of their children’s games and share these moments with them”, says Miguel Costa. And the measure thrills who’s enjoying it. “We feel like the pros”, remarks Xavier Sousa, a young player of Vila FC.
This Thursday’s morning will be filled by the Skills Experience, dedicated to young people, and by the workshop “The intervention of the youth coach in the microcycle/training unit: Strategies and Procedures” session, which assigns 1 credit of the IPDJ Specific Training and will be conducted by Pedro Machado, Coordinator of the Recruitment Zone of Sporting CP.