Twenty four teams. Six playing fields. One great cause.
Opportunity International is an organisation that helps people in poverty stricken countries to start up their own businesses so that they can support themselves, their families and their communities. It’s not about giving handouts but by providing micro loans and as well as giving advice and support. Check out http://www.opportunity.org.au/ for more information.
The Opportunity Cup was a non-traditional touch football game between corporate teams from the Brisbane area. By non-traditional I mean kicking the ball was allowed and a few of the rules were different. The company that I work for was one of the major sponsors of the day and we had two teams competing.
With twenty-five minutes per game, each team had five games to play and a semi final. Our men’s team was great, winning five games and drawing two. They got into the final and came second overall. Our mixed team didn’t do as well, we had mostly losses and a couple draws. We did win the semi final and got fifth place.
The games did get a bit rough. I tripped over my own feet a few times. Running shoes are not made for the football field. I slipped on the grass quite a few times, got knocked down from time to time and had my foot stomped on too many occassions. It was fun, it hurt a bit but overall it was a fantastic day with a bit of competition and for a good cause.
The downside is that I am a little injured. I’m not sure how serious these scrapes and bruises are until the morning. Right now I’m sitting with my feet up. The top of my left foot is bruised – having someone land on it with footy boots is not pleasant, especially when it’s repeated in the exact same spot a few times throughout the day. My right leg isn’t much better. In the semi final when I went to score I dived and hit the ground with my right side. The side of tibialis muscle is swollen. After scoring a point I went to the side and noticed a lump, like there was a ball on the inside – not pleasant at all. After icing it the swelling went down but now I can see that half my lower leg muscles are swollen and it hurts to walk. I hope it’s nothing too serious though and that I’ll be back fast. Tomorrow I’m going to have to give training a miss which really sucks as I’ve got a triathlon next week, but I don’t want to make things any worse than they are so I will be good and rest my leg and foot. I’m also extremely sunburnt. I won’t be surprised if the skin on my face starts peeling early next week.
Surprisingly, I was still full of energy when I got home in the afternoon. I did a bit of shopping before picking my mum up from work, then I cooked a yummy vegetable curry and chocolate truffle cake. I couldn’t ask for a better day.
