Houston, we have a poem
Houston, we have a poem
Our Athletic Club Foundation Genuine team will once again bring the Zurigorri to the global club tournament being held in the United States
The Athletic Club Foundation will take part in the third edition of the Genuine World Cup, which will be held in Houston, Texas, from 27 July to 1 August.
At the final training session held in Lezama this week ahead of their trip to the United States, the selected players and their coach, Igor Arenaza, displayed the Zurigorri spirit that sets them apart.
“Houston, we have a poem” is the calling card of a team keen to make the most of their third participation at the Genuine World Cup.
Respect, joy and sportsmanship are the words that come up most often in the poem that our Genuine team is taking to Houston.
The poem which, like all those written by the Athletic Club Foundation, ends with the closing line that sums up the work being done in the areas of community, inclusion and culture: Football is everything, even when not everything is football.
50 countries represented
From 27 July to 1 August, more than 1,000 footballers with intellectual disabilities and autism, representing over 50 clubs from 50 countries, will gather in Houston to enjoy a week of football and friendship.
Athletic Genuine will face teams from all over the world. European sides such as Rangers FC, Newcastle United, Bayer Leverkusen, Paris Saint-Germain, Sporting CP, AS Roma and Ajax, and others from different continents such as Yokohama F. Marinos (Japan), Corinthians (Brazil), Inter Miami (USA), Peñarol (Uruguay), FC Seoul (South Korea), as well as the Mexico and New Zealand national teams.
The aim of this world cup is to promote and encourage social inclusion for people with intellectual disabilities through sport. This objective directly aligns with Fundazioa’s mission: to use sport, and particularly football, as a tool for social transformation, promoting values such as equality, solidarity, personal development and inclusion.
World champions!
What's more, Athletic Genuine are travelling to Houston as the tournament's reigning Fair Play champions. This is an achievement the team fully deserved last year and one they hope to repeat with the positive energy and friendliness they are known for.
Aupa Athletic Genuine!