Enthusiasm, excitement and celebrities at the Zugerland Tournament

The junior players of 130 local football teams didn’t let the changeable weather spoil their mood. Several Zug teams were among the category winners.

Even adverse circumstances such as teams arriving late in the morning (in Dietwil) or a heavy rainstorm in the afternoon (in Steinhausen) could not dampen the teams' enthusiasm at the Zugerland tournament on Whit Saturday. The local organisers proved to be flexible and confident.

After consulting with the opposing team, the officials in Dietwil simply changed the schedule when one team arrived late. Marianne Binder-Keller, a member of the National Council for Aargau, was present as a guest of honour. She gave a cheerful interview to Radio Sunshine presenter Andy Balsiger.

Afterwards, the focus was on the guests from the world of sport: the two EVZ youngsters Loris Wey and Mischa Geisser were visibly surprised by the many requests for autographs. Patrick Fischer, on the other hand, was quite the opposite. The national ice hockey coach, who recently reached the World Cup final with Switzerland, was invited as a guest of honour and was accompanied by his daughter. The Zug native also willingly fulfilled each of the numerous autograph and selfie requests.

The F-juniors from Zug 94 (in blue) against FC Merenschwand
SC Steinhausen (on the ball) against Luzerner SC
The young footballers are ready to go
Fairness is a top priority                Photos: Roger Zbinden

The Women's European Championship is also a topic
After the guests had been transported to the tournament venue in Cham, Sandro Gauch, the newly appointed OC President, welcomed numerous sponsors, patrons and guests from the worlds of sport, politics and business. Among them was Doris Keller, tournament director of the upcoming Women's European Championship in Switzerland. In an interview, she highlighted the complexity of organising this major event.

Later, the many attendees in Cham were able to watch the second edition of the inclusive match between teams with disabled players. In this match, the teams from Zug 94 and Grasshopper Club Zurich competed against each other. The team members celebrated a football festival with many marvellous goals and enthusiastically celebrated with the audience after the match. Both teams also received CHF 500 each from the Zugerland Tournament Organising Committee as a sign of social commitment.

Shortly before the final matches, the heavens opened once again. The response in Steinhausen was swift: thanks to many helpers, the aperitif for the local sponsors was spontaneously moved to the clubhouse. At the same time, space was created so that the F-Juniors could wait out the break dry and warm.

The teams rewarded the persevering spectators with a great final match. Local heroes SC Steinhausen won the intra-cantonal final against SC Cham 2-0. The following teams from the canton of Zug also won their categories: the U15 girls of FC Baar and the E and G juniors of SC Cham.

Note:
The complete rankings can be found on:
www.zugerland-turnier.ch.