Off the pitch: The passionate Ninjas

The Ninjas of the pitch. Photo: Thanh Phuc

This afternoon, although the weather wasn't excessively hot, the female supporters of the Vinh City youth football team still equipped themselves with full-body sun protection clothing, hats, and sunglasses.

Despite being completely covered in sun-protective clothing, when their team had exciting plays or thrilling shots, they still cheered like crazy, climbing the fences, shouting and clapping enthusiastically. They truly deserve the title of "Ninjas of the pitch."

"I'm in this newspaper!"

Young readers of Nghe An Newspaper. Photo: Thanh Phuc

Along the sidelines of the Song Lam Nghe An artificial turf pitch this afternoon, a large number of young players from Thanh Chuong, Vinh City, Tan Ky, Quy Hop... came to the stadium to cheer on their "older brother" teams in the semi-final match. During the halftime break, the young players passed around a Nghe An newspaper that published summaries of the matches and interesting side stories.

Huddled together, intently examining each page of the newspaper, some players even spelling out words as they read, occasionally letting out excited exclamations: "Oh, there's my picture!", "Wow, my name's in this article!", "Oh, I'm in the newspaper!"... leaving everyone around them in awe.

Special caretaker of the Yen Thanh football team

Special caregiver for the Yen Thanh Youth and Children's football team. Photo: Thanh Phuc

Having been involved with the children for three seasons, Ms. Tran Thi Van (from Van Thanh commune) has become a sister, a friend, and a mother to the young players. As the head of the parent association for the Yen Thanh football talent class, she is trusted by the parents to take care of their children.

"Teenagers are more outgoing, so it's easier, but younger children, who are less likely to be away from home, often cry for their mothers at night. Luckily, I'm a preschool teacher, so I understand children's psychology and can soothe them to eat and sleep more easily," Ms. Vân said.

"I've been following the league since before my son joined the team, and now he's been in it for two seasons. Considering his age, my son can still play in the Junior team for two more seasons, meaning I can follow them for at least another two years. But, as long as I have the strength and time, I'll continue to follow them for a long time."