Footie

Here's a sight that I haven't seen for a while. A large group of lads gathering for a game of football in front of the village of Qurna Mereit.

Approximately 3/4 years ago, the villagers were relocated to another area on the West Bank, as their houses were built either around or on top of ancient tombs. The houses had no water drainage system, so water was literally going directly into the ground and the tombs, which in turn was causing a lot of damage. As any inhabited area, the village was always full of life, activity, sounds and colour. The ground in front of the houses , was always used by the children as the sunset, 2 rusty, rickety football posts are still there.

One or two have since returned to their homes, but you still do not 'Feel' the area and the life it once had. This was why it was so wonderful to see the many guys wearing their brightly colored football shirts, set against the dusty houses behind.
The air was filled with sounds of cheer, chat and music from mobile phones, as they watched the players and waited for their turn. Most wore daps or ship ship (Flip flops) but some played barefoot, quite painful I would imagine!

A friends son has recently been offered the chance to travel to Saudia Arabia, completely free, as part of a Youth Center initiative. 30 less fortunate boys, have been selected from the West Bank Youth Center, to play football, train and gain invaluable experience. The trip of a lifetime for most!