A Hero's Journey: Shanjan M

My greatest IDF moment so far was in the summer of 2017. We traveled to Blanes, which is a town outside of Barcelona, Spain. We participated in a tournament called Copa Catalunya which brought in teams from all over Europe, North America, Africa and Asia.

We started with training sessions to prepare us for our tournament. We had a friendly against a Romanian team as part of our preparation. We played 3 league games against teams from Italy, Romania and France. Even though our record was 1-1-1 we were competitive in every single game and qualified for the quarter finals. In the quarter finals we played another Italian team. We played with intensity and created many opportunities but we could not convert our chances into goals. The end result was us losing that game 2-0. I remembered the pain I felt after our game knowing we could have done so much better. All I wanted was another chance to compete.

What I learnt from this experience was that the football we were being taught at IDF was at such a high level that we were able to compete with teams from around the world. The style that we played with was very similar to the European teams. We earned the respect of our opponents. Playing against a French team I was annoyed that we tied the game when we had opportunities to win it. I remembered after the game one of the players we played against came up and started talking to me. He told me how he didn’t think that we were going to be much competition and that caught me by surprise.

This trip also gave us a glimpse into the culture of Spain. We got an opportunity to visit Camp Nou, watch a Legends game, and tour the beautiful city of Barcelona with its amazing architecture. We were able to decompress in between games and have some fun on the beach. This was one of the most influential and educational moments I have had so far. Not only did travelling to Barcelona create a challenge on the pitch it created one off of it too. We played against kids from so many different backgrounds and different stories. Not only that, we learned something so much more valuable. We learned discipline and respect during this journey. I've realized that the football you learn at IDF is unmatched. In addition to teaching you to become a better footballer, it teaches you how to become a better overall person. We are not only taught how to play football, we learn lessons off the pitch that will be so much more valuable to us down the road. At IDF we are taught manners and how to treat other people with respect. It might be as little as going up to someone looking them in the eye and saying hello with a firm handshake. Or being downstairs for dinner on time, so that other people will not have to wait on you. I was 12 years old at the time of the trip, but the things we were taught off the pitch I still do to this day and that right there is why I love where I am.

- SHANJAN M, IDF PLAYER SINCE 2013