Santa Barbara United News

The most important is not to win Norway Cup web site, August 4, 2007

Translated to English by Ida Solheim. Source: http://www.norway-cup.no/

Friday, a friendly game between the USA and Vietnam was played at the Ekeberg field. And when the goal is to make friends, the results don't really matter.

This year was the first year for Norway Cup to have a Vietnamese team playing. After the 14 year old girls lost on Thursday, they were very happy to play a friendly game against the California girls from Santa Barbara United. Anders Krystad from the Football Association of Norway says that this game actually is historical.

- As far as we know, Vietnam and the USA have never played soccer against each other.

Good mood on the side line

The game ended with 2-0 to Santa Barbara. During the game, it really seemed like everyone watching was having a great time, and when American Karly Graf scored the last goal of the game, her proud father was congratulated by the Vietnamese supporters. Everyone agreed that in this game, the results were not important.

- It was so much fun to play the Americans, says Phan Chi Huên Trang (13) after the game. —This was just a friendly game for peace, so it wasn't important to win.

On the American team, there's also one Norwegian, Une Solheim (11). Although she was happy that they won, she agreed that winning wasn't the important part of the game.

- It was very nice to play the Vietnamese. To win wasn't important, but it was still fun.

After the game they got to know each other even better. This time over lunch.

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International game between Vietnam and the U.S. on Ekeberg:
Learning to know others through the soccer ball by Arnt Olav Hønsvik, Football Association of Norway, August 3, 2007

Translated to English by Ida Solheim. Source: http://www.fotball.no/

The girl teams from Vietnam and the U.S. used today the soccer ball as a mean to be better known with each others' cultures.

SOCCER ONLY SPEAKS ONE LANGUAGE: The girls from Vietnam and the US don't care if they can't understand each other's languages. It doesn't mean anything because soccer is the same all over the world.

Today, the American girls team Santa Barbara United and the team from Thua Thien Hue from the Football Association of Norway's project “Football for all in Vietnam,” met up for a friendly game. The team leader of the American team, Åge Solheim, took initiative to make this game happen. But the game itself wasn't in focus. It was all about Fair Play, friendship and getting to know each other.

- In Norway Cup, we mostly meet Norwegian teams. We wanted to take this opportunity to play teams from cultures completely different from ours. We've played teams from China, Kenya and now Vietnam. We get together after the games to eat and socialize, this way we have a chance to get to know each other better. This is great for the girls, and they use the soccer to make friends with people from other cultures, says Åge Solheim. He thinks the game against Vietnam was a bit more special than the other games.

Åge Solheim is very happy with Norway Cup's capability of cooperation and with their fields and referees. He's also very glad that the Football Association of Norway has been so positive to his suggestions.

Sad goodbye

The girls seemed to be enjoying the friendly game, which was pretty even, and the Americans ended up winning 2-0. But the results didn't seem to matter at all. There was only smiley faces on field when the game was over. But also many sad faces. The date of returning back to their home countries is getting closer and the girls have to say goodbye to all of their new friends. Especially sad was it for the Vietnamese girls, which had to say goodbye to their friends from Funnefoss/Vormesund, after spending more than two weeks together. All the joy we have seen this week suddenly turns in to a sad seperation.

Speaks the same language

This very special game attracted lots of media, and the girls got a lot of attention after the game. To the American girls it was important to point out how much fun it is to make friends from other cultures. One of the young Americans described the power of soccer in a very good way.

-Everyway you go, if you bring a soccer ball you will meet someone that wants to play with you. No matter what languages you speak, said the girl before she joined the rest of team and yelled into TV2's camera:

-Peace in our time!

Read more about the Vietnamese girls here and about “Football for all in Vietnam” here.

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Soccer accross continents Byavisa, August 3, 2007

Translated to English by Ida Solheim. Source: http://www.byavis.no/

Une Solheim spent the last school year in Santa Barbara, California with her family. She played on the soccer team Santa Barbara United Allstars. Now she has moved back to Lillehammer and her American team is visiting to play soccer.

From the 24^th–28^th of July LKFK got a visit from the girls soccer team Santa Barbara United. 14 girls in the age group 11-14, with their parents and couches. The girls got to stay with hosting families. Something everyone has been very happy with. Grethe Lindstad, one of the hosting moms, loves this and thinks it's a great way to spend a week. —It has been social and exiting for both kids and adults. And now we know for sure what we are doing next summer, we're going to Santa Barbara.

Comprehensive arrangement

The arrangers are very happy with the fact that so many people have been wanting to be host families. And the guests loves the way everyone has been so welcoming. Both parts would love to do this again. The guests have had a very intense program this week, and they've had lots of time to see Lillehammer and getting to know the host families. They have seen Hunderfossen, Jorekstad and the Olympic arenas.

Got “to meet” the ancestors

Especially fun was it to see the Norwegian national ski jump team practice in Lysgårdsbakken. The adults also got to travel to the west coast of Norway, and see the fjords.

One of the mothers got an extra special experience. Lorie Corry had told arranger Åge Solheim about her Norwegian family, and after some research Åge managed to finds the family farm at Torpa.

So during the stay in Norway Corry got to visit the farm where her great great grandparents used to live. — It was just amazing to walk through the rooms I've only seen in pictures. It was like going back to my roots. In America we don't usually take such good care of old houses and old things, so this was very special, she says enthusiastically.

The mayor in charge among the audience

But soccer has obviously been in focus. The two teams have been practicing together and Santa Barbara have played a scrimmage against Åsmarka. The girls from Santa Barbara do great soccer, and are very good technically. The game against Åsmarka they won 6-2.

Friday they played a friendly game against LKFK on Stampesletta. Mayor in charge Berit Bolton Arnesen was there to talk to the players and watch the game. It was an intense and entertaining game which the visitors at last won. They were especially happy that the only Norwegian girl on the team, Une Solheim, scored a goal on home ground. Saturday they went to Oslo and played a friendly game against Beijing. And on Sunday they're ready for what was the main reason for coming to Norway; Norway Cup.

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A whole soccer team in the luggage Norway Cup web site, August 1, 2007

“Une Solheim (11) just moved home after a year's stay in the USA. Her american soccer team, Santa Barbara United, moved home with her…”

Read the article:

http://www.norway-cup.no/

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A completely new experience Ringsaker Blad, July 28, 2007

Translated to English by Ida Solheim. Source: http://www.hamar-dagblad.no

(Åsmarka — Santa Barbara United 2-6) Santa Barbara United is going to participate in the Norway Cup, and played in that occasion a friendly game against Åsmarka Thurday. One of the players, Karly Graf, finds big contrasts between California and Åsmarka.

California is the most populated state in America with a population of 36,132,147 people. You can't really compare this with Åsmarka, but Graf has lots of positive things to say about the village.

- To come here has just been a completely new experience for me. I'm used to big cities and lots of people, and this is a very small place with few people. We have been here for three days now, and I'm starting to like it here. But I think it rains too much and it is a little cold, a smiling Graf points out.

- The landscape here is just beautiful, it's gorgeous nature and a great experience. It's also great to get away from all the stress and traffic back in California. Here we can relax and enjoy the soccer. Soccer is also way more popular here than in America, says the thirteen year old. — It's more physical.

The young girl doesn't know what to say when she's asked which country is the best.

- I have only been here for a couple of days, so that is a very hard question to answer. But I like Norway, it is something completely different from California and lots of interesting culture. You have better fields in Norway. In America, it's all about baseball, basketball and American football, and they forget about us, sighs Graf.

- Talking about soccer, it's way more physical in Norway. We are not used to such rough play. We don't expect the pushes we get. It's a more physical soccer, that we need to get more used to. That's why these practice games are so important, explains Graf.

- I think the game went really well. This team was very strong physically. It was actually really different from the teams we have played before. Different formations. Everyone on our team made a great effort. And they got better after a while. The beginning was a little slow, but this is the first time we play together in Norway, says Graf.

- It's going to be so much fun in Norway Cup. We are going to meet very good teams, it will be a nice challenge. I can't really believe I'm here. I have to pinch myself some times, to make sure. If we win or not all depends on our play. If we play good, we win. If not, it's easy to lose, the huge talent finishes off.

Åsmarka's couch Geir Cato Svee admits that his girls met a better team today, but he is optimistic about Norway Cup.

- We have a fair chance to go on. This is supposed to be a tournament about both sports and socializing. It just as important to meet new people, says Svee. — We have some blooming hormones. For these girls Norway Cup is 30% soccer and 70% socializing and meeting boys. Anyway, it's going to be exiting, he points out. — We don't have any specific goals for the tournament, we're just going to take one game at the time. This is a challenging tournament with many good teams. It's hard to say how far we can get, but if we're lucky and play good, I believe we can get pretty far.

I'm very impressed by the girls spring season after we won the series. We just played better and better each game, and won the series by six points. The goal for the fall season is to be one of the three best. It's at least going to be less driving this fall, because we are meeting teams from places nearby, like Brummundal and Moelven, Svee finneshes off.

It's going to be exiting to follow these teams through Norway Cup. Åsmarka did play to teams during the game today, so they have a good chance of getting far. How far, we just have to wait and see.

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Brought the soccer team back home GD, July 27, 2007

Translated to English by Ida Solheim. Source: http://www.gd.no/

Last fall, Une Solheim (11) from Lillehammer travelled to Santa Barbara. Now she and her family are back, and they brought Une's soccer team too.

LILLEHAMMER: As soon as the young girl came to America, more precisely the state California and the town Santa Barbara, she found to the girls soccer team. On Tuesday the team came here to the Olympic city to experience Norway, practice soccer and play the local teams in friendly games. Tomorrow they're off to Oslo to participate in this year's Norway Cup, which is the main goal of the trip.

Une Solheim thinks it's a lot of fun to have the American girls she has played soccer and gone to school with for a whole year visit her home country.

- How did you get the idea of bringing the whole team home?

- I was at Norway Cup last year, with LKFK (Lillehammer women soccer club), before I went to Santa Barbara, and it was a lot of fun. It was my dad who just mentioned one day that going to Norway Cup with this team would be really fun, says Une.

Her father brought the idea to the couches for the American team, and they thought it was a great idea.

- Our couches are the kind of people who make things happen. When they first heard of Norway Cup, and the biggest soccer tournament in the world, they just had to go, so they managed to fund more than $20,000, says Une. With this money, the girls have gotten different stuff with the team's logo, and new uniforms with their names on them, something they are very proud of.

Most of the girls also have their families with them, and they also thought that Norway sounded very exiting.

- Not everyone has ever been out of the US, and at least not to Norway. So everyone really wants to go. To them, all this is new and exotic, says Åge.

But the daughter isn't sure which team is the best of her new team, Santa Barbara United, and her old team, LKFK. She thinks that Santa Barbara is better though.

- It's a hard question to answer because I haven't practiced with LKFK in a year, but I think we're better, she says with a smile.

On Friday she will get the answer when Santa Barbara United are playing LKFK Girls 14 in a friendly game on Stampesletta.

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Santa Barbara United goes to Norway

The team has arrived safely and the girls are all very excited to have the oppurtunity to play soccer in the Norway Cup.

Updates on Santa Barbara United's activities in Norway will be posted here, and new images from Norway will be added to the gallery as they arrive.

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Host Families Wanted in Lillehammer Norway Lillehammer Women Soccer Club, June 9, 2007

Lillehammer Women Soccer Club (Lillehammer kvinnefotballklubb), Une Solheim's home club, posts their news about host families wanted when the Santa Barbara United team goes to Lillehammer in July.

Host Families Wanted in Lillehammer

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Local girls soccer team has one big goal: Norway tourney by Hannah Guzik, Santa Barbara News-Press, May 27, 2007

“The Santa Barbara United girls soccer team hopes to strut its stuff in an international tournament in Norway this summer…”

Full article: http://www.newspress.com/Top/Article/

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Searching for host parents for soccer girls from the U.S GD, May 24, 2007

Lillehammer's local newspaper, GD, published an article on Santa Barbara United's visit to Norway this summer.
(English translation to come…)

“Searching for host parents for soccer girls from the U.S,” GD (pdf)

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Santa Barbara United Prepares for Norway KEYT3 News May 24, 2007

“Santa Barbara United is an all-star soccer team made up of girls ages 11–13. This summer they will travel to Norway and play in the world's largest youth soccer tournament. They are one of only two teams in the United States to participate in this prestigious tournament.”

“Santa Barbara United Prepares for Norway,” KEYT.com, May 24, 2007,
http://www.keyt.com/news/sports/local/7677967.html.

Watch the news segment here:
High (3.3MB) Low (1.9MB)

Quicktime plugin required to view movie→ (mac) (windows)

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Norway Cup Fundraising $48,000

The expense of this trip was one of the considerations before making this commitment. But, Santa Barbara United knows that, with the generous support of our friends, families and local community sponsors, they will be able to make this dream a reality.

We appreciate anything you can donate to support our trip, as this helps us to reach our goal of raising $48,000 for our entire team. You can see the options for different support levels in our brochure. Thank you for your contribution.

Donations can be sent to:
Liz Dewell lizdewell@yahoo.com
999 Camino Medio
Santa Barbara, CA 93110
Checks Payable to: AYSO Region 122/Cultural Exchange

Santa Barbara United Brochure (pdf)

More info can be found on our fundraising page.

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2007 Norway Cup Invitations Norway Cup web site

This six page brochure is your guide to the Norway Cup and covers everything you need to know about the tournament. It includes information about: general facts, Oslo, the Colorful Unity, the cradle of Norwegian women's footbal, the festival & opening show, travel package offerings, participation rules and schedules, visas and insurance, and detailed contact information.

Norway Cup Invitation (pdf)

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History of the Norway Cup Norway Cup web site

The Norway Cup is an International Soccer Tournament in Oslo, Norway. 2007 marks the 35^th anniversary of this tournament which attracts over 30,000 athletes ages 10–19 comprising 1560 teams from 45 countries.

More background history is detailed on the official site of the Norway Cup:

http://www.norway-cup.no/uk/t2.asp?p=26711

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A story from Alburquerque by Marte Edvardsen, Norway Cup web site, March 6, 2007

Read the article:

http://www.norwaycup.no/uk/t2.asp?p=26424&x=1&a=191983

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