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MATTHEW STONE: TESTIMONIAL

Aachen, Germany- 2008-2009

CLUB: SV Alemannia Mariadorf

California native Matthew Stone, in a game with his German club, SV Alemannia Mariadorf while abroad during his Youth Year IFX journey.

I remember the first time I heard about IFX. We got a brochure in the post telling us about a soccer exchange program that would allow you to play in a foreign country. I was immediately excited, I had always wanted to play in Europe. I left the decision to go until late, so late in fact that I had to drive down to the IFX headquarters in order to make sure I got the paper work in on time. The days until I left went pretty quick then.

The first week I was there, me and the other kids from the program still didn't realize we were in another country. We were tourists, living in a youth hostel and learning German for a couple of hours a day and then exploring the country. During our free time I would just walk into the center of Rastadt with a ball and start kicking it with some of the locals, finding every opportunity to play that I could.

At the end of the week we all got on trains and started our journey to our homes for the next year. As time passed by more and more of the students got off the train until it was just three of us as we arrived in Aachen for the final stop. I got off the train said goodbye to my friends and then got in the car with my new family. That's when it hits you, that is when you know you are in another country. My host dad was driving me back to their house and I could not understand a word they were saying. School the next day same thing, I was concentrating so hard that after a 45 minute class I felt completely exhausted.

SV Alemanna Mariadorf A-Jugend 2008-9

That evening I went and practiced with Bardenburg, we trained on a beautiful pitch but I knew I could play at a higher level so the next night was Mariadorf which played in a higher league. I took the bus with the IFX Director, Mike, to get to the grounds. We talked with the coach and the head of the youth department for the club and 20 minutes later started training. The first thing the coach said to me was that we got fined if we were late to training, which excited me because it meant they were serious. We started training and I felt out of place pretty quickly. They were playing quite quick and I wasn't yet used to the surface either. I played terrible, the quality of players was much better than I had ever seen and I just wanted the session to be over so I could go back to Bardenburg. But for some miracle the coach kept me. The next night I came and played much better and continued and continued to improve until I felt completely comfortable in the training sessions.

Over the course of my stay I played for SV Alemannia Mariadorf, competing in a top regional youth division of the U19s called Landesliga. We typically trained Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays where I was continuing to earn a place in the team. I got on with all of the kids on the team and they were all thrilled when I scored my first goal against Troisdorf which plays in the Bundesliga for youth. A huge difference between the German and US soccer I found was the relationship with the team. A lot of us would take the same bus to training, then all hang out in the changing room for half an hour, train, shower, then go to the team clubhouse for drinks or a snack. You just felt more part of a family and really got friendly with everyone on the team. My highest point soccer wise was when I trained with Alemannia Aachen U17 for a week. They play in Bundesliga 2 and have played in the UEFA Cup as well. The speed of play was so quick and so professional. We had physio therapists on the sidelines as well as technical and tactical trainers. I raised my level immensely that week and played the best I ever had in my life, one of the trainers thought I was actually staying on at the end of the week.

Mariadorf during a training session on their Hardplatz

What I really enjoyed about the team was the amount of time that we spent together. We would always meet at the clubhouse before games and training sessions. We would also do this on the buses and in the changing rooms. There were all different sort of personalities and many of us would never have been friends if it had not have been for a team bringing us together. Some of the conditions we trained in, in the winter were terrible and it was cool to have the whole team go out together in terrible weather. I liked that after the games we would sit down at the next training session and spend a good time going over our last performance.

The coaches really tried to do their best with the team which was obvious from the amount of time they invested in us. I really improved under them and gained a lot of experience. They wanted me to do well. They gave me plenty of opportunities to prove myself and get game time.
My overall experience with the team was a great one. The talent of the players was a different class. But one of the greatest things about Mariadorf was the camaraderie. Being practically alone on the other side of the world is a tough thing to do and my team helped me through the hard times.
My experience in the German school was also an amazing one. I made sure to concentrate the whole time, I could converse very slowly with people after about three weeks. I was going to German classes, German school, and taking extra classes in the 5th grade so improvement was very quick and easy to come by. Everyone knew me though, I made sure of that. Every day I would just go into a different class to make sure I could meet as many people as possible. "Do you play football? Do you play football?" I asked everyone that and I quickly found out where people played in their free time. My friends joke to me about it now because I asked them if they played before I asked them their names. Making friends was not difficult as long as you are open with people and learn the language. Kids are kids no matter where you are in the world and like everything in life it just takes time. The German students are a lot closer to each other than students are in America. The classes are a lot smaller and they have been together a lot longer so everyone is comfortable talking to everyone, there are no real groups or cliques like there are in America. For one week I went on a class trip with my class to a sport school which was great. Staying in the same youth hostel for a week really helped me get closer to them all. One plus about it was that Kaiserslautern was also staying in the same place while we were there so I made sure to have a nice chat with one of the U21 German National Players!

Aachen boasts many beautiful buildings including the cathedral where the casket of Charlemagne is held.

Outside of school, life with the family was on its own an experience. Their dog had 10 puppies which were extremely loud but great to watch grow up and go on to other owners. We went on bike rides and other places with the family and the mom was also a doctor which was a help sometimes with soccer injuries.

With my friends we often went down to get ice cream in the town center or to the city which was only 10 minutes away with the bus. The transportation was one great thing about Germany. I rode my bike almost everywhere, when the trip was a bit further I just took a bus which would take you anywhere you wanted. Mostly however I played football with my friends where we would always play on Sundays from three until dark. Afterwards we would sometimes have a barbeque as well.

Coming home was tough, the last three months I was really starting to call Germany my home and at the same time I was starting to pack my bags. The last five days I only got twenty hours sleep trying to do everything that I hadn't done already. The funniest thing was getting back home here in America. I ask my friends what have you done, what have you guys been up to this year and if they have any fun stories. Their answers consist of "nothing really same old thing". When they ask me the same question, what have I done this year? Well, that's something to talk about. Like Nike says, "Just do it" because honestly you have nothing to lose and a world of opportunity and experiences to gain.