Seafarers' Football

Have a ball! Join the Mediterranean & Black Sea Summer Cup

Crews of visiting cruise ships are invited to compete in the Mediterranean and Black Sea Football Cup, organised by International Sport for Seafarers and co-ordinated by Stella Maris Barcelona.

The team from Italian cruise ship Costa Fortuna played against a team from the Barcelona Maritime School during the 5th Mediterranean & Black Sea Cup, 2007

Participating ports include Barcelona, Tenerife, Malaga and Yalta with other ports occasionally organising games. Games are normally played between ship teams. However games against local teams are permitted if another ship team is not available.

Deacon Ricardo Rodriguez-Martos runs the Stella Maris Centre in Barcelona. He says

Organising these games is of course an effort. It is necessary to have access to a pitch and to contact two ships or else have a local team available to play against the team from the ship. It is also necessary to organise the transport from the ship to the pitch. But it is worth the effort. Crews are very happy if they can play and every game is a reason to celebrate. Some ships put a lot of effort into football and are very proud their teams.

For more information about the Mediterranean & Black Sea Cup 2007, contact Ricardo at the Stella Maris Centre in Barcelona, click here for contact details

Previous winners

Trophies for the Mediterranean & Black Sea Football Cup are presented in Barcelona.

Crew from the Island Escape, winners in 2005

Crew from the Costa Fortuna, winners in 2004 with Ricardo Rodriguez-Martos of AOS Barcelona and Jorg Pfautsch of International Sport for Seafarers (right)

Crew from the European Stars winners in 2003

Advice to participants

Ricardo offers this advice to cruise ship crews who are interested in participating in the Mediterranean & Black Sea Summer Cup

Inform us as soon as possible when you want to play so that we can prepare and find an opposing team.

Get organised onboard, find out who wants to take part and try to be flexible with the kick-off time. Find out which players can play earlier.

Try to arrange a few practice sessions ashore at different times during the day. That way, more players will be able to show their ability and give the coach a wider selection for the team.

If your ship does not have its own kit, it would be wise to get a set. This can be sponsored through ships agents or ships chandlers. Kit should be smart as this is important for team spirit ! If necessary, it is usually possible to borrow kit in port.

Look at the ship’s itinerary. Dates and kick-off times of games can be included in the agenda weeks or even months in advance. That way, both ship and organisers can be better prepared for an even better result.

Keep the organising host happy. Make sure that your team arrives punctually for transfer to the football pitch. The bus is probably picking up teams from other ships too and has to stick to a tight schedule !!

If football matches are played in Mediterranean ports other than those mentioned here, please send us a report after each game and tell us if the opposing team was a ship team or a local one.

 

Useful links

Please note that AOS is not responsible for the content of web pages external to our own.

The Mediterranean and Black Sea Football Cup is one of numerous events organised by International Sport for Seafarers, a partner organisation of the International Committee on Seafarers’ Welfare.