Ben Shaw may be an Adtrak Account Manager by day, but at the weekend he also doubles as the manager of the St Albans Rangers U14s football team. Adtrak are a proud and long-standing sponsor of the youth squad and this year provided football shirts for their annual exchange programme.
St Albans Rangers YFC Exchange
The bank holiday weekend saw the return of the St Albans Rangers YFC footballing exchange, during which 64 Dutch children travelled to St Albans to enjoy a weekend of football, sightseeing and, most importantly, friendship.
Lisa Rees, an organiser of the annual event, said: “The exchange has been a great success every year and we are proud to welcome our Dutch visitors into our homes and into St Albans.”
This year, running from 30th April to 4th May, Garston Ladies also joined the hosting party, making it the second year girls from both the home and Dutch youth teams have participated.
Highlights from the weekend included an impressive 240 children taking part in a football tournament, as well as a range of other activities including bowling and golf. The children also visited Arsenal’s Emirates Stadium, took an open top bus tour of London, went on a trip to Thorpe Park and enjoyed a farewell presentation and disco. (Phew! If all that won’t get them to bed on time, nothing will!)
Now in its 23rd year, Ben Shaw has been a huge supporter of the footballing exchange. He has helped the Chairman and management team to organise events and trips and has also acted as a host, having Dutch children to stay with his family.
Ben said that this year’s event was another “huge success and both the children and coaches had an amazing tour”.
Adtrak are extremely proud to sponsor such an event and we’re excited to hear more news from the club over the coming year. We are also looking forward to next year’s exchange, where children from four of the English youth teams will travel to Zelhem in Holland for the return trip.
