Spartans Share American Football with France
May 14, 2014
BARCELONA, Spain - The University of Dubuque football team is preparing to pack their travel bags as the spring semester winds down and fly to Spain and France for a nine-day tour (May 20-28, 2014). Sightseeing intertwined with a football game against the Toulouse Bears in Toulouse, France. The Spartans will spend most of their time visiting sights around Barcelona, Spain, including an excursion to Montserrat Mountain Monastery.
The Spartans depart Dubuque on Tuesday, May 20 and will arrive in the cosmopolitan city of Barcelona on Wednesday, May 21. Thirty-six Spartans, two coaches, friends and families will be enjoying the journey abroad. The tour continues on Thursday with the Spartans seeing the venues for the 1992 Olympics, a bullfight arena, museum of modern art, before finishing the day with football practice.
Friday the Spartans will gather for a tour of Sagrada Familia and the architecture of Casa Mila with an afternoon open to enjoy tapas for lunch or meandering around the narrow streets and open plazas of Barcelona. Saturday, May 24, the Spartans will motor coach across Spain to play a competitive Toulouse Bears of the French Federation of American Football Senior League. A scenic drive along the Pyrennes Mountain range will prepare UD for the night’s 6:00 p.m. kick-off in France.
The Spartans will continue on Sunday with a city tour of Toulouse city centre and enjoy a meal in a French restaurant. The football team will board the motor coach back to Barcelona. Sunday and Monday the football team will explore museums of Picasso and Dali and enjoy some beach time along the Mediterranean before returning home on Wednesday, May 29.
“Our student-athletes are anxious to explore the cultures of Spain and France while sharing the excitement of American Football,” added head coach Stan Zweifel. “It allows our student-athletes a chance to practice a few more dates in the spring and extra practice time is always helpful. This is my second trip abroad with our football team and our last trip to Italy was a superb experience for our student-athletes.”
UD’s last trip abroad with the football team prepared the Spartans for an Iowa Conference Championship run, we’ll see if this year’s trip can do the same for the Spartans in the fall of 2014.
