A Shrimper Abroad – Doing the Argentine Primera División for charity

[Stig Purple]

As you may have seen in Saturday’s match programme, yesterday’s Southend Echo and, rather bizarrely, today’s The Sun (a tiny mention on page 27) I’m setting off on an away trip with a difference in a couple of week’s time.

I am flying out to Buenos Aires to watch a match in each football stadium of their Primera División. I’ve got only 19 match-playing days in which to cover the 20 clubs. That’s Friday/Saturday/Sunday of six weekends plus the Argentina v Bolivia international at River Plate’s ground on the first day I arrive. I’ll need to squeeze in five matches per weekend when I’m in the Buenos Aires region so that I can allow travel time between the more remote clubs on other weekends. Gimnasia y Esgrima de Jujuy in the far north of the country is 1300km from Buenos Aires – I thought Carlisle was bad!

So why am I going to such lengths?

I am raising money for micro-finance charity Opportunity International. They deal with poverty relief by providing finance and business training in the poorest regions of the world. The idea is that poor people with initiative can create a sustainable future for themselves and their families. A small loan enables them to start micro-enterprises. With a repayment of loans running at 98% the money is available to lend out again and again to help others.

If you’d like to find out more about my trip and to sponsor me please visit http://www.justgiving.com/davidoldbury.

The club are arranging for me to have some pennants to present to each club I visit. All good publicity for our club; maybe the next Carlos Tevez will think of us rather than West Ham! I will be updating the site with my progress as I go along so keep having a look.

Thanks and UTB

 

[Mr Wooly]

Saw the snippet in the Sun today and wondered if it was anyone on here! Sounds like a fantastic experience, and all for a good cause. Best of luck.

 

[Benfleet A1]

bump............

 

[Ricey]

Excellent mate top notch effort and good luck to you.

:D

 

[Matt the Shrimp]

Top effort, Stig - best of luck.

:)

 

[Stig Purple]

After three months of travelling I'm about to start the last weekend of my charity fundraiser trip around the football grounds of Argentina.

Today (Saturday) I am off to the Cordoba derby game between Belgrano and Instituto in their second division (Primera B). This is match number 19 out of my target 20 matches. The match is being played in the stadium that Scotland played their first two matches of the 1978 World Cup. A few weeks ago I saw a match at Estadio Malvinas Argentinas, venue of Archie Gemmel's famous goal against Holland.

I've been in contact with the Belgrano equivalent of Shrimperzone (www.soyceleste.com.ar) and will be presenting them with an SUFC pennant. During my travels I have been spreading the Shrimper gospel and presenting SUFC pennants that the club kindly agreed to provide for the purposes. SUFC pennants can now be found at:

• CA Tigre (2007 Apertura season runners-up)
• The museum at Boca Juniors (2007 Copa Libertadores champions - equivalent of European Champions' League)
• Hanging from the rear view mirror of taxi that took me to Lanus (2007 Apertura Champions)
• Hanging from the rear view mirror of taxi that got me out of a rough area after a San Lorenzo game
• A fan I got talking to at Banfield (third placed in Apertura 2007)
• At La City sports bar in Sante Fe, home of CA Colon
• At Galways Bar in Ushuaia, the southernmost Irish bar in the world

A flight on Sunday takes me to Buenos Aires where I will be taking in match number 20, Arsenal v Olimpo in the Primera Division. This will be ground number 16 out of the 17 Primera Division grounds (ground shares account for the rest of the 20 Primera clubs).

I am very close to breaking the 2000-pound barrier of funds raised for Opportunity International, an organisation that provides micro-finance and business training to the poorest communites in the world. The micro-loans that are provided allow poor people with initiative to produce a sustainable future for themselves and make poverty history through their own efforts. My employer Lloyds TSB is matching all donations pound for pound so anything you give will be doubled up. If you would like to support Opportunity International's work by donating and/or want to read more about my adventures then please visit www.justgiving.com/davidoldbury.

I have more stories to tell than could possibly be included here. Suffice it to say that if you are ever in Argentina you really must get to a game there; the atmosphere is incredible. I am back home next week and can usually be found in the Spread Eagle or Shrimpers Bar before/after a game. I may even tell you about how I got to shake 'the hand of God'.

 

[Magnum PI]

Brilliant idea..
I watched 3 Buenos Aires Derbies in 7 days, at River Plate, Boca and Velez... the atmosphere was incredible..

I am extremely jealous .. right then.. better head down the slightly less salubrious A303

 

[Stig Purple]

I was thinking how we could recreate the intensity of atmosphere at our games. Since I left the UK, the Blue Voice group has started up which looks like it will address this. However many of the things that make the atmosphere so special (though admittedly downright dangerous at times) in Argentina would just not be permitted in Britain:

• Flares
• Smoke
• Fireworks
• A whole standful of people jumping up and down in unison throughout the match (not just during allowable 'moments of high drama')

On the last point perhaps Blue Voice could try the synchronised jumping thing after goals or at away matches with terraces. It really is an impressive sight, especially when alternating rows move sideways in opposite directions. Here in Argentina there is also a real sense of ceremony when the flag bearers enter the stands, sometimes after the match has started! It is coordinated theatre.

The key element though is making a noise (be it singing, drumming or playing trumpets) throughout the whole match regardless of how the match is going,which is exactly what I think Blue Voice is all about.

(Will copy this to Blue Voice section)

 

[Smiffy]

I was thinking how we could recreate the intensity of atmosphere at our games. Since I left the UK, the Blue Voice group has started up which looks like it will address this. However many of the things that make the atmosphere so special (though admittedly downright dangerous at times) in Argentina would just not be permitted in Britain:

• Flares
• Smoke
• Fireworks
• A whole standful of people jumping up and down in unison throughout the match (not just during allowable 'moments of high drama')

On the last point perhaps Blue Voice could try the synchronised jumping thing after goals or at away matches with terraces. It really is an impressive sight, especially when alternating rows move sideways in opposite directions. Here in Argentina there is also a real sense of ceremony when the flag bearers enter the stands, sometimes after the match has started! It is coordinated theatre.

The key element though is making a noise (be it singing, drumming or playing trumpets) throughout the whole match regardless of how the match is going,which is exactly what I think Blue Voice is all about.

(Will copy this to Blue Voice section)

Indeed Sir, if only the authorities over here were as relaxed..

But, we will do all we can legally, to create something like what you have experienced in Argentina...

With a bit of time, we will be able to co-ordinate and influence as well as the Argies do..

Any ideas you have to achieve an atmosphere anything like this, please let us know..

Thanks.

Lee

 

[BrettieAngell]

Good work mate!

 

[Stig Purple]

Just come back from the Cordoba derby on a real high. It got even better when I found out the Yeovil score!

I met up with Juanjo and Maxi who run the fans' website of Belgrano. They really took care of me. They drove me to the stadium and got me a press pass so I got into the ground for nothing. Juanjo had also got my picture in the local newspaper! Maxi has a press pass so I got the opportunity to present an SUFC pennant to Belgrano midfielder Ezequiel Arriola. I also met their top striker Matias Suarez who is moving to Anderlecht at the end of the season.

Away fans are banned in the Primera B (second division) so it was only Belgrano fans here, maybe 30,000 of them. I watched the first half from the press section. It was 1-1 at half-time but it was a scrappy affair. The second half livened up while I was watching from the normal seats. Instituto went 2-1 up through a penalty - silence followed by a lot of whistling around the ground. Cordoba then had their first player sent off for a second offence. Then a second player was sent off for handling on the line. The Belgrano keeper then saved the resultant penalty. Then in the 93rd minute Belgrano equalised after the ball appeared to have gone out of play on an inswinging cross. The goal stood - cue mass hysteria from the Belgrano faithful.

What a great day! More stories on http://www.justgiving.com/davidoldbury. Also a great feeling to be part of the global football family. I'm sure there are many on here who would gladly help out fans from abroad if they ever came to Southend.