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HEALTH&FITNESS
308
July14
I’ll be 37 in July, and I’m generally
competing against much younger guys.
Part of me says I should slow down, but
another part says: Carry onwhile you can!
Are you careful with your diet?
No, I’m useless; I eat any junk that
comes along. Running an average of
10km a day makes it easier to get away
with it, I guess. Two or three months
before a big race, though, I’ll watch my
diet and make an effort to get down to
my optimal race-weight.
What was your involvement in
the founding of the Deloitte
Prague soccer tournament in
2004?
While I was stationed at the Czech
head office, four of us used to watch
the football in the sports bar downstairs
on weeknights and Saturdays. One
of the group was Andy Newman; the
tournament was his passion and he still
runs it. Andy is a mad Gillingham fan
who flies to Kent to watch his team play!
That first tournament in 2004 fielded
about 30 teams. Within a few years, we
had so many interested teams it was
becoming difficult to run as a one-day
tournament, so we had to introduce
a knockout round for the huge UK
contingent. This past May, we had over
60 men’s and women’s teams.
Apart from being captain of
the Deloitte men’s team, you
also coach the women. Any
challenges there?
Our Prague tournament is six-a-side, and
my pool of 25 or 26 female players here
is great for choosing a team of 12. But
some of the other women’s teams have
only eight or nine players, so if anyone
falls out – unexpected pregnancies
affected a number of the other teams
this year! – it can be a problem.
Second, finding suitable pitches is
difficult. It’s easy to get futsal pitches
for five-a-side, but six-a-side is played
across the width of a standard football
pitch. Between the various Singapore
leagues and football academies such as
the new ACMilan Academy, many of the
pitches are booked up way in advance.
Third, the period from January to May,
when we need to be training for Prague,
is also the busiest time for our auditors
and tax guys. Practices had to take place
on Saturday mornings when our players
can make it, and on Monday nights from
8pm to 11pm, when the leagues don’t
play and the pitches are more available.
Luckily, we’re allowed alumni in this
tournament. Our usual goalkeeper,
Josephine Yeo, also plays S-League
netball and was unable to get away, so
one of our old players, Dani Sequeira,
flew all the way from Melbourne to
replace her in Prague.
And so, how did you do in
Prague?
The men’s team lost to Amsterdam, won
against Zurich with a goal from me, and
then dropped into the Consolation Cup
where we beat Adriatics 2-0 (another
goal fromme) before being knocked out
by Stuttgart in the next round. Overall it
was disappointing, as we did not play up
to our potential and we struggled with
the freezing temperatures and chilling
rain. Also, our players were physically
much smaller than the Europeans –
sometimes it was like boys against men.
The ladies’ team did much better
though, playing four matches and
scoring 10 goals while conceding
just one. They ended up with the
Consolation Trophy, and many neutrals
said we were one of the best teams
there. Both teams are already talking
about going back next year!
Coach James Walton giving out some final instructions to Deloitte’s women’s team