Amigo's and Amiga's,

Rain, Rain and Rain that’s what Shanghai is about these days !
I have never received so many SMS text messages over a weekend, its started with Andrea asking on Friday whether the games were on on Sunday. Bilgin,Nicolas,Ned,Cai and several other players followed soon. However our grassmaster Adam did the final check on Saturday evening standing on the field in the soaking rain and his comment was " The field is good to go tomorrow ".
Well all credit to him as the field was fantastic !

We had two SPL Semi-Cup Finals and one postponed game :

Galacticos - Lions 3-3 full time. Absolute great cup fight as the Lions found themselves trailing 2-0 behind after twenty minutes. However they managed to fight their way back into the game and equalized. Ned thought he scored the winner for the Galacticos 5 minutes before the end 3-2, but Lions were not ready to give up and found the net just before the end of the game. Unfortunately the unavoidable penalty shoot out ended on a sour note as the Lions goalie made noise on the third penalty but was left unpunished by the referee. Lions went thru after a few more misses of both sides. Suggest in future we will have extra time with a golden goal in order the avoid the penalties shoot outs in Cup ties !

Hawks - Flamenkos 4-2 The Brasilian and Chinese mix of the Hawks proved to be too much for our Flamenkos ! Maybe still with some hangovers of Bart's wedding party and the loss versus the Lions they found themselves losing 3-1 at half time. They got one back in the second half 3-2 but missed the energy to turn the game around.
Hawks by scoring a fourth were sure a place in the final !

ERS - Pistolera Bulls 5-2 Battle for the fith place. On the day ERS was more effective of taking their chances. Fair game with only one yellow card.

What is left is our final day of this SPL Season ! We need to pray for less rain !  Program for June the 19th will be as follows :

0930-1130    SPL Cup Final
1200-1600   SPL 8 a-side Tournament for all SPL Teams
1630- ?       SPL End of the Season Party at Latina with Price Ceremonies

Looking forward to see all of you and your friends and family to come to the Field or to the Party !

Lets enjoy our life in Shanghai !

Cheers Freek / SPL President on behalf of the SPL Committee ! 

Amigo's and Amiga's,

The plum rainy season is upon us and that means we are washed in showers.
Not a comfortable time in Shanghai as even if its not raining its sticky hot. The weather forcasters fooled us last Sunday as they called for rain which never arrived. Sunday was the only dry day and we cancelled the
games. Didn’t dare to leave my house as I could run into an angry SPL player !

This coming Sunday we can be lucky with the weather as they
are predicting sprinkles which is not a bad idea at all with 32 degrees !
We have two SPL Cup semifinals + one postponed game so please come and
watch the action Live in Green City Jinqiao !

10.00 AM Lions - Galacticos (semi)

12.00 PM Hawks-Flamenkos (semi)

14.00 PM ERS - Pistolera Bulls (postponed)

On the 19th of June we have our "Grand Finale !
SPL Cup Final early in the morning and from 1200 PM onwards we have an 8 aside (lucky number !) tournament with all the teams participating
1630 PM its party time at Latina with special food and drinks
and live bands and of course the price ceremonies. Captains
will receive a very nice gift
from the SPL for their hard work throughout the season so
please make sure that you
and your team plus their family and friends all come and
enjoy and taste the SPL Spirit !

Cannot wait until the 19th ! See you Sunday first !

Cheers Freek SPL President / on behalf of the SPL Committee

Amigo's and Amiga's,

This weekend was all about Football ! The lucky ones who watched the Champions League Final must have been amazed by the skill of Barcelona. Football from a different planet !
All what you like to do in a Sunday SPL game but in reality is not happening as the first pass is not right they showed us how to do it . They had over 500 complete passes during the game versus 200 for United ! How much would we get in a game ? The good news for the SPL teams is that Barcelona reached this level by hard work and training. Every single training they start the training with the Rondo's (fast ball circulation with players positioned in a square). Its said that whenever a new player joins Barcelona he get tested out by the rondo's as they play him the ball as hard as they can in his feet which he needs to return without fail. So lets play like Barcelona and lift the standard of the League !

We had the last the last round last Sunday ! Except for one or two positions (postponed games) the SPL final ranking became a fact !

Galacticos - ERS - 2-5 Early games for Galacticos are not easy for them. They need time to get up and running and before they did they were 0-3 down.....! ERS is having a good run recently and were aiming for the fourth place but will have to battle it out for fifth with the Pistolera Bulls next week.

Japan - Lions 3-2 Lions were out numbered by Japan 11 versus
23 !! Despite that the first half ended 1-1 but with the hot weather and Japanese putting their "Younger Fast and Furious" ones on in the second half the Lions had to go deep. However they managed to take the lead but gifted Japan the equalizer by a short back pass.
Five minutes before the end Japan scored thru an unstoppable header in the top corner ! Japan ended 4th in the SPL and the Lions we all know already !

Hard Days Night - Pistolera Bulls 2-8 It was not the way the HDN'ers expected to end their season but it ended up to be a bad day in the office. Main Culprit was Nico our SPL top scorer of three years ago who came back from the USA for the summer break and helped the Pistolera Bulls with three goals and three points. After the game I was invited to join the HDN end of the season party which was great to see them enjoy the ice cold beers and good food and price ceremony for several players and fan's . Unfortunately for them they have 7 players leaving next month so they will be active in the transfer market starting from today !

Hawks - Flamenkos 4-5 These two teams like to score against each other last game was 5-6 ! At stake was the second place but after Flamenkos lost the title chance last week it was not easy to go all out again. Hawks won the first half 2-1 but Flamenkos didn’t want to give up. Josue their talented striker scored a total of 5 goals and scored the winner !

We have two postponed games next Sunday and after that we will provide you with the final standing !

12 June we will have the Semi Cup Finals and June 19th it will be Party Time !! You will get an invitation soon ! Make sure to keep that day free and pls bring your friends and family to join in !

God Bless the SPL doesn’t belong to the FIFA !

See you in two weeks / Cheers Freek / SPL President on behalf of the SPL Committee

Amigo's and Amiga's,

We were lucky with the weather this time as the forecast was for typhoon type of weather on Sunday but the weather God was helping the SPL with a dry Sunday. We had several Very important games to play. You might have seen our new feature on the website with Live Scores / Great idea from our webmaster Frederik and I am sure the scores didn’t disappoint the viewers !

Japan - Pistolera Bulls 5-2 Japan is back in form and now are targeting the 4th place in the SPL and the Pistolera Bulls are struggling as they didn’t win since they had a few weeks off not sure what they did during the break everybody seems to have gained a few kilo's. The Japanese were too skinny and too fast for them !

Flamenkos - Lions 2-4 What a fantastic SPL Championship's game it was. A showcase of SPL Footbal at its best. Just one yellow card and only Fair Play. The first half clearly belonged to the Flamenkos as with Spanish flair they out played the Lions most of the half. A quick goal (a Lion's
gift) destroyed the Lions strategy so a strong half time talk was needed as the only weapon to change the game. Now it was the Flamenkos who gifted a goal when they didn’t clear the ball from a corner. Lions played their best football in the first 15 minutes of the second half and the Flamenkos started to show small cracks in the defense. Fast Lions counters from the right flank resulted in 2 goals and with a 1-3 score it became mission impossible 3 for the Flamenkos. However they kept on fighting and got a goal back with 7 minutes to go.  Seven minutes can be an eternity if you want the game to be over but a long run by Joel ended the game and the Lions could open the Champagne Bottles.
Would like to congratulate both teams for this great performance and I am sure that all the spectators loved it.
I am sure the Flamenkos will overcome the loss and go for the top spot next season as well they are still in the race for the SPL Cup !

Galacticos - Super 48 3-5 While the Lions were drinking at Latina's they were "live" witness of a miracle ! Yes they do exist even in the SPL. Galacticos were comfortably leading 2-0 at half time and they were enjoying the game. However they didn’t realize that this was the last game of the season for Super 48 and they were fighting against the "Loss of Face" at the SPL end of the season Party if they didn’t get any point. Having lost 15 games they had 45 minutes to fight and drop dead and Galacticos should have known better the Japanese Culture.....!  Super was on fire and scored goal after goal they couldn’t believe it themselves but after the final whistle it looked like they were SPL Champions ! After this victory its said that all the sake stocks in Shanghai were cleared in one evening !

This coming Sunday most of our teams will play the last game of the season and it will be fantastic day 30 degrees and clear sky with 4 SPL Games. Football Lovers please come out and enjoy the action. Make sure NO SMOKING on the field only outside in the street ! Teams are still playing for rankings as well the League Top Scorer is at stake.

1000 AM ERS - Galacticos

1200 PM Japan - Lions

1400 PM Pistolera Bulls - Hard Days Night

1600 PM Hawks - Flamenkos

As we are all very busy people please mark the  19th of June in your I phone or I pad as that will be the End of the Season Tournament and Party ! Lets finish this Super SPL Season in style !

See you all on Sunday ! Enjoy Life and Enjoy the SPL !

Cheers ! Freek SPL President on behalf of the SPL Committee !

Once more did the Lions clench the Shanghai Premier League Champion title. But not after fending off a fierce challenge by their main rival and contender Flamenkos!

What a game, what suspense, what excitement!
This is SPL at its best...

Both teams were very early at the pitch.
But then again, the stakes were high.
If the lions won the game they won the championship. If Flamenkos won, they would move in first place...

As early as 45' before the game the 2 full squads were present for warm up.

Some last tactical instructions and we were set to go! Brace yourselves for the ride!

Right from the start, Flamenkos had all intention to give their coach Bart the nicest of birthday presents and thus:

6' Joshue scores 0-1 for Flamenkos! Wake up Lions!

But seems they didn't. Flamenkos had the upper hand for a long while.

12' another attack by Flamenkos, but a miss.

Still the Lions were struggling and while they had a few chances, the Flamenkos still had the best...

34' Joost has an open chance, but his shot went 2m wide...

43' Lions finally seemed to have found second gear and their header misses by near inches

46' half time and first half was definitely Flamenkos all the way. They lead 0-1 and are now virtual SPL leader.

Freek seems to have given a very arousing talk during half time, for the Lions came back on in 3rd gear!

48' during a scrimmage after a corner, Lions score the equalizer 1-1
see the video below:

This equalizer seems to have unnerved Flamenkos. For the next few minutes they played like loose sand.
Yet, Jose manages to get the team together again.

56' a near miss by Flamenkos after yet another corner...

58' on a far pass by Flamenkos defense, the Lions goalie makes a sortie. But he passes the ball in the feet of Flamenkos player. He kicks passed the goalie, but... also misses the goal.

The game ebbs back and forth and both teams hold their own.

73' Lions score 2-1! Flamenkos now must score once to stay in the title race and twice to take the lead. Can they do it?

76' On a corner scrimmage, Angel gets the ball but from close range he hits the side of the net. The Flamenkos strikers seem jinxed!

80' Lions score 3-1 on a counter. Game played?

After this ill stroke of luck, the flamenkos famous F-side had to be kept in a safe part of the stadium...

But the Flamenkos were not deterred.
They needed 3 more goals, but were determined to give their coach a nice birthday...

84' the Flamenkos score 3-2 and hope comes back!

89' one more try by flamenkos, a nice pass through the defense, no offside, the Lion goalie is lobbed, but the try misses target... again just not!

91' and another try and miss... how many more?

94' a deadly counter by the Lions and 4-2, game over...

95' end of the game.

The Lions celebrate their well deserved title with champagne and gladly accept the congratulations by a disappointed Flamenkos.

But the latter do look forward to their next fixture when they face the lions in the cup game!
Will they be dancing too much and not scoring enough again that time?
Or will they transform into deadly matadores and kill the beast with a few well aimed blows?

Come and see at SPL!
The most exciting game of football in Shanghai!

Amigo's and Amiga's,

We had an exciting round of SPL games before the end of the season in a couple of weeks ! Great weather and the best pitch in Shanghai and all the surrounding bars and restaurants packed with people. Life is good in Green City especially on Sunday's !

Japan-ERS 3-1 It was an important game for both teams as a win could move either of them up on the SPL ranking. Unfortunately for the French Friends Japan's old generation of players were attending the "All Japanese Asian Championship" in Taiwan. So ERS had to face the Young Fast and Furious Japanese team which was to much to handle for them. They lost 3-1. In Taiwan the old guards ended second out of 10 Japanese teams denied by FC Japan from Seoul in the final.

Hard Days Night - Super 48 8-2 Here it was the same story as Super 48 went to Taiwan as well and the ended 8th out of the ten teams. Super 48 doesn't have the luxury of Young Fast and Furious players so it didn't make a difference however they managed to score two goals in the game. Jon Banks alias Bansky scored a hat-trick for HDN which makes you wonder why he played the whole season as last defender instead of striker ! By losing Super 48 are confirmed winners of the bottom of the SPL trophee but statistics are proving that they are having their best season ever ! Last year upto today they conceded 126 goals and scored 10 and this season the conceded only 94 and scored 12 / enough reason to celebrate on june the 19th at the end of the season party !

Pistolera Bulls - Galacticos 1-2 In the first 30 minutes of the game the Galacticos could have easily wrapped it up if only Ned Kelly or a stand in of Ned would have turned up ! But in the second half  the youngsters finally got their well deserved goal. Due to the hot weather the Bulls players started to get more and more exhausted but they got a penalty from Kevin and equalized. However the day belonged to Obi who scored the winner. Four years with the Galacticos and finally he found the net. It's said that he personally closed Latina in the late late evening hours after the game.

This coming Sunday we ask EVERYBODY who loves football in Shanghai to come over and watch the SPL Championships game between the Lions and the Flamenkos at 1200 PM. Throughout this season these two teams have proven to be the most consistent in winning games ! Knowing both their playing styles (attacking football) it will be a "Football Fiesta" with lots of goals. We expect a record crowd and tickets are selling out quickly !

Of course there are two other SPL games as well on sunday which are important for the overall standing.

1000 AM Pistolera Bulls - Japan

1400 PM Super 48 - Galacticos

See you all on Sunday ! Long live the SPL !

Cheers Freek / SPL President on behalf of the SPL Committee

Amigo's and Amiga's,

The heat is back and we experienced an early taste of summer in Shanghai last Sunday ! Over 30 degrees and still our teams managed to score 23 goals in three games which is a record for this season ! All teams were having one minute silence before the game as we were sadly informed by ERS that their friend and sponsor suddenly passed away by a heart attack. We wish all players and friends of ERS strength and support in these difficult times.

Super 48 - ERS 1-11 ERS showed great team spirit and courage on the field and it was not easy for Super 48 who are now confirmed ending in the bottom of the SPL. However we have good news for Super 48 as well as they are leading our Fair Play Competition with only one yellow card throughout the whole season!

Galacticos - Flamenkos 1-4 The game was too important for the Flamenkos to lose points as they could close the gap with the Lions to two points only. That determination took the galacticos by surprise and they found themselves trailing 0-2 after 15 minutes. On a positive note the Galacticos had 18 players coming out for the game and in my opinion they have the best promising young squad of our league. They need a little bit more luck as well a bit more of leadership during the games. Flamenkos will be off to a 7 aside tournament in Bali in preparation of their Championships clash versus the Lions on May 22. Ticket for that game are selling faster than the I-Pads or the "White" I-Phones so pls hurry to book yours !

Hard Days Night - Japan 3-3  20 Minutes before kick off there were 20 Japanese players busy with their stretching exercises and only three HDN players were there.  But maybe the Japanese players overdid the warming up in the sizzling heat and were 2-0 behind in the first 5 minutes. Second half was great spectacle especially if you would favor Japan as they made a great come back ! Fitness level was playing a vital role especially towards the end HDN was struggling.
Japan took a 2-3 lead but in the very last minute had to share the points which in the end everybody could live on with !

This coming Sunday it will be hot again with over 30 degrees so drink a lot of warter before the games and a lot of ice cold beers after the games !

10.00 PM Japan - ERS Both teams will need a win to move out of the lower end of the SPL only one point differences between the two.  Small detail is that all the older Japanese players will participate in an all Japan soccer tournament in Taiwan this weekend. So ERS will face the young and fast ones only....!!

12.00 Super 48 - Hard Day Night Confirmed ending in the bottom Super might play freely and could cause an upset or ??

14.00 Pistolera Bulls - Galacticos Bulls have not played for a while so lets see if they still remember how to play !

Enjoy the heat and the final rounds of the SPL !

Cheers Freek SPL President on behalf of the SPL Committee !

Amigo's and Amiga's,

I am sure all SPL players are ready for the final 4 rounds of this season ! The pitch is perfect and temperatures are rising in Shanghai. This weekend it will be over 30 degrees just to give you a taste of summer ! Looking at the current standing every team still has a lot to play for. A quick analysis below will show you what ranking each team still can achieve or end up to  !

Lions   (1 or 2)
Flamenkos  (1 or 2 or 3)
Hawks   (2 or 3 or 4)
Pistolera Bulls    (3 or 4 or 5 or 6 or 7 or 8)
Hard Day Night  (4 or 5 or 6 or 7 or 8)
Japan   (4 or 5 or 6 or 7 or 8)
ERS   (4 or 5 or 6 or 7 or 8)
Galacticos  (4 or  5 or 6 or 7 or 8 or......9)
Super 48            (8 or 9)

So we all still have a lot to play for ! To start we have 3 great games this Sunday !

10.00 AM Super 48 - ERS A must win game for Super 48 as otherwise they will end up in the bottom of the SPL !

12.00 PM Galacticos - Flamenkos A must win game for the Flamenkos to stay in the title race !

14.00 PM Hard Days Night - Japan A must win game for both teams as they need a win !

Enjoy the heat but always remember we are representing Fair Play at all times ! This is a true SPL asset especially if you compare us with the recent games in the Champions League ! SPL is much better !

Cheers Freek / SPL President on behalf of the SPL Committee !

Amigo's and Amiga's,

We are reaching the final stages of our SPL season after a
great Easter Sunday round with not one single card.
Absolutely fairplayed and I believe that’s what we as SPL
teams stand for and we can be proud of that !
After Sundays results we can confirm that this season will
be a two horse race between the Lions and the Flamenkos ! We
will closely watch their actions in the final games. The
Hawks are right behind but lost too many points in the early
part of the season but they still can finish second in
theory. The rest of the teams will try to end up above one
and each others so you can expect good competitive games
throughout the end of the season !

Galacticos - Hawks 2-5 First half the Hawks were stronger
and took a comfortable lead 0-2 but the Galacticos after
their "English Tea Break" came out strong and managed to
equalize 2-2. To their horror as they thought they took the
lead as in their humble opinion the ball was clearly over
the line but the referee and lines man said no, they saw
their winner not given..... ! We are investigating the case
and suspect that there is a link between our referee's and
the Fifia and a pact against the Galacticos and England.
Maybe some smart cookies can develop an Apple application so
that we can put I pads in the goals and check whether the
ball is really behind the line or not.....! Hawks took all
three points in the end.

Flamenkos - Japan 7-0 We have two options here to explain
the result 1) The Japanese players were poisoned by the
Flamenkos either by Sangria or Belgian Waffles 2) The
Japanese players all went to karaoke until six in the
morning. Honestly I have never seen them play so bad and
they had only two shots on target during the whole game.
Well lets call it a bad day in the office and Flamenkos were
more than happy to take advantage !

Lions - Hard Days Night 2-0 Very fair game where the Lions
had the best of the football and ball possession. Two goals
in each half secured for them minimum the second place this
season !

We have the May Holiday break this coming weekend but we
will be back in full force on May 8th so make sure you come
and watch the games !

10.00 AM  Super 48 - ERS

12.00 PM Galacticos - Flamenkos

14.00 PM Hard Days Night - Japan

Enjoy the break ! See you all on the 8th of May at Green
City !

Cheers Freek / SPL President on behalf of the SPL Committee
!