On the sidelines of the Nghe An Newspaper Cup Youth and Children's Football Tournament: Volunteers in the rain

Volunteers in the rain

In adverse weather conditions with rain lasting since last night, many people are worried about the situation 2Junior Semi-Finalson an outdoor football field. However, before the match started, a large crowd of spectators had come to cheer. Not only that, the two semi-final matches received the attention and support of many… “volunteers”.

All the seats in the canteen of the Song Lam Nghe An Youth Football Training Center were brought out to serve the audience. Photo: Diep Thanh

In these two semi-final matches, the spectators at the youth stadium had rows of chairs to sit on instead of standing or sitting on the grass like in the qualifying matches. These chairs were “sponsored” by Mr. Nguyen Van Lam - canteen manager of the Youth Football Training Center of Song Lam Nghe An. The spectators thanked him, Mr. Lam smiled: “It’s nothing, seeing that it was raining and windy, the field was wet and there was no place to sit, so I told the players in the center to take all the chairs in the canteen to serve the spectators. Among the spectators, there were many elderly people, many people who had traveled far away, so I just supported them.”

On the wet field this morning, in addition to the working lenses of the organizing committee members, there was also the appearance of a "huge" lens, specialized for taking sports photos of Mr. Xuan Thuy. Mr. Thuy is known as one of the familiar photographers in football tournaments in Nghe An. Mr. Thuy's photos always reach the sharpest, clearest level, capturing the most beautiful football moves regardless of the lighting conditions. Because of his love for sports and his attachment to the football tournament as well as the teams, Mr. Thuy volunteered to work for some youth and children's matches despite the unfavorable weather conditions.

Photographer Xuan Thuy braved the rain to take photos of the Youth-Individual Football Tournament Cup Nghe An Newspaper. Photo: Diep Thanh

Also in the spirit of volunteering, a familiar commentator of Vinh City football tournaments – Mr. Duong Cong Anh was also present at the youth stadium to comment on the two semi-final matches. With his rich football knowledge and extensive experience, Mr. Cong Anh helped make the semi-final matches on rainy days more exciting.

Commentator Duong Cong Anh also volunteered to accompany the two semi-final matches. Photo: Diep Thanh

Match before flight

This morning, at the youth stadium, there were two special spectators from Ho Chi Minh City. They were the couple Nguyen Thi Hoe and Nguyen Viet Quy - the uncle of player Nguyen Hai Dang (team).Hoang Mai town teenagers). Immediately after the end of 2semi-finalThis morning, these two special audiences will go to the airport to catch the 12 o'clock flight back to Ho Chi Minh City.

“In 2019, we also came back to watch Dang play in this tournament. That year, there was no net fence, so the audience just poured into the field and argued loudly. This year, there is a net so it is much more orderly, and the kids play very enthusiastically,” said Ms. Nguyen Thi Hoe. After the victory of Hoang Mai teenager in the semi-final match, Ms. Hoe said: "Because we did not calculate the date correctly, my wife and I accidentally bought tickets to return a bit early. It is just a pity that we did not get to watch the kids play in the final match."

The uncles (far left) and father (third from left) of player Nguyen Hai Dang cheered for his nephew in the semi-final match this morning. Photo: Diep Thanh

Accompanying player Nguyen Hai Dang throughout this year's tournament was his father - Nguyen Viet Hai. Not only watching the matches his son played, Mr. Hai watched all the matches during the season. Mr. Hai confided: "I work at Vincem Hoang Mai Cement Company and asked for leave for all the tournament days. It's only once a year, why not take a leave? My family is very passionate about this sport but no member has ever pursued it before. Therefore, Dang's participation in the tournament makes everyone proud and supportive."

The house drum is crisp.

On the children's field this morning,Dien Chau teamwon convincingly in the first semi-final. Throughout the match, the stands where the fans of this team stood were extremely noisy. Louder than the cheers, plastic bottles, and trumpets was the drumbeat of fans Nguyen Van Tinh.

Because the drum volume was loud, Mr. Tinh agreed to sit in an area with few spectators so as not to disturb others. Photo: Diep Thanh

“I am not the parent of any player on the field but I am an avid fan of this sport. To motivate the home team players, I borrowed a set of 2 drums, one for me to play, one for anyone who wants to play” – Mr. Tinh excitedly shared. It is known that Mr. Tinh has been an avid spectator of the Youth - Children's Football Tournament of Nghe An Newspaper Cup for many years and his son is currently an U13 player of the Song Lam Nghe An team.