The Homenetmen Football Team gathered at the airport at around 1.30 on Thursday 24th November along with their supporters for the trip, Annie Banian and Raffi Keheyian. Everyone was really excited and looking forward to the trip, we all checked in together and went through customs. In the main departure lounge we all chilled out and did some shopping, bought a few things for the trip ahead. Just before leaving for the gate the whole team and supporters had a meal at Wetherspoons which was really nice. Everybody was in really good spirits, there was really good banter!
The flight to Toronto was very pleasant; there were a few nice films for us to watch. Some of the group slept and others listened to music, watching in flight entertainment.
Arriving in Toronto late in the evening, we were greeted by one of the organisers who arranged transport for us to the Hotel, which included stopping off, enjoying the snow and having a snowball fight!
The weather was very cold and there was a biting wind. On the journey to the hotel we travelled with the Pasadena basketball team who were really cool. Having arrived in the Hotel, We all checked into our rooms and settled down.
In the evening the group divided up and went out, we met up with our Canadian friends. We went out to have some dinner and sample some of the nightlife.
The Next Morning Homenetmen London got up in the morning in anticipation of the opening game of the tournament, after a continental breakfast the team headed down to the nearby gym in the Armenian Community Centre (ACC) for training. Training lasted about two hours and then we all had some lunch. At around 5, Homenetmen made their way to a nearby hockey style stadium to play their first game against Toronto B, It was six aside, the team had a really good start and created a few chances in the first fifteen minutes while keeping things tight at the back. Then Toronto scored and the team didn't recover, running out 7-1 losers.
After the game the team went to watch a few of the other sports competitions, including the volleyball and basketball, following that we all went and relaxed in the hotel for a while. At night we went to a friends' birthday party which was cool, everyone enjoyed themselves.
The following morning the team woke up and went down for breakfast before preparing for the second game which would be played against Montréal in the afternoon. This game would be played in another gym with slightly different rules to the first game. In this game we were a lot more competitive, we lost 4-3. Even though we lost it was very enjoyable as we always had a chance of getting something out of the game. After the game we went to the hotel and relaxed, taking advantage of the facilities, the pool, Jacuzzi to wind down.
In the evening our group met up and went to the ACC centre nearby for a concert called 'Armostock'. It was a music festival; there were three or four good bands. The music was a mix between Armenian and Rock Music. We had some food and chilled out with a few drinks, made some cool new friends. Afterwards we all went back to the Hotel and relaxed there.
The next day was a more leisurely day all in all as we were out of the competition, we went to watch the basketball final in the afternoon which was between Glendale and Toronto. It was a good match which was won by Toronto. The Men's Football tournament was won by Montréal. Following the finals there was the closing ceremony where Homenetmen London got a bronze medal. It was a nice ceremony, with all the anthems played at the start and entertainment in between the handing out of the awards.
In the evening The Homenetmen team went out with their Canadian friends to a steakhouse for a big group meal, the food was nice and it was fun, really enjoyable. Following the meal everyone went back to the hotel, chilled out, chatting, relaxing.
The following morning would be our last morning in Toronto so we all went and did a bit of sightseeing downtown, we went to the CN tower, one of the seven wonders of the world, we went to the top where there was a rotating restaurant and glass flooring, I would not recommend looking down! The knees become very wobbly! After that we went and had a nice meal at a Thai restaurant. Afterwards we said our goodbyes to our friends and made our way to the airport to head back to London.
All in All it was a very enjoyable trip; we competed well in the games and really came together and bonded as a team which will stand us in good stead for the future.
Homenetmen London Football Team, Toronto Games 2005
Top row (left to right): Raffi Keheyian, Greg Vartoukian, Mher Malerian, Armen Seraidarian
Bottom row: John Banian, Vladimir Oganezov, Alex Katsouris, Hagop Tchaparian
Top row (left to right): Raffi Keheyian, Greg Vartoukian, Mher Malerian, Armen Seraidarian
Bottom row: John Banian, Vladimir Oganezov, Alex Katsouris, Hagop Tchaparian
Source: Alex Katsouris