Time to say “Goodbye 2019”
Lions, friends & family. It’s time to say goodbye 2019 and welcome this happy new year 2020! 2019 was a good year for the Lions as we left some footprints everywhere in Shanghai!
- Our U16’s started to play very well in the second half of the season as the hard work at the training paid off. First of all our players were fitter and stronger due to Nick’s work out sessions and the tactical two/three touch pieces of training made all players more confidence in the games. Actually, while we were already in mid-June and were done for the season we became Champions as Ebbe Sand our competitor lost their so-called “easy match” against YKFC.
- Our U18’s started well from the beginning of the season and were Champions for the second year in a row 10 points clear from number two DEQ. We ended the season with a nice BBQ for players and parents and held a match for the fathers vs. the sons the next day at Concordia.
- Our Seniors did well with the help of some of our U18 players including Noel our youth keeper… We got also a lot of students who played with us for 3 to 6 months. However, the competition was a neck to neck race vs. old rival the Marlins. The last match of the season was to decide the Champion but we lost and ended second! We did participate for the first time in the Chen Yi Cup” organized by the SFA. We enjoyed it but lost our second match in the last minute of playing time. We will join again next year and we will do better.
- Our Legends had one of their best years ever as they won the SPL V league a strong competition with 10 teams! They also won the Master Cup the over 40’s tournament organized by Super48 and the Santa cup for the first time. In both tournaments, the legends won all their matches and didn’t concede a single goal! The key to the success of the Legends is the commitment of the players to turn up for matches… As a matter of fact, they managed to have almost the same squad week in and week out and play in the same formation most of the time. Well done legends!
The Lions FC is and will always be a club where we rely on the help of our own players to run and manage the club. That’s the beauty of our club and we were very sad when we got to know that Azzeddine made the decision to move to Phuket. Azzeddine’s contribution to the club is hard to express in words but his passion for the sport and the understanding of the game is from a level we can only look up to and we appreciate so much as he showed us the way how to train how to play and how to win!
In the last two years, he has put all his love and energy in the youth teams and all teams improved! Of course, we always hope he will come back one day but for now, we do wish him all the best in the world for his new life in Phuket.
Going forward we are very pleased with Patrick taking over Azzeddine’s role at the youth and senior training. With the great physical sessions of Nick, we have a great team of coaches. Also, it’s nice to see Romain helping out with the senior team and new Lions U18 players making their debut with the senior teams and playing very well! Last but not least I like to thank FL who’s working on the background to keep our website and statistics alive and running! Life nowadays is all about content…. and with 3.5M clicks on our website, we must do something right!
We wish all the Lions and their families in Shanghai or abroad a very healthy, sportive & happy new year 2020! Let’s leave a couple of more footprints in Shanghai this new year! Trust me we are very lucky and fortunate to have this great group of people and players from all over the world keeping the name and reputation of the Shanghai Lions alive and kicking! Once you are back home to your country only then you realize how special it was to play in Shanghai with the Lions whether you are a youth, a senior or a legend.
Let’s all enjoy to be part of the Lions’ family & make 2020 another great year for the club. Last but not the least, goodbye 2019!
Cheers & again Happy New Year 2020!
Freek on behalf of all the Lions
