Los Angeles Soccer League Friendlies

After my recent trip back from Singapore, my housemate, Calvin, suggested organizing soccer matches between architecture offices. I thought it was brilliant. Not only can it get us to exercise, get us off the computer, it can also build up bonds among the co-workers and know more about the design community. And for once, we can talk and do things other than architecture. haha...

Hence, I volunteered to be the team manager for the firm I am working in, 5+Design. And right away, we started off with a few practices and had 3 friendly matches (versus Graft, Gensler & Gehry) since beginning of October till now. My office's players are also practicing together almost every Wednesday. And we are hoping to kick off an official league consisting of a 5-7 offices by Feb 2009.

Soccer Friendly> 5+design 1-2 Graft 16th Sept -match report by me

Soccer Friendly> 5+design 1-1 Gensler 9th Oct

Soccer Friendly> 5+design 3-1 Gehry 15th Nov

We have an upcoming match with St. Annes Soccer Academy this Wednesday. This is a special match as the opposing team is not an architecture office. Rather, the coach approached us during a game and wanted us to play his team. We found out that the St. Annes soccer academy is part of the Santa Monica City program to help teens off the streets and to channel their energy to more positive avenues, and soccer is one of them. We are really glad we can help in this wonderful social cause.

And our last friendly match for this year is a re-match friendly with Graft, possibly in mid-dec before the Christmas holidays.

Some of my friends in Netherlands have told me there is a architecture soccer league there as well. So maybe at some point, we can organize a trans-national league!!!

More photos and updates on the Los Angeles Architecture Soccer League can be found here:

http://larchsoccer.blogspot.com/