HOPE SPRINGS ETERNAL IN ZAMBIA

In a world beset by problems, many of which are currently being caused by the Corona virus, life goes on as best it can, though for a great many people living in poverty in various locations across the globe, the virus only exacerbates their daily grind. One such place is the southern Zambian city of Livingstone, situated just a couple of miles from the Zimbabwean border and the world-famous Victoria Falls. Despite the fact that the Victoria Falls are on the city's doorstep, many of the city's 143000 people live perilously close to, if not well under, the poverty line.

However, a number of NGOs are operating in Zambia's Southern Province, of which Livingstone is the capital, one of which is New Hope Waves, a Zambian-registered non-profit organisation which is doing its best to raise some of Livingstone's poorest inhabitants out of poverty, and their spirits, too, with football playing a role in the latter.

The man behind the organisation is 37-year-old Auldridge Chibbwalu, a social worker trained in Developmental Studies, both locally and abroad, and who has created and run a number of community programmes aimed principally at children, young people and their wider family-circles. According to Chibbwalu, New Hope Waves "is working to empower the local communities with skills, knowledge and opportunities to improve their livelihood, health, education and protecting their environment."

But what of the organisation itself, and its name? Chibbwalu: "The name New Hope Waves comes from the desire to create “New Hope”, and “Waves” comes from momentum (water movement)  aimed at the vulnerable communities which are characterized by poverty, illiteracy, disease and which need to [obtain] the skills, knowledge and opportunities to empower themselves to [live] with dignity."

New Hope Waves has been as good as its word right from the start, and works with all age groups to not only ensure that school-age youngsters receive a proper education, but that the elderly are assisted. Auldridge: "In 2015, we decided to register this movement as an NGO (non-profit organization) in Zambia, then started working with schools to assign some volunteers who would teach mainly in community schools, train the kids in football activities and also work with [a local] old people's home..We have even partnered with other international organizations to engage young people in fine arts, digital storytelling, prevention of gender based violence, inter-cultural exchange activities and an  environmental care programme.

"After I acquired the necessary education and training, I had some opportunities to travel and work for a number of non-profit organizations both locally and internationally. Then, I was inspired to come up with activities in the community to keep children and young people involved. Later, I started some football and life skills programs for both girls and boys to keep them away from drug and illicit activities in their vulnerable communities, and these grew with the help of both local and international volunteers.

"In 2019, we started a school for vulnerable children from the ages of 4-15 years old whose parents cannot manage to take them to normal school due to lack of school fees so we have 100 students in our school.

"Most of the project`s areas is to help the under-30s who are our major focus, and for those [over the age of 30] we just try to offer a hand to make our approach to be more holistic."

One example of this holistic approach is the work carried out by a  number of the organisation's volunteers at an old people's home, which is also based in Livingstone. Many of those staying at the home are originally from small rural communities in the Livingstone area, but ended up in the city because they had no family and so were unable to look after themselves.

 "The volunteers work there for two to three hours per day, five days a week," says Chibbwalu. The volunteers do not stay there overnight, but instead stay at our rented volunteer house and we have different people that sign up to volunteer. Some of them are professional care-givers and the rest are non-professional helpers. Many of the volunteers assist at meal-times, while others help out with personal grooming and hygiene." 

New Hope Waves also tackles societal problems such as gender equality, violence in the home and assists the local LGBT community where possible. Chibbwalu says that the organisation runs a number of gender equality courses aimed at raising the issues our communities are facing, such as gender based violence in homes and child abuse, and we are able to help the LGBT community as it is a very sensitive legal and moral issue here in Zambia."

"We are able to help the local LGBT community by opening up our activities to them all to participate. The problem is that they suffer from discrimination and a lack of support, so we need to raise awareness of their plight, and also of their right, like any other human being, to access services, resources and opportunities."

Auldridge also spoke about the problems faced by women the length and breadth of Zambia; in many cases, a woman's lot is far from a happy one, but his organisation are taking steps to change that.

 "Apart from [domestic] violence, women here face challenges such as unwanted pregnancies, early marriages, gender inequality, child abuse - child defilement is on the rise - mental and sexual abuse. Negligence in the family [is also a problem] as some families cannot support their extended family's children."

This has led to a growing number of children having to take to the streets in order to fend for themselves; others end up leaving school, or receive no formal education at all, and eventually have to work in order to support their families. Still others find themselves becoming the head of the household.

"A number of children cannot go to schools as their families cannot afford to pay their school fees, so the children - mostly girls - drop out of school. There is a lack of employment prospects for senior boys and girls between the ages of 16 and 25, so we intend to provide vocational skills to empower them to have hands-on skills to make them employable [or to start their own businesses] to earn enough money to support their lives now and to give them a bright future."

Inevitably, some people are falling through the safety net that New Hope Waves is trying to provide, as Chibbwalu explained. "We had some adult education courses in the past, but due to a lack of resources and funding, we are currently unable to offer any. We have also helped some of those [living locally] who are physically and mentally disabled, but due to limited funding and resources, we are [currently] unable to continue down that path. But, we are ready to do so whenever we have partners who might come on board with the materials and resources to help us."

A lack of funds is also hampering Chibbwalu and his organisation's attempts to purchase premises where they can not only offer an education to school-age youngsters, but also vocational training and a place where women, LGBT and other groups can meet in safety; they have their eye on a particular building which would serve their needs, but they must raise some US$20000 in order to buy it, so donations would be very welcome indeed.

New Hope Waves even hope to host football training-sessions at the proposed new location and, should they succeed in purchasing the building they have set their heart on, they will need all the room they can get. According to Auldridge, "we have more than 200 boys and girls involved in our football programs and we have six people involved in teaching/coaching. All six are local volunteers who have the passion to coach, and to have a positive impact on the lives of young people. At the moment, we do not have any coaches coming from abroad to help."

The organisation has a number of teams, mostly for males as there is no local youth league for girls under the age of thirteen. But, there is a New Hope Waves adult women's team and a team for girls aged between 13 and 17, in addition to a adult men's team; both senior teams cater for players aged between 17 and 25. Around 150 young people play in the New Hope Waves teams. All of the teams play in kit which has been donated or sold to the organisation at a large discount.

Chibbwalu explained: "We have a senior boys team playing in the local SPAFA (Southern Province Amateur Football Association) Super League, which has more than 20 local teams in the urban and rural areas in and around Livingstone. The team was founded in 2016, and we currently have about 35 boys in the squad, but the season was suspended to due to Covid-19 in March.

"We do not have a stable source for the football kits, they were donated by individuals once in a while and sometimes when we have funds, we buy them (good new or used kits), and so we are currently in need of football kits to use for the season that restarted in the last week for the senior team." The SPAFA Super League may have restarted, but the New Hope Waves side had to sit out the first weekend back after an eight-month hiatus as their opponents had to request a postponement. The local women's season is yet to resume, meanwhile.

"We are playing some football matches at the Namatama Primary School Football Ground in Maramba, a district of Livingstone. Our football plans are to engage more girls and boys in our programmes, to get more soccer equipment and also to make our teams to play in the higher professional leagues. We want to to support these young people to achieve more in their social, academic and professional lives, and the football team to have a good financial base so that it can support our all football activities such as transport (buying a club bus) for players for games, match officiating, affiliation fees and administration costs, etc."

To do that, they will need outside help, as times are no less hard in Zambia than they are anywhere else, and the majority of the population are far from well-off. But, Auldridge Chibbwalu and the rest of the team involved in New Hope Waves are nothing if not driven; they started off with the hopes and dreams of one man and they have come a long way since then. With a bit of luck - and some outside assistance - they may yet come to fruition.

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AUTHOR'S NOTE: Many thanks to Auldridge ChibbWalu for his kind assistance with the above article, and for his corrections and additions. To donate to New Hope Waves, or to find out more about the work they do and their aims and objectives, kindly visit their website via the following link:

https://www.newhopewaves.org/

All photographs are published with the kind permission of New Hope Waves, and written consent was kindly given to use those photographs containing under-age footballers. Anyone wishing to use said photographs is requested to contact New Hope Waves via the above website.

PFB ON TOUR: QUICK : SV OSS '20

A warm early autumn afternoon drew the good people of The Hague out of their homes and toward Sportpark Nieuw-Hanenburg, home of HVCV Quick, for their Derde Divisie match against SV Oss '20 on September 20. Both teams had enjoyed an unbeaten start to the season, with Quick gaining four points from their first two matches, while Oss '20 had won both of theirs.

Before kick-off, there was an impeccably-marked minute's silence in memory of two members of Quick's staff, Paul van de Beek and Patrick Berns, who had sadly died in the days before the match. The game itself started with both teams trying to get forward during the first ten minutes, but the final passes from both teams were, more often than not, found wanting.

Quick's Frank van der Heijden only just failed to connect with a cross which, for once, evaded the visitors' defence, whilst Jos Peltzer came close for Oss '20 with a shot which flashed just wide of the post. The first shot on target came from the away side after a quarter of an hour; Julian Calor embarked on a run into the penalty-area and unleashed a fierce shot, which Quick keeper Jari Puister did well to save at his near post.

The deadlock was broken by the home side two minutes later, when van der Heijden rose head and shoulders above a congested near post - so densely populated was it that it made a mockery of social distancing rules - to head in Elano Yegen's corner. 

There was plenty of toing and froing in the minutes following van der Heijden's opener, but the closest either team came to scoring was when Tim Waterink's header almost drew Oss '20 level after 27 minutes; he should have at least got it on target as he rose unopposed to powerfully head Peltzer's cross just wide of the post. Van der Heijden was proving to be Quick's danger-man as the home side began to impose themselves on the match, half-volleying just wide from the edge of the box on the half-hour.

Suddenly, though, it was the visitors who had most of the best chances as the half drew to a close; first, Tom Pijnenberg almost took advantage of a hospital header from defender Pepijn van Zwieten de Blom inside his own penalty-area, but Pijnenberg's subsequent half-volley was well saved by Puister. Then, Waterink turned Quick's defenders inside-out as he attempted to carve out enough space to send in a shot; he succeeded, but Puister again did well to stop the shot. 

Rachid Bouyaouzan had a shot blocked at the other end before, in first-half injury-time, Oss '20 substitute Jari van Ginkel headed a corner wide when it looked easier to score. Quick supporters could breathe a sigh of relief as their team headed into the break a goal to the good.

Bouyaouzan began the second half with a solo run through the Oss '20 defence, but the end product unfortunately dazzled less than the run, when he shot straight at keeper Rick van der Leest. A second goal came on 51 minutes; unfortunately for the home support, it was scored by Oss '20's Waterink, who, unchallenged, gleefully headed a cross from the left-hand side past Puister and into the bottom corner for the equaliser.

It was the beginning of a wretched 15 minutes or so for Quick, and for Bouyaouzan in particular. Very shortly afterwards, he was booked for dissent (the first yellow card of the afternoon), and, on the hour mark was, in this observer's opinion at least, crudely fouled in the centre-circle. The referee thought differently and allowed play to continue, and the visitors took advantage of the confusion by staging a quick counter-attack, which was finished off by Peltzer to give his side the lead.

Bouyaouzan had received prolonged treatment following the goal and was about to be substituted when he expressed his opinion once too often for referee Schaper's liking; he was shown his second yellow card. A needless sending-off which did the home side no good at all.

Tom Pijnenberg almost extended the Brabanders' lead with a quarter of an hour to go when he sprinted through the Quick defence on the left of the penalty-area, but his shot from an acute angle struck the post and rebounded away to safety.

A promising move by the hosts led to a delightful ball into the box from Ronaldo Lima Duarte Lopes which reached van der Heijden, but he suddenly stopped, thinking that a team-mate was in a better position behind him, and the ball travelled across the penalty-area and out of harm's way.

A late Quick cavalry charge in the third minute of injury-time came to nothing, but it led to an Oss '20 counter-attack which saw three against two; however, a poor pass led to a bit of scrappy play and, eventually, a corner-kick. 

Two minutes later came the final nail in Quick's coffin when Oss '20 broke again; substitute Tony de Groot - who had replaced Tom Pijnenberg with ten minutes left - stormed down the left, eased past the last defender and scored from a reasonably tight angle to secure the points for the visitors.

It was a very measured display from the visitors, who always looked dangerous on the attack and, for the most part, secure in defence. Tom Pijnenberg, Peltzer and Waterink were impressive going forward, whilst Bram van de Rande and Bram Eltink marshalled things well at the back. Quick played well for long periods, and grievously missed Bouyaouzan after his sending-off. Van der Heijden was a constant threat upfront, and Puister had a good game between the sticks. Youngsters Elano Yegen - who played very well, especially in the first half - and Tyrese Asante also deserve a honourable mention. Positives aplenty for the four-times KNVB beker winners, but the points went home with the Brabanders, who extended their winning streak.

QUICK: 1 Jari PUISTER; 2 Jaap FISCHER, 4 Kai VAN HESE, 5 Pepijn VAN ZWIETEN DE BLOM, 7 Marc BOSHOFF, 8 Philip KOUWENHOVEN, 9 Frank VAN DER HEIJDEN, 10 Rachid BOUYAOUZAN, 12 Rick BURGERING (11 Ronaldo LIMA DUARTE LOPES), 21 Tyrese ASANTE (18 Bailey MEES)

SUBS (unused): 22 Tim JANSSEN; 16 Sam ZEEMAN, 19 Thomas VAN HAAFTEN

SV OSS '20: 1 Rick VAN DER LEEST, 3 Joep VAN DE RANDE, 4 Bram ELTINK, 5 Joep ENGELEN, 6 Bob ZONNENBERG, 8 Brian CAMPMAN, 10 Tom PIJNENBERG (9 Tony DE GROOT), 12 Dirk PIJNENBERG, 15 Jos PELTZER, 16 Julian CALOR (7 Joep VAN DER VELDEN), 19 Tim WATERINK 

SUBS (unused): 1 Joep HOEFNAGELS; 14 Hidde VAN DIJK, 17 Jari VAN GINKEL, 23 Adam SESAY

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POSTSCRIPT: Quick followed up their defeat with two draws, 1:1 away to Heerlen side Groene Ster, and a 2:2 draw at home to HSC '21 from Haaksbergen, before the Derde Divisie fell victim to the latest round of Corona virus restrictions. This resulted in their First Round KNVB Beker match against NEC Nijmegen, which was due to be played on 27 October, being put back to 2 December. 

The same fate befell Oss '20, who are scheduled to play Katwijk on the same date. Since their win in The Hague, they suffered two league defeats on the trot - 3:1 at home to OFC and 4:0 away to ADO '20, before beating Koninklijke HFC 1:0 away in the Second preliminary round of the KNVB Beker and drawing 3:3 at home against UNA in their last game before football action was mothballed. 

Since the above defeat to Oss '20, Quick have slumped to twelfth in the table, while Oss '20 have gone down to fifth.

CORONA VIRUS TIMES: MADE OF STEEL

As everyone knows, the advent of the Corona virus, COVID-19, call it what you will, has, to some extent, meant a sudden change in behaviour for most people across the world. On a more positive note, it has also led to an explosion of activity on Twitter and an expansion of football knowledge for many, not least of all your correspondent. Many of the world's smaller clubs, teams you most probably would never have heard of, have established themselves to some extent on Twitter over the past few months, and this short series aims to give some of them a little profile away from social media.
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In an era when football has become global, when the big names have taken over the circus and pushed the smaller clubs outside the tent, it is all too easy to forget that football at a local level exists, and, in some areas, is thriving. One positive aspect of the Corona virus is that lockdown has increased the visibility of the smaller clubs on social media, and, on Twitter at least, has led to many clubs interacting, getting to know each other and forging on-line friendships. A number have garnered hundreds, or indeed, thousands of followers over the past few months, whilst some tend to let Twitter nature take its course.


One of the former is based in one of the USA's footballing heartlands, the blue-collar region on the country's eastern seaboard to the south of New York. Steel FC, based in the city of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, were only founded in 2015 yet have become something of a success story, albeit one which has, until now, very much flown under the radar.

The club takes part in the Greater Pittsburgh Soccer League (GPSL), which involves around twenty teams spread across three divisions, and plays many of its home matches at the Cool Springs Sports Complex in the city's Bether Park district.  (There is also a Women's GPSL system, which is split into an Open women's league and an over-23 women's league.)

They started off on the lowest rung of the GPSL ladder, the Miners' League, in 2015, but gained promotion to the second division, the Champions Division, that year. They won that in 2017 and have been playing in the Premier Division since then, improving steadily as they go along, delighting manager Brian Luchini, who has been with Steel FC right from the start - in fact, he founded the club:


"I decided to form Steel FC because a team I put together that played in local leagues was looking for a more competitive soccer scene. The Greater Pittsburgh Soccer League offered that, so [Steel FC was founded and] we joined. Through the years, between making cuts and recruiting other players, I have been able to put a successful squad on the field.

"I have been very pleased with the way my team has been playing. 2020 is our third year competing in the Premier Division. Our first year we took fourth place in the standings with a record of eight wins and six defeats [during the regular season] but made it to the final and finished runners-up. This past year we took second in the standings with 10 wins, 3 draws and 1 defeat, and again came runner-up in the final. Now as a top competitor in the best division in Pittsburgh, the Premier Division, we strive to win the championship each year."


Steel FC haven't just concentrated on maintaining top-level status and improving on that since their rise to the Premier Division. They have also taken part in cup competitions over the past twelve months or so, including what was once the most prestigious competition in American football, the US Open Cup, and gave a very good account of themselves.


"We competed in the USASA Amateur Cup and for our first time competing, we got to the Region One final by beating [Baltimore side] Christos FC and Philadelphia Lonestar, losing to eventual overall champion, Newtown Pride [the team from Connecticut won the regional title in June of last year before beating Houston-based Horizon FC to win the overall competition and qualify directly for the 2020 US Open Cup].


"We also participated in the Open Cup this past year and made it to the 3rd qualifying round beating Germantown City [another team hailing from Maryland] and Tartan Devils. One more win and we would’ve been in the tournament proper, but we lost 3-2 down in Maryland to Christos FC. Again, for our first time in this competition I think we did very well and I couldn’t be more proud of my squad."

But why the name Steel FC? Luchini, who is not only the team manager but also the coach and the man behind the club's prolific social media drive - like so many other clubs, they have taken part in virtual cup competitions and such like during the Corona virus crisis to keep themselves occupied and, in their case, to spread the word about Steel FC - gave a concise and clear explanation for the choice of name: "Our team name is exactly what it stands for, Steel. Pittsburgh is a hardworking, blue-collar, town with a rich history of steel mills. That’s where Steel FC comes from. It’s a simple name that clearly shows our roots."


But, success doesn't come easy for any club, and it is the case for every club, whether it has money behind it or no; for Steel FC and most of the clubs in the GPSL, it is a matter of them scraping by as best they can. The city's highest-ranked club, Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC, plays in the Eastern Conference of the USL, the second tier of America's football pyramid. It is, however, hard for clubs lower down the ladder to attract football-lovers to local-league games, and harder still to build up a fan-base, as Luchini readily admits.


"In Pittsburgh there is barely a lower league following. While this does hinder us, it also is an opportunity for us to show what we are made of and hopefully attract fans along the way. The best way to get involved is to come to games and meet the team and our players. We also really appreciate any jersey purchases or merchandise purchases. All money helps go towards funding. Because we are not sponsored, my players pay for everything out of pocket. Purchases [of merchandise - the club does a natty line in scarves, for example] help us pay for our 2020 GPSL season along with the costs of competing in regional and national tournaments."


But, all preparations for the new season had to be put on hold due to the Corona virus taking hold across America, and Pittsburgh was also affected by events, the city itself being placed under lockdown. However, it hasn't stopped Luchini working on behalf of his club off the pitch. The club has been heavily involved in various online competitions, and this hasn't all been about getting exposure and gaining more followers on Twitter, but about keeping the club afloat financially, looking for sponsors and selling club apparel via Twitter. The club has also been keeping itself in the public eye by giving away scarves and stickers, and has now reached a healthy 1300 followers.


Luchini: "We are still on the hunt for sponsors as we do not have any currently. With Covid, and most businesses geared towards youth, it's hard to find a sponsor in Pittsburgh. We would absolutely love a company come on board and partner with them.


"Online, I have been exhausting all efforts to get the team some recognition in hopes of finding a season sponsor. We competed in the Non-League Hub Twitter event where we took 3rd out of 64 teams, and we also competed in Smallworld Soccer & Lower League USA's Twitter event and came in 2nd out of 64 teams who entered, so not bad!"


Steel FC's new all-black kit has also proven to be a bit of a hit with shirt-collectors, and the club's new badge, which was unveiled earlier this year, is a homage to its home city, as Luchini explains: "The badge represents Pittsburgh. The triangular shape represents the Monogahela River, the Allegheny River and where those two rivers meet to form the Ohio River at The Point. The black and gold are the main colours of Pittsburgh. The stars are a nod from our old design, while the blue and white chequered pattern is taken from the City of Pittsburgh flag."


Meanwhile, on the pitch, like most clubs the world over, Steel FC has been affected by the Corona virus, but the players are finally starting to get back into some sort of routine and, as well as playing a couple of friendlies during June and July, the club also hosted its own Steel City Super Cup tournament for the first time during the first weekend of August, reaching the semi-finals where they lost to fellow Pittsburgh team LaComarca Arsenal on penalties.


"The team has been training individually since the lockdown", said Luchini at the end of July. "However, since restrictions have been semi-lifted, some of my players have resumed their club coaching and private training duties. Additionally, we have entered a Friday night recreation league to keep getting touches on the ball and for fitness before our GPSL season starts back up."
 
Their GPSL has indeed kicked off, and began on 9 August with a 1:1 draw against LaComarca Arsenal, which was followed a week later with a 4:2 friendly win against Appalachia FC63. Last Sunday, they recorded a resounding 11:1 win against Monongahela United in their second GPSL game: christian Lewandowski scored four goals, whilst team-mate Brandon Siringer bagged himself a hat-trick.

In spite of the fact that it is difficult to get the team to train together due to the players' various work commitments and, more recently, the lockdown, the team has done remarkably well over the last couple of years. Luchini remains thoroughly positive about the future and admiring of his charges and their will to succeed.


"The future of this team is very bright. Because all my players have 9-to-5 jobs, we are unable to practice on a consistent basis. However, we show up for Sunday games and take the matches seriously. Because the team consists of college graduates, former D1 and USL players, we know how to be successful despite no training and that shows from our records and tournament results. We will continue to be successful and are always finding new players to help strengthen the squad. The main inspiration we have to keep on going and to become elite is because we want to win."


STEEL FC SQUAD 2020-21 (correct as of 01/01/20)


GOALKEEPERS: 1 Keaton JENNINGS, 28 Brendan BIRMINGHAM, 85 Spencer WOLFE

DEFENDERS: 2 Matt BISCHOFF, 5 Al ABEDIAN, 8 Kevin MURRAY, 12 Thomas EDELMANN, 17 Ethan SHULA, 21 Matt McDYER, N/K Evan AGUSTINE

MIDFIELDERS: 4 Ramsey HARTLEY, 6 Rob HEULER, 7 Will MESZAR, 9 Lewis OSBOURNE, 10 Christian LEWANDOWSKI, 11 Craig BARR, 22 Brandon SIRINGER, 25 Alex LIGETI, 80 Nick KOLARAC

FORWARDS: 15 Navid KAZEM, 16 Dimitrije SLAVKOVIC, 20 Lamine BALDE, N/K Jesse SCHEIRER


STEEL CITY SUPER CUP


This tournament, hosted by Steel FC, was the first edition of what the club hopes will become an annual event, and took place over the weekend of 1-2 August in the small Pennsylvanian village of Russelton.
Eight teams took part in the tournament, during which 60-minute matches were played, with no extra-time during the knockout stages; games would go straight to penalties.


Eight teams took part, though the line-up differed somewhat from that envisaged when details of the tournament first emerged. Pittsburgh outfits Tartan Devils and Pittsburgh Hotspurs were forced to scratch in the run-up to the tournament, and their places were taken by LaComarca Arsenal and LMFC Royals. (It should be noted that West Virginian side Appalachia FC63 were only founded a few weeks ago and the tournament was their first run-out.) Livonia City's long trip from Michigan was made worthwhile by their beating LaComarca Arsenal in the final.


GROUP A

Steel FC (hosts); Deportivo Club de Districtonia (Washington DC); Livonia City (Livonia, Michigan); NNK (Westmoreland, Virginia)


GROUP B

Appalachia FC63 (Fairmont, West Virginia); Inter Detroit (Detroit); LaComarca Arsenal (Pittsburgh); LMFC Royals (Pittsburgh)


RESULTS


GROUP A


Livonia City 2:1 Steel FC
Livonia City 6:0 NNK
Steel City 2:1 Deportivo Club de Districtonia
Steel City 6:0 NNK
Livonia City 7:0 Deportivo Club de Districtonia
Deportivo Club de Districtonia 2:0 NNK

TEAM	P	W	D	L	GF	GA	PTS	GD
LIVONIA CITY	3	3	0	0	15	1	9	14
STEEL FC	3	1	0	1	9	3	7	6
DC de Districtonia	3	1	0	1	3	9	3	-5
NNK	3	0	0	3	0	14	0	-14

GROUP B


LaComarca Arsenal 1:0 LMFC Royals
LMFC Royals 2:2 Appalachia FC63
LaComarca Arsenal 1:0 Inter Detroit
LaComarca Arsenal 1:1 Appalachia FC63
Inter Detroit 1:3 LMFC Royals
Appalachia FC63 2:2 Inter Detroit

TEAM	P	W	D	L	GF	GA	PTS	GD
LACOMARCA ARSENAL	3	2	1	0	3	1	7	2
LMFC ROYALS	3	1	1	1	5	4	4	1
Appalachian FC63	3	0	3	0	5	5	3	0
Inter Detroit	3	0	1	2	3	6	1	-3

SEMI-FINALS


Livonia City 2:1 LMFC
LaComarca Arsenal 0:0 Steel FC (LaComarca Arsenal 7:6 on pens)


FINAL


Livonia City 3:0 LaComarca Arsenal


STEEL FC 2020 GPSL AUTUMN SEASON FIXTURE-LIST/RESULTS


09/08/20 Steel FC 1:1 LaComarca Arsenal
16/08/20 Steel FC 4:2 Appalachia FC63*
23/08/20 Steel FC 11:1 Monongahela United
30/08/20 Steel FC : NH Waluigis
13/09/20 HNK Croatia Pittsburgh : Steel FC
20/09/20 Steel FC : Richmond County FC*
27/09/20 Steel FC : HNK Croatia FC
04/10/20 Steel FC : Plum Mustangs FC
18/10/20 Steel FC : Phoenix FC
25/10/20 Plum Mustangs FC : Steel FC
01/11/20 TBC
08/11/20 TBC
15/11/20


*Friendly






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AUTHOR'S NOTE: Many thanks to Steel FC manager Brian Luchini for his assistance with this article. Other sources of information include the Steel FC (www.steelfcsoccer.com) and Pennsylvania West Soccer (www.pawest-soccer.org) websites, Twitter,and Facebook. One or two details are still incomplete, but will hopefully be added at a later date.