I first watched ladies football in May 2007 in Gillingham in Kent. England beat Northern Ireland 5-0 and author Shaun Schofield also attended. We agreed that day that we should head to another away match so we waited a few months and made plans to head to Belarus. Northern Ireland would have a World Cup qualifier there, in a city called Bobruisk. Shaun couldn't make it in the end so I went alone, almost becoming part of the team posse and I was the only away fan at the match!
I was able to watch the Northern Ireland ladies team train and listen to the team talks from manager Alfie Wylie all before the match. I got given a signed football shirt from the ladies team that travelled to Belarus on this trip and I treasure it. Life had taken me to Bobruisk, this non-descript city in Belarus. I was the only football fan of Northern Ireland who had travelled independently to this match.
In the hotel in Bobruisk I met an Irish Australian guy called Owen and him and his mate Albert joined me in the Northern Irish end for the match. I sang my heart of for 90 minutes to inspire the Northern Ireland ladies team against Belarus, but we went 1-0 down in the first half and never recovered. The final score was 5-0 but I sang loud and proud for the entire match. Belarus had won and I had enjoyed the match. The locals didn't seem to appreciate my singing too much as the police had to escort me from them towards the end! It was all a bit of fun.
After the match and the sad 5-0 defeat the local fans bombarded me for presents as they assumed I was a rich westerner. I wasn't - I was a backpacker but I spared them a key ring before catching the bus back to Minsk, the country's capital city. On arrival in Minsk and after checking into the hotel, it was time for a pint of beer and I found a bar called Drozhzy United, some odd Irish themed pub near a square. Nice to relax with a beer after a manic day out!
So an epic trip to the country of Belarus came to a close and I headed to Warsaw in Poland next!
Match statistics:
Belarus 5-0 Northern Ireland
(Kazeeva, Tatarynova 2, Davydovich, Kuzniatsova)
Top beers - Dnyaprouskaye and Greynitska.
Bars I was in - Drozhzy United Irish Bar and Hotel Minsk Bar.
I was able to watch the Northern Ireland ladies team train and listen to the team talks from manager Alfie Wylie all before the match. I got given a signed football shirt from the ladies team that travelled to Belarus on this trip and I treasure it. Life had taken me to Bobruisk, this non-descript city in Belarus. I was the only football fan of Northern Ireland who had travelled independently to this match.
In the hotel in Bobruisk I met an Irish Australian guy called Owen and him and his mate Albert joined me in the Northern Irish end for the match. I sang my heart of for 90 minutes to inspire the Northern Ireland ladies team against Belarus, but we went 1-0 down in the first half and never recovered. The final score was 5-0 but I sang loud and proud for the entire match. Belarus had won and I had enjoyed the match. The locals didn't seem to appreciate my singing too much as the police had to escort me from them towards the end! It was all a bit of fun.
After the match and the sad 5-0 defeat the local fans bombarded me for presents as they assumed I was a rich westerner. I wasn't - I was a backpacker but I spared them a key ring before catching the bus back to Minsk, the country's capital city. On arrival in Minsk and after checking into the hotel, it was time for a pint of beer and I found a bar called Drozhzy United, some odd Irish themed pub near a square. Nice to relax with a beer after a manic day out!
So an epic trip to the country of Belarus came to a close and I headed to Warsaw in Poland next!
Match statistics:
Belarus 5-0 Northern Ireland
(Kazeeva, Tatarynova 2, Davydovich, Kuzniatsova)
Top beers - Dnyaprouskaye and Greynitska.
Bars I was in - Drozhzy United Irish Bar and Hotel Minsk Bar.
About the Author:
To read more quirky articles like Ladies football in Belarus head to Jonny Blair's travel website called Don't Stop Living for constant travel stories and tips.. Free reprint available from: Ladies Football in Bobruisk in Belarus.
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