FC Barcelona hosts first soccer camp in Southwest Florida

Source

LEE COUNTY, Fla.- The world famous FC Barcelona is hosting its first ever soccer camp in Southwest Florida this week.

The camp for 6-14 year-olds runs through the end of the week at JetBlue Park, with 160 kids enrolled.

Pablo Adorno, Lee County Parks and Recreation Stadium Manager for JetBlue Park says the facility is used a lot more often than people think. He says, "a lot of folks think we're only open for 2 months during spring training. That's farthest from the truth. Last year we had 349 days of use of the facility. We're getting unbelieveable use out of this facility, just by the name and the new-ness of the facility, everybody wants to be here."

That's exactly what drew soccer camp organizers to the location. Marcel Bombonato says, "the quality of the grass, how well everything is maintained, the organization, the management, when we work together with a professional group like the Red Sox, we understand their values as well and for us it speaks volumes. So we feel priviledged and honored to be welcome at JetBlue Park."

He says a lot of people from Southwest Florida have attended the camp in the past, but had to travel to other parts of the state. "Our former participants really requested this. Please come to us, come to us and it's tough when we have to have someone go a long distance so we prefer to make it more accessible to everyone."

Bombonato says it's great to see how much the kids are learning in just a few days. "They are little sponges running around absorbing everything we're teaching, so we're very excited to see everything they are learning in such a short amount of time."

There are five FC Barcelona coaches at the camp, and one FC Barcelona head coach. They worked with local coaches through the weekend so they could teach the kids unique soccer techniques. Bombonato says the club has a different way of teaching the game. "The player development system instead of just purchasing players. Our program is developing them to be human beings most important and integrating the technical developments of soccer," he says.

It's good for the local economy, too. Mike Lyons is vactioning in Southwest Florida from Washington D.C. and he's thrilled he can send his son to camp while in town. "Barcelona is the best team in the world and our son is a huge fan of the program and team so when we saw it was coming here, we jumped on it, no brainer. He can't even sleep at night because he's so excited about coming the next day."

Of the 160 kids participating, 40 families are from outside of Florida and 10 are from outside the U.S. The club also gave out 5 scholarships to kids who otherwise wouldn't be able to attend the camp. Organizers plan to come back next year.

FC Barcelona hosts first soccer camp in Southwest Florida

From jazz to Danish design, 5 free things to enjoy in Copenhagen

Tourists pose for photos at the site of The Little Memaid statue, at the Langelinie Quay, Copenhagen, Denmark. Hans Christian Andersen, the 19th century author of “The Little Mermaid,” “The Emperor’s New Clothes,” “The Ugly Duckling” and other fairytales was born in central Denmark but lived and died in Copenhagen.

Source Link

COPENHAGEN - While it's easy to spend a fortune in Copenhagen, one of Europe's most expensive cities, the Danish capital also has a lot to offer for travellers on a tight budget.

The city centre is compact enough that you can get around on foot, enjoying the top sights and walking in the footsteps of fairytale writer Hans Christian Andersen — without spending a single krone.

WINDOW SHOPPING

Danes are a relaxed bunch and shopkeepers won't sneer at you for inspecting their goods without buying anything. There's no place for window shopping in Copenhagen like Stroeget, the artery that runs from City Hall square to the picturesque harbour of Nyhavn. Skip the souvenir shops with plastic Viking helmets (history check: real Viking helmets didn't have horns) and explore the internationally acclaimed world of Danish design, from the hand-painted china at Royal Copenhagen to the cutting-edge fashion boutiques with clothes from homegrown designers like Noir, Munthe plus Simonsen, Day Birger et Mikkelsen and Baum und Pferdgarten. If you visit in December, don't miss the Yuletide markets with Christmastime treats at Hoejbro Plads or Nyhavn.

FREE MUSEUMS

Take advantage of free admission to state-run museums including the National Museum, the National Gallery or the Post & Tele Museum where you can try out a telephone with a crank handle and lift a rather heavy early mobile phone (also check out the splendid view from the rooftop cafe). The David Collection features work from Vilhelm Hammershoei and other Danish painters, and a rare collection of Islamic art. Admission to the permanent collections is free but there is a fee for temporary exhibits. Some private museums offer free access on particular days: On Mondays at Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek — best known for its impressionist paintings, antique sculptures and Etruscan collection; on Wednesdays the Danish Design Center (5 p.m.-9 p.m.) and on Fridays, the Museum of Copenhagen.

IN HANS CHRISTIAN ANDERSEN'S FOOTSTEPS

The 19th century author of "The Little Mermaid," ''The Emperor's New Clothes," ''The Ugly Duckling" and other fairytales was born in central Denmark but lived and died in Copenhagen. The city has two statues of him: one in the Kongens Have park and another, more famous, outside City Hall. The Magasin du Nord department store has kept a tiny attic room where he briefly lived, and access is free through the store. His tombstone is located in the Assistens churchyard, a half-hour walk from downtown close to the graves of other famed Danes — including Danish thinker Soeren Kierkegaard and Nobel Prize-winning physicist Niels Bohr. And while at that churchyard, don't miss the grave of Giertrud Birgitte Bodenhoff whose story is rather scary: Legend has it she was buried alive at age 19, and strangled by a grave robber shortly after her burial.

PHOTO SOUVENIRS

The location of the iconic Little Mermaid statue is a bit off and be advised: her size is underwhelming. Still, many find her worth the half-hour walk from the downtown area. A tribute to Andersen's fairytale, the 100-year-old bronze statue is free to admire and photograph. Unfortunately, the easy access has also led to acts of vandalism. Over the years she's been decapitated, splashed with paint and defaced by graffiti. Those looking for an exotic twist to their photo album or social media may want to pay a visit to Christiania, the free-wheeling neighbourhood founded by hippies in the 1970s (just don't photograph the drug dealers). The Royal Life Guards parade through the city every day at noon in connection with the changing of the guards at the Amalienborg Palace, the home of the royal family. Check out the City Hall's ornamented front and the gilded statue of city founder Bishop Absalon just above the balcony. The building from 1905 was inspired by the City Hall in Siena, Italy, and can be visited for free.

FESTIVALS

Copenhagen was home to a prominent jazz scene in the 1960s and 1970s, when many American jazz musicians settled here. The annual jazz festival still draws big names in early July (this year, July 5-14) and many concerts are held outdoors, rain or shine. Many are free. The Kongens Have park offers a free children's version of the festival. The park also has an old-fashioned puppet theatre during the summer months. In August, the Copenhagen Dance Festival is staged at the police headquarters from 1924, considered a masterpiece of neo-classicistic architecture with a circular courtyard surrounded by pairs of columns.