Fairlands Youth x VfL Youth
Almost exactly 45 years ago, an era in VfL’s history began. Every year around Easter, beautiful memories flood my mind. It marked the start of a more than 20-year exchange between VfL’s youth department and Fairlands Youth FC, a club from Stevenage, the twin city of Ingelheim. Starting in 1979, both clubs began hosting reciprocal visits that continued until the year 2000. In one year, guests from Fairlands Youth visited VfL, while the following year, VfL’s youth department crossed the English Channel to England. These exchange visits during the Easter holidays typically lasted about a week, with visitors staying with host families from the respective clubs. It was a living example of city partnership and one of VfL’s flagship initiatives.
A lot of VfL participants in this long-standing exchange carry personal memories of that time and some of them maintain friendly connections to this day. The program on both sides was richly diverse and filled with highlights. These included attending Bundesliga or Premier League matches, private parties, ice skating, visits to amusement parks and swimming pools, and even touring Wembley Stadium. But it’s also the sometimes humorous stories and small misunderstandings, along with the mutual helpfulness, that made the relationships with our English friends so personal.
From a sporting perspective, the games were uncharted territory for both sides. The Frei-Weinheim teams had to adapt to the tougher style of play from the English opponents. Conversely, the hard pitch in Frei-Weinheim was unfamiliar to the English players, who were more accustomed to grass. Depending on the quality of the groups, there were times when the English had the upper hand in the matches, while other years saw VfL dominating. The athletic performances in the 2-3 games played during the exchange week were recognized with the awarding of the "Player of the Year" trophy.
The annual exchange was a cherished tradition that left lasting impressions and forged enduring friendships between the clubs.