sport club

The German football team is known for its talent, competency, planning and delivery. This clinically efficient team has won many accolades and had been with in the best 10 teams for a long duration now. German soccer enthusiasts are not very dissimilar to the team. They are appreciative, demanding to see a competitive match from their team always. Yet, they do not hang back to appreciate an rival team's skills and they are respected the world over for this knowledge of fair play. They pride in their team and that is why it is a mandate for every fan to get their team's sportswear any where they are. These jerseys have the logo brightly embroidered onto the cloth and are always a source of joy and motivation for the fans. The jerseys are now made available for online purchase at very low prices. Prices those are good enough to permit every fan to even send it to his friends.

The typical German competency is so well captured in the simple yet good design of the jerseys. The colors are bright, prominent and are hard to miss. The basic red color beautifully complimented by the broad black line. The cut of the jersey is convenient and does not prohibit fast movements; which is so essential while playing a fast paced sport like football. A matching pair of ergonomically designed shorts is also available for sale for those who desire to dress up in the all-pack German uniform. If you want to get your jerseys delivered in a week or so, you can place your online order immediately. You can get them transported to any where in the world at the nominal rates that should be included in the total payment. If you want to purchase bulk lots, you can get a good discount. When you place your order, choose a apt size from medium, 50,52 and Double XL.If you have received your package tracking number, please reach out to the merchant and they will give it. The most crucial thing to understand is that you can choose any star and his corresponding number to be embossed on the jerseys. This is done free of cost. The jerseys' manufacturers pride themselves for their product and correctness of service, so, if you have received a different product or have received a bad piece, do not take time to contact the firm and they will provide either a replacement or full refund for your purchase.

The beginning of soccer season is an exciting time for little girls who want to play soccer. They come to the first team meeting with little more than enthusiasm and girlish giggling. A lot must be accomplished to turn the giggling girls into a soccer team. Decision number one is a team name. The team name can help to define the ethos and personality of the team and bring about the beginning of cohesiveness among the new team members. Will they take on the name of an existing team? Choose the name of a strong, ferocious animal? Ethnic identifiers don't work well anymore. Can you, the coach, lead them toward something unique? The decision on a name will help with the next decision.

Like the rest of the female population, the girls' biggest concern is, "What will I get to wear?" And this girlish concern is totally legitimate. The old saying that the clothes make the man is even more applicable to little girls-youth soccer jerseys make the soccer player. The chance to design custom soccer jerseys is very appealing to girls. It is a group-building exercise to allow the girls to discuss and vote on the look of the uniforms. The first decision to be made is the style of the jerseys. Many neckline styles and sleeve styles are one of many choices to select. Add to that contrasting-colored panels on the sides, swooshes of color on one or both sleeves, mismatched sleeves . . . the options go on and on. When it comes to the team colors, the new team name can have a strong influence on the final decision. It's obvious that a team called The Tigers has no other choice than orange and black or possible orange and brown. On the other hand, the Fleet Feet have more latitude in their color choice.

After the girls have decided on the style and colors of the uniforms, the other options must be agreed on. What symbol or logo do the girls want on the front of the uniform? Can you convince them to go along with a stock picture, or do they insist on a custom-designed logo? Or is the logo chosen by the team sponsor to honor the sponsor's company? Should this logo be placed in the center-front of the jersey, or should it go on the left side? Then numbers must be assigned to round out the final choices for the uniform design.

By this point, the girls are getting to know each other and becoming closer than just schoolmates. Now it's time for the next step, which is to turn the schoolmates into soccer players. It's time to get the girls out onto the soccer field for two types of activity. The first activity is physical exercise to strengthen their bodies in preparation for actual play. Strong bodies are less prone to injury. The other activity is to actually learn to play the game. It's time to learn the moves.

At this point, the girls have now become a soccer team and are ready for a summer of fun and competition.

Cape Town is the most populous city and provincial capital of Western Cape. Here diverse range of attractions, sights and activities to offer. It is regarded as a melting point for various different cultures in Southern Africa. Known as Mother City, it has an abundance of contrasting activities from lounging on the Atlantic seaboard's popular beaches to exploring the vividly painted area of the Bo-Kaap.

As everyone is aware that South Africa is going to host FIFA world cup 2010, Cape Town is one of the cities hosting this grand event. This grand event is going to be held between 11 June 2010 and 11 July 2010. Matches in Cape Town are going to held Greenpoint Stadium. Here is the schedule of the matches that are going to be held in Cape Town:

11 June 2010
Match: Team A3 vs Team A4

14 June 2010
Match: Team F1 vs Team F2

18 June 2010
Match: Team C1 vs Team C3

21 June 2010
Match: Team G4 vs Team G2

24 June 2010
Match: Team E4 vs Team E1

Search cheap flights for FIFA World Cup 2010; choose the most suitable cheap deal for your travel. Airfares to Cape Town were never so cheap earlier as they are now. Enjoy the most exciting historic event, first ever football world cup in South Africa.

Many airlines have reduced airfares for the flights to Cape Town. Different airlines are offering different airfares. Fares offered by some of the airlines providing cheap flights to Cape Town are as follows:
Emirate Airways 1-Oct-2009 31-Dec-2009 £535 with 30 Kgs Baggage
Qatar Airways 1-Oct-2009 10-Dec-2009 £439 with 20 Kgs Baggage
Etihad Airways 15-Jan-2010 19-Mar-2009 £520 with 20Kgs Baggage
Iberia Airways 1-Oct-2009 30-Nov-2009 £434 with 20 Kgs Baggage

Business class airfares:-

Emirates: 01 Oct 09- 31 Dec 09 £2149, 01 Jan 10 - 31 Dec 10 £2149 with 40kg baggage
South African Airways: 01 Oct 09- 31 Dec 09 £2770, 01 Jan 10 - 31 Mar 10 £2770 with 30kg baggage
Qatar Airways: 01 Oct 09- 10 Dec 09 £1629, 24 Dec 09 - 25 Mar 10 £1629 with 30kg baggage
Turkish Airlines: 01 Oct 09- 31 Dec 09 £1655, 01 Jan 10 - 31 Mar 10 £1655 with 30kg baggage

It is the most visited international tourist destination in South Africa.

What are my feelings as a South African about the FIFA 2010 World Cup?

Up to now very positive. It has been very exciting anticipating about what potential the FIFA 2010 World Cup will do for our country, before and after the event. 3 billion viewers, 6 billion eyes will be on South Africa the thought is overwhelming.

I like seeing the investments in our roads, airports and in Johannesburg the massive public transport investments. The sight of cranes here and there, meaning our economy is growing. In fact the event has already created an estimated 129 000 jobs disparately needed in a country with over 40% unemployment rate.

Then, there is my utter disappointment. I feel so sad that S.A, having one of the most liberal constitutions in the world governed by the majority party the ANC is starting to back slide to their communist roots as SA starts to misbehave in the civilized world. This Causing major embarrassments to local South Africans and the rest of the world. Latest events like totally ignoring the political situation in Zimbabwe.

Again this week highlighted the close ties to China, when the ANC destroyed the PSL's plan to hold a peace conference in SA, by refusing entry to the Dalai Lama who was the guest of honor at the conference.

I watched Arch Bishop Desmond Tutu on our local news channel, crying as he expressed his intense disappointment at how the ANC has turned away from their moral values. He, went on to express how horrified and shocked he was that Trevor Manuel (SA's well liked finance minister)had insulted the Dalai Lama by asking "Who, exactly is the Dala Lama?".

As a South African, this has spoiled the spirit of SA hosting the FIFA 2010 World Cup here. It has left me feeling ashamed of the SA government the ANC. It also makes me scared about what the future holds in SA, as I wonder who is actually controlling the SA government? Clearly communist China...The question now remains why should the civilized world give SA an amazing event like this when they are behaving in such a irresponsible way?

There's wildlife strewn all around the Mbombela Stadium with traditional paintings in the foyer, and psychedelic colors in the corridors! With its vivid paints and flamboyance, this stadium is a dramatic and modern football venue that offers great views and 43,540 seating capacity. A freshly laid pitch only adds to the vibrant colors! The only thing missing are equally vibrant spectators in their world cup soccer jerseys, holding up their country's flags. Guess that'll have to wait until June next year!

The city's mayor, Lassy Chiwayo, is thrilled with this achievement, "For us this is a story of commitment, resilience and hard work. There are many unsung heroes who have made this possible. I want to pay tribute to the construction workers and to the community, who threw their weight behind us. This new baby towering above us symbolizes hope. We're hoping this tournament will act as a stimulus for economic and social development," declared Chiwayo.

Even Durban seems almost ready to open its doors with its new multi-purpose 69,000 capacity Moses Mabhida Stadium. Scheduled to host seven World Cup matches, and a semifinal, the stadium is just weeks away from completion. And the excitement is palpable. Once ready, the finalists of a local school competition will be the first to walk onto the newly laid turf to mark its official opening along with Durban's citizens. This will be followed by a Premier Soccer League match the next day. January to May 2010 will see a line-up of more PSL matches and concerts at the venue, ironing out any possible rough spots before soccer's greatest competition in June 2010, the FIFA World Cup.

Durbanites are known to make the most of match days, be it soccer, rugby or cricket. They reach the stadium hours before and set up barbeques in adjacent fields as pre and post match festivities that go on into the wee hours of the morning. In keeping with this festive spirit, the authorities are planning on investing R250 million to upgrade the area and develop a people's park near the stadium with training fields, a running and cycling track, playground and tea garden! An official explained, "For us as a city it was always very important that the stadium is financially viable after 2010... We have worked hard to ensure that the entire precinct becomes an area used by the residents of the city."

The idea is to make it a well utilized asset that's buzzing with activity before and after the World Cup. And, of course, it's part of a promise to deliver a uniquely African World Cup!

The 2010 World Cup runs from 11th June to the 11th July and will feature 32 teams from all over the globe competing for the prize of the best team in the world. A total of 64 matches will be played at 9 venues throughout South Africa. The current World Cup Holders are Italy who have to qualify for the tournament through the European Qualifying Groups.

Qualification for the 2010 Tournament
32 teams qualify for the competition, as hosts South Africa gain automatic entry, and they will play in Group A. There are 8 groups of 4 teams in the World Cup Group Stage, with the top 2 teams entering the pre determined draw for 8 second round games, and leading on to 4 quarter finals, and then 2 semi finals to decide who will meet in the final decider. In total, there will be 64 matches played in the 2010 World Cup.

Apart from the host nation, 5 other nations have already qualified for the 2010 Tournament: North and South Korea, Holland, Australia and Japan. The remainder of the qualification group stages have to be completed in Europe, Asia, Central and South America, and all places for South Africa will be confirmed by November 2009! Qualification is now at a delicate stage in all football zones!

The Final Group Stage draw for the 2010 FIFA World Cup will be staged in Cape Town on the 4th December 2009. The draw will be a prestigious event, held in the full glare of the world's media. The draw will be held at the Cape Town International Convention Centre.

Hosting Venues and Stadiums
There are 19 host cities and ten stadiums to be used for the 2010 World Cup and these are as follows:

· Johannesburg - Soccer City Stadium and Coca-Cola Park
· Durban - Moses Mabhida Stadium
· Cape Town - The Green Point Stadium
· Pretoria - Lotus Versfeld Stadium
· Bloemfontein - Free State Stadium
· Port Elizabeth - Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium
· Nelspruit - Mbombela Stadium
· Polokwane - Peter Mokaba Stadium
· Rustenberg - Royal Bafokeng Stadium

Many of the stadiums are brand new, and certainly looked impressive during the Summer Confederations Cup. The first game, its lavish opening ceremony and the tournament final will take place in the 95,000 capacity Soccer City Stadium in Johannesburg. The semi finals will take place in Cape Town and Durban, and the third place play off match will take place in Port Elizabeth.

The Official Mascot for the Tournament
Every World Cup has its own official mascot, and this is represented in cartoon format. The South Africa Mascot is called "Zakumi", and is a yellow leopard character with green hair, depicting the colours of the South African team. The name generated from the merging of "ZA" which is the international abbreviation for the country, and also "Kumi" which translates as the word "Ten"in African dialects.

The 2009/2010 Premier League season just got underway and the chase to find affordable Manchester United Tickets is back on. Having won its third title in a row, Manchester United is more popular then ever despite the departures of Cristiano Ronaldo and Carlos Tevez will not change that. The team is one of the favorites again together with Chelsea, Liverpool, Arsenal, and potentially Manchester City.

The best chance of finding reasonably priced Man Utd tickets is by becoming a member of the One United fan club. Membership prices for the 2009/2010 season are between 30 and 36 GBP (Great Britain Pounds) for adults and 20 to 26 GBP for juniors. Memberships can easily be purchased on the team's website and every member has the opportunity to apply for tickets for all home matches of the Premier League, the FA Cup, the Curling Cup, and the Champions League. The success of an application is determined by a random lottery.

Applications usually need to be made 4-6 weeks before the game and the easiest way to be aware of upcoming application deadlines is to subscribe to the One United email newsletter. Lottery results are usually announced 2-3 weeks later and winning applicants pay for their tickets by credit card and the tickets will be shipped out to the member. Members who are unlucky in the lottery still have another chance of securing affordable Man Utd tickets by monitoring the teams' ticket exchange.

This exchange allows season ticket holders to sell their tickets to games that they are unable to attend to One United members. These tickets are available on a first-come first-serve basis so members should purchase these tickets right away as they become available. The probability of securing tickets this way depends on the popularity of a particular game.

The best chances of securing tickets in the lottery are for games that are during the middle of the week such as some of the Premier League games and all of the Champions League matches. Another option is to keep an eye on Manchester United Tickets prices offered by a reputable ticketing agency. Usually these tickets are sold significantly above face value but as the game approaches, sometimes it is possible to buy tickets in the secondary market at reasonable prices.

If you have football tickets and want to sell them or if you want to buy football tickets, the best chance for you to get what you want - be it the tickets or as buyer, is to use the internet. The internet can give you a chance to connect with more people who have tickets to sell or want to buy tickets. You can use an online website as a third party ticket agency and get the best of both worlds.

When you want to buy football or soccer tickets, you have to go to the stadium where the match is scheduled to be played or to a ticket agency. In many cases, the match may be sold out, especially if it is a popular match. If this is the case, then you can either go to the venue to try to get a seat, or you can look online for someone who is selling tickets. If you go online, you can be assured of getting tickets before you turn up at the stadium. In addition, you can choose the seats that you want for the match.

If you have football tickets that you want to sell, then you can also go online and sell your tickets to individuals who want to buy them. You can price them accordingly and wait for someone to pay your price or make you an offer. This can give you the opportunity to get the most money for your tickets as they will likely be sold to someone who is purchasing them for their own use. If you go online, you can find what you are looking for - either way. You can sell them right to someone who is looking for these tickets and will pay the top amount for them.

The same holds true for buying soccer tickets. Using a third party ticket site as a go-between makes sense when you want to get the best deal on your tickets. You can see all of the tickets that are being sold by individuals like yourself and then choose those that will best suit your needs.

Whether you want to buy or sell football tickets, using an online ticket agency is the way that buyers and sellers can connect with one another. The internet makes it easier for everyone to connect who wants to buy or sell tickets to get what they need when it comes to meeting the right connections.

And its serious business with specialists designing custom fit, durable, comfortable, easy to breath fabrics and cuts. As you can imagine, colors play a huge role in the scheme of things. After all, each color has a distinct effect on the players behavior and emotions. Let's take a quick peek at the various shades that bring soccer to life. Soothing, flashy, subtle, pristine, modern, classic, they all make their presence felt on the green of the pitch...

Color me up!
Soccer uniforms come in a variety of designs and color combinations, but the colors usually aren't coincidental to the teams. They are deliberate, usually well thought out selections meant to make the team stand out. At times, the color choice is decided through a consensus of the players. Though often, team colors originate from a particular association with the country or city that the team represents. Soccer team uniforms first made an appearance in the 1870s, and even then, the team's colors were often linked to a sports club, university or school. Since the early days of the game, team colors had an emotional connotation.

Dressed for Success
The color and design of a team's soccer shirt has to match with the shorts and socks. It should all come together seamlessly as an ensemble assembled for success! Since referees need to stand apart from the players, their uniforms are traditionally black. As a color, black is usually associated with power, mystery, sophistication, formality and conventionality, not to forget, its inherent quality of making people look slim!

Fire Brand
If the color red is associated with passion, intensity, energy, ambition, masculinity, strength, courage and excitement, it is also intrinsically linked with the club Manchester United. The team adopted its red and white team colors as far back as 1902! It's latest home kit is again a red soccer shirt with white shorts that have red stripes on the sides. Other teams inspired by the color and identified with it, are the Reds of Liverpool and the Rojas of Chile.

Blue By Design
Think blue and peace, loyalty, constancy, reliability, confidence, unity, harmony, trust, coolness and wisdom come to mind. The legendary teams behind the 'bluing' of the pitch are Argentina in its famous sky blue and white stripes, France's Les Bleus and Italy's Azzurri. Looks like the club FC Barcelona has ensured it gets the best of both worlds with a return to vertical stripes of red and blue on its soccer jersey! And it sure has worked for them!

It's White, Yellow and Blue!
Representing purity and radiance, the color white has always been associated with the clubs Leeds and Real Madrid. On a national level, the English and German squads usually mark their presence in pristine white soccer uniforms. Yellow stands for warmth and joy, while green recalls the hues of Nature in terms of freshness, calmness, rejuvenation, energy, growth and balance. No wonder the national team of Brazil took inspiration from their national flag and embraced these colors as their own!

Orange Works!
But it's the Dutch Oranje who contrast the green pitch the most in their striking orange soccer shirts! This color represents energy, enthusiasm, flamboyance, playfulness and a 'let's-do-it' attitude, which the team seems to have assimilated!

As you can see, team colors are related to team identity, as much as football is related to dribbling!

History

1889 Valparaiso F.C. was founded in Chile. It was the first football club in Chile.

1916 Chile placed fourth in the South American Tournament in Buenos Aires (Argentina). It was one of the four nations to participate in the First South American Championship.

1920 Valparaiso hosted the South American Tournament. Uruguay was the champion....

1922 The Chilean men's soccer squad finished third at the Football South American Cup in Rio de Janeiro, behind Brazil (host country) Paraguay, Uruguay and Argentina.

1926 Santiago de Chile hosted the South American Cup. Uruguay was the winner.

1927 Chile did not participate at the South American Championship in Lima, Peru.

1928 The Chilean Olympic Committee sent a national team to the Summer Olympic Games in Amsterdam, Holland.

1930 Chile accepted an invitation to play in the First World Championship in Montevideo, Uruguay. The Chilean men's football squad was one of 13 national teams to make its international debut in the World Cup. In Uruguay, the Chilean team placed 5th, behind host country, Argentina, Yugoslavia and the United States. In the first round, Chile defeated France (1-0) and Mexico (3-0).

1941 The South American Tournament was held in Santiago de Chile. The host country earned the bronze medal.

1945 For the fourth time, Chile hosted the South American Tournament.

1950 Chile sent a national team for the World Cup in Brazil. Unfortunately, they were beaten by England (0-2) and Spain (0-3). However, they won a match at the FIFA World Cup. It upset the United States 5-2.

1951 The Chilean team earned the bronze medal at the Pan American Games in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

1952 The National Olympic Committee sent a national squad to the Summer Games in Scandinavia.

1955 The South American Cup was held in Chile. The Chilean team was runner-up.

1962 The World Championships were scheduled for Chile. The Latin American territory hosted the global tournament for the third time. There were 16 national teams: Switzerland, Bulgaria, Colombia, Uruguay, Spain, Mexico, Argentina, Italy, England, USSR, West Germany, Hungary, Yugoslavia, Czechoslovakia, Brazil and Chile. Surprisingly, Chile finished third in the global competition. The Chilean men's soccer team won four of its six matches-Switzerland, Italy, Russia and Yugoslavia. They only lost against West Germany -which was runner-up at the 1958 World Cup in Stockholm (Sweden)- and Brazil -World champion and under the leadership of Pelè. For the first time at the FIFA global championship, Chile qualified for the semi-finals. In the second round, Chile made history when it upset the USSR, which had gained the global title at the 1956 Summer Games and the 1960 European Cup, 2-1. This South American nation had also defeated Yugoslavia, which was runner-up at the European Tournament, 1-0.

1963 The national team earned the bronze medal at the Pan American Games in Brazil.

1966 At the FIFA World Cup in London, England, Chile placed 13th...

1973 During the 1974 World Cup Qualification, the USSR did not want to play with Chile-both states severed diplomatic ties. The Union Soviet did not send a national team to protest against the president Augusto Jose Ramon Pinochet Ugarte, one of the greatest anti-Communist leaders in Latin America. Weeks ago, Chile draw with the USSR in Moscow. Chile was declared winner and qualified for the World Cup in Germany...Colo Colo was runner-up at the Copa Libertadores de America.

1974 Before the World Cup, Chile played nine matches-Haitian team, Santa Fe, Atletico Nacional de Colombia, Saprissa de Costa Rica, Municipal de Guatemala, River Plate and Irish team. Chile placed 13th in the World Championships in Munich, West Germany.

1974-1976 Elias Figueroa was one of the most valuable players in Latin America.

1975 Universidad Española (Chile) was runner-up at the Copa Libertadores de America. In the final match, Independiente (Argentina) beat Universidad Española.

1982 Chile placed 22nd in the World Cup in Spain...Colo Colo won the Copa Libertadores de America. It defeated Olimpia (Paraguay) in the finals. Colo Colo became the first Chilean club to win the Copa Libertadores- a traditional tournament in South America.

1984 The Chilean men's soccer squad was runner-up at the Pre-Olympic Tournament in Quito, Ecuador, and qualified for the XXIII Olympiad in the United States. Chile placed sixth in the Olympic Games in Los Angeles, California-it finished behind France (gold medal), Brazil (silver medal), Yugoslavia (bronze medal), Italy and Canada.

1985 For unknown reasons, the FIFA canceled the World Youth Cup in Santiago de Chile. The tournament was held in Moscow (USSR).

1986 Santiago de Chile made a bid for the 1994 FIFA World Cup.

1987 Santiago de Chile hosted the FIFA Under-20 World Cup. The host country placed fourth. The Chilean government, an anti-Communist regime from 1973 to 1990, did not refuse to issue visas to Bulgarian and East German delegations...The national team was runner-up at the Pan American Games in Indianapolis, USA.

1989 During the 1990 World Cup Qualification, between Chilean and Brazilians teams, Roberto Rojas (Chile's goalkeeper) pretended to be a victim of an attack. Chile was suspended by FIFA. For this reason, Chile could not participate in the Pre-World Championships in the late 80s and early 90s.

1993 The Chilean men's football squad placed third at the FIFA Under-17 World Championships in Tokyo, Japan.

1998 Chile placed 16th in the World Championships in Paris (France), behind France, Brazil, Croatia, Holland, Argentina, Italy, Germany, Denmark, England, Yugoslavia, Romania, Nigeria, Mexico, Paraguay and Norway. The 1998 World Tournament was the 7th World Cup in which Chile has participated.

2000 Chile was runner-up at the 2000 South American Pre-Olympic Tournament in Brazil. Ivan Zamorano led the Chilean men's football team to the bronze medal at the Summer Olympics in Australia. This became the fourth Latin American soccer team to win an Olympic medal.

2004 Chile hosted the South American Pre-Olympic Tournament.

2007 The Chilean men's soccer squad placed third at the FIFA Under-20 World Cup in Toronto (Canada), behind Argentina and the Czech Republic. It was a date historic for Chile and South America.

2007-2008 Chile placed fourth in the South American Qualifying Group for the 2010 FIFA World Cup, behind Paraguay, Brazil and Argentina.

The main role of FIFA in the World Cup 2010 Qualifiers is to implement the process of qualification. They will be the one who will officially work on choosing who will make it for the FIFA World Cup Finals. The FIFA World Cup Finals is considered to be a very famous event known all over the world. The qualification is being used to lessen the huge number of the aspiring participants ranging from about 200 teams and reducing them to only 32 teams.

The World Cup 2010 Qualifiers will be assessed through the qualifying tournaments to know who will be the aspiring teams that will make it to the FIFA World Cup Finals. These tournaments are scheduled to be held inside the six FIFA continental zones like Asia, Africa, Europe, Oceania, North America, and South America plus the Caribbean. The tournaments are organized through their specific confederations. In each tournament, FIFA will outright decide how many spots will be awarded for each continental zone of course based on the respectable strength of each confederation teams.

Before every hosts of the World Cup will automatically occupy a permanent spot in the finals. World Cup previous results and continental championships are not recognized or put into account due to this, unlike the other sports that are known in the world. It was until 2002 that an automatic spot was given to defending champions. In 2006 World Cup defending championship need to enter the qualifying games too.

In 1934 and 1978 there are only 16 teams for the qualifying round, and since over the years there is an increasing number of teams qualifying for the finals, it increased to 24 teams between 1982 and 1994 and finally making it to 32 teams from 1998 and such qualifying requirement scheme has been the official format throughout the whole history of World Cup.

The 2010 FIFA World Cup is just around the corner with the first match kicking off in less than two years. During the event, all eyes will literally be on South Africa when the immense influx of football fans, tourists, world leaders and news reporters will paint a picture of South Africa's capabilities to the rest of the world.

Major cities such as Johannesburg, Bloemfontein, Durban, Cape Town, and Port Elizabeth are already showing the signs that the world's most popular sports tournament is coming. This is without doubt the biggest event to be hosted by South Africa, and the incredible transformations taking place in these cities are a testament as to how important a successful execution of the tournament is for South Africa.

South Africa is rising to the challenge admirably by using construction and formwork for building state-of-the-art sports complexes and stadiums, upgrading major airports, revamping major cities, overhauling the transport system through the creation of the Gautrain and extending freeway sizes along with fixing roads and existing public transport systems. With the incredible formwork and construction happening in South Africa right now, by 2010, the country will be able to host a highly successful World Cup tournament and illustrate to millions of people around the world what a capable and incredible country South Africa is.

Sports Stadiums
Five brand new stadiums are under construction for the FIFA 2010 World Cup including Green Point Stadium (the previous Green Point Stadium was demolished in 2007), the Peter Mokaba Sports Complex, the Mbombela Stadium in Mpumalanga, the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in Port Elizabeth (which, when complete, will be the fastest constructed sports stadium in the world) and the King Senzangakhona Stadium in Durban.

Other stadiums include the Soccer City Stadium and Ellis Park Stadium in Johannesburg, the Free State Stadium in Bloemfontein, the Peter Mokaba Stadium in Polokwane, the Loftus Versfeld Stadium in Pretoria and the Royal Bafokeng Sports Palace in Rustenburg. These stadiums each require huge construction processes and would not be able to be completed without formwork. With the use of formwork, construction companies are able to create magnificent and world-class stadiums, for example, the Mbombela Stadium in Mpumalanga has been designed to mix modern architecture with trusted formwork and construction techniques.

18 concrete and steel giraffe structures provide supports for the steel roof to the stadium which will have used 50000 cubic meters of poured concrete, 6000 tons of steel, 90000 cubic meters of formwork concrete slabs used to create retaining walls and sheer walls to raise the Mbombela Stadium from the ground.
The Green Point Stadium in Cape Town will have made use of 130000 cubic meters of concrete, 390000 square meters of formwork, 12000 tons of reinforcing steel, six million bricks and a steel cable tensioned glazed roof.

The Gautrain
The Gautrain is an underground railway system under construction in Johannesburg to help ease the pressure on public transport during the tournament and to help traffic flow in the city. The planned route of the train is run between four main stations - Johannesburg, Sandton, Tshwane and OR Tambo Airport and also to additional stations - Rosebank, Marlboro, Midrand, Centurion, Hatfield and Rhodesfield.

Formwork is a major part of the Gautrain construction as the entire railway runs underground and requires underground boring and high strength supporting walls. There are already 783 precast segments manufactured for lining the tunnel. In Midrand there is a precast yard which is capable of pouring 120 cubic meters of concrete per hour. Various bridges along the railway are under construction, requiring the use of M-Beam Formwork which is transported via trucks to the sites where the bridges are under construction.

Roads and Infrastructure
Because of the influx of people expected for the 2010 FIFA World Cup, the need for reliable infrastructure and transportation has increased greatly. With so many tourists expected to flock to South Africa during the tournament, the road system in the country is receiving a major upgrade. For example, the eThekwini (Durban) municipality is upgrading the Western Freeway. As it is one of the country's busiest roads and would have been unable to cope with the heavy traffic expected during the World Cup tournament in terms of traffic flow and the road strength.

To ease congestion, both directions of the freeway are being extended to house additional lanes, making the freeway a four or five lane structure. Formwork is especially important when freeway bridges are under construction due to the difficult nature of constructing such heavy structures at a height. Formwork can be pre-cast and driven in or completed by scaffolding formwork.

City and Buildings
Many city centres in South Africa have suffered tremendous neglect as crime levels in the CBDs have kept the areas unpopular and unmaintained. With the forthcoming FIFA World Cup, major overhauls of the cities in South Africa are underway to create an attractive and memorable experience for everyone involved in the World Cup tournament.

In Johannesburg, the NASREC Expo Centre is currently being renovated for use as the media centre during the tournament with the outside areas already becoming more aesthetic with paved pathways. The CBD in Cape Town is seeing many benefits from the renovations happening in the centre - many old buildings are being returned into their former glory with careful renovations whilst the V&A Waterfront has just been extended.

The construction on the Waterfront has included a major emphasis on parking but also on increasing the size of the extremely popular building to include more shops, restaurants and activities for the influx of tourists. All of the major cities in South Africa are experiencing such renovations, increasing the attractiveness of South Africa to the foreigners who will visit the country during the famous tournament.

Formwork has been a major contributor to the construction efforts underway in South Africa. Using formwork, the country is producing first-rate sports stadiums, superior infrastructure, renovated, new and stylish buildings, better transport systems and generally, a modern, world-class destination. Through formwork, South Africa has the potential to prove to the world just how capable the country is of hosting the 2010 FIFA World Cup successfully.

The long awaited African inauguration of the biggest show on earth, the FIFA 2010 World Cup, will be contested by the international giants of football at ten venues spread across the "Rainbow Nation".

Nine South African cities will open their hearts and minds to an anticipated armada of footie fans, with the economic capital of the country, Egoli "City of Gold", best known as Johannesburg, hosting both the opening and closing battles for world football supremacy at two different venues. The sheer distance between stadia arguably warrants a dedicated travel itinerary to prevent international and local visitors missing even a second of an event that only happens every four years.

Helicopter transfers transporting guests from the national airports or their luxury accommodation directly to the game, or as near as possible to the stadia, is already becoming a popular transport alternative for fans intent on following their chosen teams around!

JOHANNESBURG

Johannesburg, the economic and transport hub of South Africa, has been selected to host two of the most important encounters at two distinct venues:

Soccer City

Soccer City, also known as the FNB Stadium, has undergone a remarkable face lift with the extension of the upper tier all around the stadium expected to increase seating to 94 700. Brand new changing rooms, floodlights and a state-of the-art roof to keep spectators dry are but a handful of additions to a design based on the traditional calabash or African pot. The stadium is located 8kms from the CBD and is close to Gold Reef City and the NASREC National Exhibition Centre.

Ellis Park

Ellis Park, also close to the city centre, is in the process of a R2billion upgrade that will include new upper tiers behind each goal. The stadium's seating capacity will be increased to 70 000 in anticipation of a semi-final clash.

DURBAN

Moses Mabhida Stadium

The Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban is still under construction but is set to host a thrilling semi-final encounter. The design is dominated completely by a 106m high centre arch that will be linked to the ground by a high-tech cable car, affording visitors sweeping views of the KwaZulu Natal coastline. Dedicated buses, and trains to the new Kings Park Railway station, will ferry guests to and from the Stadium precinct.

CAPE TOWN

Green Point Stadium

The flagship stadium is without doubt the newly constructed Green Point Stadium in Cape Town. Situated on the Green Point common between Table Bay and the icon of Africa, Table Mountain, the stadium is expected to host 9 matches, including a quarter- and semi-final. Defined by a sweeping silhouette, the stadium was designed so as not to detract from Table Mountain but rather to enhance it. Once complete, the stadium will house an estimated 68 000 seats.

Other venues

• Free State Stadium in Bloemfontein
• Mbombela Stadium in Nelspruit
• Peter Mokaba Stadium in Polokwane
• Nelson Mandela Stadium in Port Elizabeth
• Loftus Versfeld Stadium in Pretoria
• Royal Bafokeng Stadium in Rustenburg

The FIFA World Cup 2010 Football Tournament (Soccer World Cup to South Africans) is a mere 20 months away and South Africa is truly abuzz with preparations. There is an enormous amount of pressure on South Africa to execute a successful and memorable tournament and work has begun in full force to ensure that the tournament is fault-free.

Construction and Scaffolding is Key
The construction sector is booming and reaping the benefits of these preparations as stadiums are built along with new roads and freeways. Buildings, suburbs and districts are being renovated to create an attractive, first-world image of South Africa to visiting foreigners and television audiences from around the world.

Scaffolding is imperative to the preparatory processes as scaffolding is required for not only various formwork and construction projects, but also to provide safe and easy access for renovations and restorations.

Roads
The influx of people into South Africa for the World Cup, and especially into the main cities of Cape Town, Johannesburg and Durban, requires that many infrastructure upgrades be made in these cities. The Department of Transport has been given a budget of R92-billion to bring the standard of the roads up to a level where they can cope with the enormous influx of traffic.

In Cape Town, the freeway system has always been relatively small and unable to cope with the volume of everyday traffic in and out of town. Roads are being widened to cope with the increased traffic that 2010 will bring. Many other cities are expanding their road infrastructure and repairing problems such as potholes. Scaffolding is used to build these new roads and complete the necessary formwork for the new infrastructure.

Buildings and Structures
In 2010 host cities, hotels are being built, old buildings are being restored to their former attractiveness and 'bad' areas are being cleaned up. The older buildings that are being restored are a mixture of high-rise blocks and smaller structures and scaffolding is needed to complete all of these adjustments and new structures.

Scaffolding is needed in the restoration process to allow workers access to high and difficult places to reach, whilst maintaining the safety of the workmen and bystanders.

Airports
One of the major construction projects taking place to accommodate the World Cup in 2010 is the expansion of South Africa's main airports. Over R5.2-billion has been invested in developing South Africa's airports to world-class standards. Durban, Cape Town and Johannesburg have seen the majority of expansions, especially Johannesburg's OR Tambo Airport which has benefitted from a R1.6-billion investment to develop the central terminal.

The terminal is linked to the Gautrain, a high speed train which will travel from OR Tambo Airport to Johannesburg.

Durban, Cape Town and Johannesburg airports have had their existing parking facilities upgraded to large, multi-story parkades to allow sufficient parking for the influx of visitors. R132-million has been budgeted for refurbishments at national airports which will provide temporary facilities during the tournament.

Stadiums
There are five stadiums which are being constructed from new, adding to the stadiums already existing in South Africa. Green Point Stadium in the Western Cape (the previous Green Point Stadium was demolished in 2007), the Peter Mokaba Sports Complex, the Mbombela Stadium in Mpumalanga, Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in Port Elizabeth and the Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban are under construction currently to be finished for the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

The FNB Stadium, Ellis Park in Johannesburg and Loftus Versfeld in Tshwane, along with the Royal Bafokeng Stadium in North West and Vodacom Park in Mangaung (Bloemfontein) are in the process of being upgraded to increase capacity and improve facilities.

These stadiums require enormous engineering feats and advanced use of scaffolding and formwork to ensure that the structures are completed on time and in good quality to achieve the maximum success for South Africa in hosting the tournament.

The FIFA World Cup is the most watched sporting event in the world. All eyes will be on South Africa to perform not only on the field, but also as a host country. With current construction underway, scaffolding is helping engineers and contractors to achieve top results in less time, with less man power but with the maximum safety available.

South Africa is ready to welcome the world with open arms, modern infrastructure, breathtaking venues and efficient security. More than 630,000 tickets have already been picked up by fans form 188 countries and they can't wait to put on their football jerseys and cheer their favorite teams!

With an expected fan base of 430,000 arriving at South Africa next June, the country is abuzz with activity. Ten world class stadia are being readied for the tournament, of which five are spanking new. Port Elizabeth's Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, located in an area of immaculate beaches, has been declared opened. The stunning Moses Mabhida in Durban with its towering arch that resembles Wembley Stadium even has a cable car that takes you right to the beach front!

Polkwane, the land of the upside down baobab tree and the cradle of ancient civilisations, is to be ready with its stadium by October. As will Nelspruit, South Africa's very own Garden of Eden. The fifth stadium, Green Point, in the cosmopolitan city of Cape Town is being prepared for a February opening. Green Point is the only stadium in the world with a roof made of glass!

Soccer City, the showpiece venue on the outskirts of Soweto in Johannesburg, has been upgraded with a design that's takes inspiration from African pottery. With so much of renovation gone into it, it can be called a brand new stadium for all purposes! The 2010 FIFA World Cup opening match is scheduled to be played at this 94,000 capacity stadium. The four other venues of Ellis Park, Free State, Loftus Versfeld and Royal Bafokeng have been upgraded to host the Confederations Cup matches this month.

Jozi, as locals affectionately call Johannesburg, is the financial hub of the African continent. It's got energy, culture, excitement, as well as, peace and tranquility with 2328 parks forming a large and much appreciated greenbelt. Joberg is also the birthplace of South Africa's rich football heritage. Professional football began right here in the offices of the old Rand Daily Mail newspaper back in 1958!
It is home to champions Kaizer Chiefs, Orlando Pirates and Jomo Cosmos. When Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates play each other, it is one of the most fiercely contested matches in the world! Johannesburg has also produced famous players like Jomo Sono and Kaizer Motaung, founders of the above clubs. Sono has even had the honor of playing with legends like Pele and Franz Beckenbauer! Ace or Patrick Ntsoelengoe holds pride of place as one of South Africa's greatest football players ever.

Besides setting the stage for a brilliant 2010 World Cup, great hopes ride on the tournament. With so much spent on infrastructure, roads, airports, security, hotels and soccer merchandise, South Africans want the World Cup to showcase the best their country has to offer in a bid to rebrand it, increase its prestige, benefit its people and act as a catalyst for economic growth. As of now, let the vuvuzelas blow as soccer greats arrive proudly wearing their World Cup soccer jerseys for the Confederation Cup, a precursor to the biggest festival of football in the world!

Blow your own trumpet!

Get ready for some unique fashion statement at the 2010 FIFA World Cup to be held in South Africa for the first time. It won't just be your favorite players in their World Cup soccer jerseys vying for your attention! Soccer World Cup fans are all set to up the temperature with their traditional vuvuzelas - those trumpets that sound like busy bumbling bees every time the ball enters the net!

A hat for every head

You can expect vuvuzelas to mingle with makarabas making for a complete riot of sound and color! Makaraba hats were first worn in South Africa in the 70s as protection against bottles or other flying objects! Later, all kinds of designs and add-ons were fixed onto these hard builder hats making them a must have fashion statement. They've become so popular that no hard core football fan can be seen without one! Makarabas representing the participating teams in the 2010 World Cup are being designed on a war footing. Each hat is painstakingly prepared by hand and cut into a unique shape and design, so it takes anywhere between 8 to 14 hours to make one! These colorful works of art make for great souvenirs of the much awaited World Cup.

Soccer Sells!

Besides this, there are all kinds of merchandise you can pick up to declare your loyalty for your team from custom-made soccer apparel to watches, mugs, scarves, wallets, bedspreads and DVDs. And you can find something to suit your pocket. Replica team jerseys are probably the most common and popular choice with fans. After all, nothing beats wearing your team colors during a match while you're at the stadium in front of the TV! It's a heady experience of loyalty, pride and togetherness.

Sports Collection

Puma made sure it wasn't left behind in this football frenzy! It joined hands with fashion expert Neil Barrett to launch an athletic lifestyle collection that covers everything from hooded sweatshirts to tees, cargoes to blouson jackets. The focus is on functional fibers, distressed washes and embellished applications giving it a fashionable yet comfortable look. Barrett, a giant in the fashion industry with names like Prada and Gucci under his belt, was inspired by the protective armor worn by Roman gladiators! He added his own layered signature to it. And voila!

Beckham Mayhem

Britain's star player David Beckham has made soccer super fashionable! It's no longer just about the game; it's about cash rich sponsorships, global sports brands and celebrity endorsements. LA Galaxy roped in Beckham to wear their new soccer shirt making it the fastest selling shirt ever! More than a quarter million were ordered even before the design was revealed thanks to Becks! The home shirt is similar to Real Madrid's, while the away shirt comes in a three dimensional design in navy blue with hints of yellow. The good thing is this soccer shirt has been designed to be worn outside the stadium as well.

With so much going on in the world of soccer fashion, the choices are plenty and increasing by the day. So, take your pick and make your own style statement!

South Africa went into celebration mode at the final word of hosting the Fifa World Cup 2010 Soccer. This is amazing and a fantastic opportunity to show the world just what South Africa has to offer.

Major preparations are underway for this great event. Aspects include preparing the international airports to cater for the traffic inflow expected. Significant renovations are underway improving airport access, parking and baggage handling.

Stadiums are being built in the major areas where the games will be played and tourism establishments are stepping up the pace to offer world class accommodation adequately catering for more people.

Even tour companies are making sure that visitors - both viewers and participants of the Game will have a throughly wonderful experience when not within the stadium confines.

South Africa is making tremendous progress in this regard. The whole country is on board and so excited to show case the very best of South Africa.

Fortunately as the Games will be played in various of South African cities, there is a perfect chance to view plenty. Winelands, culture and beautiful beaches in the Western Cape, wide open spaces in the Free State, safari expeditions in the North West, mountains, mist and sites of amazing natural beauty in Mpumalanga, battlefields and beaches in Kwazulu Natal, peaceful and warm beaches in the Eastern Cape, as well as the world's biggest elephants, additional safari expeditions in Limpopo as well as culture galore in Gauteng.

South Africa welcomes the world to enjoy and savor its accommodation, dining and other experiences.

If you are not like me, you must be a football lover. Let me use the words "soccer" and "football" to mean the same thing whether you are from Europe or America. This time around, all attention is focused to South Africa. It's an historic event in the history of this country and Africa as a whole.
Looking at the official Match Schedule as released and published on FIFA's website and the number of the ticket applications received during the first sales phase that ended at midnight on 31 March with a total of 1,635,136 applications, one can begin to imagine the scramble.

The matches will be played in the following towns/areas:

• Cape Town,
• Durban,
• Johannesburg,
• Mangaung/Bloemfontein,
• Nelson Mandela Bay/Port Elizabeth,
• Nelspruit,
• Polokwane,
• Rustenburg,
• Tshwane/Pretoria.

One sure thing is that the whole world will not be at the pitches, not even all the South Africans. However, everyone that stays back is not necessarily not a lover of football. A good number of reasons account for this. You can start naming from lack of time because of other priorities, finance, and many others. If you are NOT packing your bags, there are other ways to be part of the tournament.

Don't ask me how because I know you certainly have a TV set with foreign channels. If your TV set can't follow you to the office or beach, I think the Internet can do. There are lots and lots of sites out there that will stream live images during the time. Also check the Net for some desktop applications that will bring the event closer to you.

With the 2010 FIFA World Cup road show about to kick off in nine South African cities, football fans are encouraged to discover the treasures of South Africa by following their chosen teams around. Matches will take place in or near virtually all the tourist hotspots, so when you are not bellowing for Kaka, Torres, Messi or Diego, why not opt for car rental and take time out to appreciate the rich diversity of South Africa.

Premier wildlife conservation areas

The biggest show on earth will begin in Johannesburg, a city built on the incomparable riches of gold that is still mined extensively today. Johannesburg itself may not be packed with attractions, but only a couple of hour's drive away is the world renowned Kruger National Park, one of the premier conservation areas of Africa.

A safe haven for the 'Big 5', the Kruger has a range of accommodation options, from luxurious bush lodges where your every need is taken care of to simple, self-catering rondavels. Earmark at least four days to unearth the delights of the African bushveld as this park is vast, covering 18,989km².

The centre of Zulu culture

The city of Durban on the KwaZulu Natal coastline is another hot favourite with visitors. It is slap bang in the centre of the traditional Zulu Kingdom, so guests will have the opportunity of steeping themselves in the exotic Zulu culture. Not far north of Durban, it's possible to visit an authentic Zulu Kraal or homestead, where you can interact with the local community, witness them crafting their traditional weapons of war - the assegai and knobkerrie - as well as enjoying traditional Zulu dances.

Home to the great Nelson Mandela

Port Elizabeth, in the Eastern Cape, is the nearest large, urban hub to the traditional home of world statesman and the first democratically elected president of South Africa, the great Nelson Mandela. It is also the traditional home of the Xhosa nation, numbered at about 12 million people.

The Eastern Cape is another area that has promoted conservation and there are several excellent private and national game reserves, all within an easy day's drive of PE. The Addo Elephant Park and the Shamwari Game Reserve are two premier wildlife destinations, but if the bush has begun to pall, make for the beautiful beach destinations of Cintsa, Morgan's Bay or the famed Coffee Bay in the Transkei.

Wine, whales and the Waterfront

The iconic city of Cape Town is scheduled to host 9 FIFA World Cup matches, including a quarter-final and a semi-final. However, in between these exciting encounters there is a veritable feast of attractions to discover, from the beautiful Cape wine estates to the best land-based whale watching in the world to the opulent V&A Waterfront. Take time out and discover the wonders of the southern tip of Africa - you won't regret it!

With less than a year to go for the 2010 FIFA World Cup football fans around the world are restless and can't wait to hear the first whistle blow! After all, it's a four year wait before one gets to see world class football that's pure magic! And the countdown has begun. This World Cup will be the 19th tournament and it's all set to take place in South Africa. So, keep the 11th of June to the 11th of July aside for some adrenalin pumping action!

It will be the first time that the World Cup is being hosted by South Africa. Nine cities across the country are being readied in terms of infrastructure and operations. Thousands of fans and tourists are expected to descend on South Africa to watch their favorite teams take centre stage in their national team uniforms. Overall, an estimated six billion people will watch the matches worldwide.

The CEO of the World Cup Organizing Committee, Dr Danny Jordaan admits that it's been a tough road at times, but he finds inspiration in the men and women who have worked tirelessly to ensure they go from the planning to the playing stage. "When you look at them and you look in their eyes you get a sense they've all decided, 'we won't let you down, we won't let the country down', and that they're going to make this work," says Jordaan. He hopes that when the final whistle has blown, Nelson Mandela and the many other freedom fighters will be smiling in the realization that the World Cup was delivered by both black and white coming together, that all their efforts and sacrifices were not in vain...

This World Cup's mascot is Zakumi, a cute leopard with green hair! He was born on the 16th of June 1994, the year that apartheid ended. The 'Za' in Zakumi is the international abbreviation for South Africa and 'kumi' means ten in many African languages. It also means 'come here' in some southern African languages. The green and yellow colors of the mascot stand for the host nation's flag and playing strip. Zakumi's designer, Andries Odendaal, explains that the animal's green hair was designed to provide camouflage on the football pitch.

With the qualifiers taking place, the heat is already on! There's been a global rush to apply for tickets to the 2010 World Cup. Bets are on as to who'll make it and who'll be left out. Some traditional favorites are already facing a tough challenge to qualify!

Putting aside relocation rumors, resettling controversies and preparation deadlines, the first FIFA World Cup in the African continent is all set to take your breath away! So, get your custom soccer jerseys out and get into the spirit of things! If you don't you're your favorite teams soccer jersey, it's high time you picked one up or you might not get any later! After all, we're talking about the World Cup here and fans are seriously loyal when it comes to supporting their favorite team!

A quality soccer uniform makes a team look and feel great, is durable enough to survive even the toughest playing conditions, and creates group solidarity. It should be comfortable to wear and be able to absorb sweat, helping regulate a player's body temperature. Soccer uniforms can be customized for team individuality, or a team can order and wear copies of their favorite professional soccer players' uniforms.

Soccer is a great way to get kids active and teach them about teamwork and cooperative play. Here are some of the things a little soccer player will need to complete his or her soccer uniform:

Jersey

Youth soccer jerseys come in many colors and patterns, usually with one dominant color and an accent stripe on the sides and sleeves. Colors can be specialized, or chosen from a list provided by a soccer supply company. The sleeves are short, the neck either rounded or v-neck, and the fabric is made from polyester, cotton blends, or nylon. Some soccer uniforms have a pattern knitted into the fabric, making it flashy. It's important for jerseys to be lightweight, durable, breathable, and be able to hold their color without fading.

Shorts

Soccer uniform shorts should offer the player plenty of support without being too tight or restricting. Side meshing allows for airflow and a drawstring at the waist band allows for a perfect fit. Soccer shorts are usually made of polyester, are either knit or woven, and have an inseam of 3-4 inches for youth sizes. It's important for soccer shorts to fit comfortably, never rubbing the skin raw or restricting motion. Shorts that are too loose will also hinder a player's running ability.

Cleats

Comfortable and well-fitted cleats are an essential part of a soccer uniform. Poor fitting cleats lead to blisters, sprained ankles, and falls. When buying a child cleats, make sure that they fit comfortably even with their socks and shin guards in place and take weather and playing conditions into consideration.

Socks

Socks may not seem very significant, but they can make or break a soccer uniform. Good socks keep a player's feet dry, warm, and protected from blisters. Synthetic material works best for soccer socks, because traditional cotton socks soak up sweat and stay wet. This can lead to blisters. Quality socks make soccer cleats more comfortable and cushion feet from the ravages of constant running.

With the return of Florentino Perez as Real Madrid's president it was just a matter of time before big monies exchanged hands to sign up the world's most marketable soccer stars. This is all with a view to bring back Real's glory days by becoming champions in Spain and Europe once again...

Perez hopes to repeat his earlier success of building a formidable Real team comprising of soccer greats such as Zidane, Luis Figo, Ronaldo and David Beckham. The beginning of 2000 saw this man go on a shopping spree that ended with these four stars in Madrid's bag for a cost of £132 million.

It seems Real paid AC Milan $94.90 million for Kaka, while Ronaldo was bought from Manchester United for $131.2 million, finally bringing to an end to months of speculation. Kaka seemed to be a 'reluctant hero' though, with his heart still set on his club AC Milan. But with the reality of global recession and the realization that at the end of the day clubs are businesses, he agreed to the move. It's his way of helping Milan get over its financial crisis. The 27 year old Brazilian went through a medical check up at the Brazilian national team's training camp in Recife and with that transfer was complete. Speaking at a press conference, Kaka clarified: "I can officially say I'm a Real Madrid player. My professional link with AC Milan finishes now, but my sentimental link will never end."

But you'll have to wait until the end of June to see Kaka in the famous Real Madrid soccer uniform since he has to fulfill his duty towards national team Brazil, who are all set to play in South Africa for the Confederations Cup. Whether he wears the famous number five soccer jersey is not clear. Though Perez would like him to wear the soccer shirt, Kaka has expressed his reservations. The Brazilian star felt: "Wearing the number five would be a great responsibility. Zidane was a great player, both for Real Madrid and for France, and I wouldn't like to wear the same number as he did."

Another record breaking deal saw Man U forward Ronaldo move to Real for a whopping $131.2million! In this case, it seems Ronaldo was keen to join Real since he had always dreamt of playing for the club as a young boy. After much denial, Manchester United released an official statement saying that they have received an offer to sell Ronaldo to Real for a price of £80 million. This makes it the highest price ever paid for a player in the history of football!

Ronaldo's leaving Man U means the celebrated number 7 soccer jersey, worn by soccer greats like George Best, Eric Cantona David Beckham, will now become available. And coach Sir Alex Ferguson will be left with the formidable to find a player worthy of its ancestry...

Now that Ronaldo and Kaka have been won over, rumors are flying thick that Franck Ribéry is next on Perez's much talked about shopping list...

Adidas F50.8 Tunit [affiliate] has been the center of the soccer world buzz. It's won two awards this year, Most Innovative Shoe, and also Best Looking too. However, what is it that sets this shoe apart from all the rest? As an owner of this cleat, I've found several different pros and cons the Tunit brings with ownership. I'll start with the good.
Adidas Tunit F50.8

Adidas Tunit F50.8

* First off, this cleat looks amazing. I always get comments on my shoes (White/Metallic/Gold) from both fans and the other team. I hear "Wow. Look at those cleats. I bet he's a good player." The shoes look brilliant and make you brag about them. It also has a new feature which also brings attention. The see-through heel. Good reason to buy the shoes.

* Interchangeable studs, chassis, sock liner, and upper. Lets you change it however you want, whenever you want. I've gotten to a deserty field and had softy ground cleats, and my feet hurt the entire game. Now with the Tunit, you can change your shoe to match the conditions.

* Very lightweight. 7.4 oz making it easier to lift your feet up off the ground. It doesn't gradually drag your feet down after an exhausting 90 minutes, creating a feather-like shoe you barely even notice while running.

* Many famous professionals wear the Tunits (Lionel Messi, David Villa)

Now to the bad.

* Gave me blisters in two different spots on both feet. (Right behind my ankle and the left side of my heel) It may have not been broken in enough at the beginning, however made them worse after 2 weeks worth of wearing them.

* Only comes with 1 pair of chassis and sock liner. To buy the competitive versions, costs extra $50.00.

* It does not come with a string bag or ball sack, unlike Predators [affiliate] and T90 Lasers [affiliate].

* To buy another Upper it costs $80.00, when you could buy the Nike Mercurial Talaria [affiliate] for approximately the same price.

Altogether, it is a good shoe for the type of people who want to do tricks and have stylish shoes. To buy the F50 Start Kit [affiliate], it costs $169.00, a low price compared to other cleats. I'd say a resounding yes to most, to buy this shoe.

This years FA Cup Final is being contested by two teams in blue, namely Everton and Chelsea. Everton are one of the oldest names in world football and are founder members of the football league (1888) and the Premiership (1992), while Chelsea have recently come into prominence thanks to the billions of a Russian owner. With two very popular clubs, comes the problem of finding tickets for the FA Cup final. The Football Association (FA) allocate quite a small number of tickets for each club to sell to their supporters. Wembley, the stadium where the final is to be held, seats some 90,000 people, and you would expect the vast majority of the crowd to be either Everton or Chelsea supporters.

Not so, with both clubs receiving just 25,000 tickets each, meaning the remaining 40,000 tickets being offered to outside sources, and eventually the dreaded ticket tout! Both Chelsea and Everton's boardroom staff have voiced their concerns over the low ticket allocation to the FA about their meagre allocations, but we all know deep down, that nothing will change. Wembley cost a fortune to build and this is some way of clawing back all the expense.

It does seem crazy that there potentially could be only 50,000 supporters of both football teams in a 90,000 seater stadium. To make it fairer, the allocation should be around 35,000 tickets (as these are the average home attendances of both teams), with 20,000 to non supporters, if the FA must insist on having some of these people there.

So, basically, unless you are a season ticket holder of either Chelsea or Everton, you stand very little chance of getting a ticket from either official source. You must look elsewhere. And even season ticket holders are not guaranteed a ticket because there are more season ticket holders than the allocated ticket allowance. More than likely, it will go to a ballot to see who can claim their ticket.

This is the tricky part, as there are so many touts and bogus websites claiming to sell tickets that more often than not, do not actually have the official FA Cup final tickets to sell. So those of us who want tickets for the FA Cup final must be careful and seek official, reputable ticket companies that do sell exactly what they promise.

So the options are as follows:

1. We are a season ticket holder and can buy through our club.
2. We can search online and find a site offering tickets for sale, and hope they are legitimate.
3. We can go to the ground and buy from a tout, and again, hope the ticket is legitimate.
4. We can do nothing, and watch the game on tv at home or the pub. More comfortable, but the atmosphere's not the same.

FA Cup Final tickets are a real high value commodity and you are going to need to do a lot of research to make sure that you are buying the real thing.

Do you love playing football? Are you among the roster of players that your league is proud to have? Whether you play for your school or your community, locally or nationally, you definitely need a uniform! It is what you would wear during the game and that which would distinguish you from the rest of the teams playing in the match. Also, the football uniform is important for you to be able to determine your teammates from a crowd of players. So, when you are in search for the uniform that your team could wear for the upcoming games, the best place for you to go to is the football kit shop.

The football kit shops are all around and you can easily get the access to them. It would be best to pay these shops a visit so you can ask for the trusted recommendations of the salespeople.

Likewise, you have to take note of the very important pointers when choosing the material for your team's uniform. Remember that the modern football uniforms have evolved and they are no longer the same as those which have existed five years ago. A couple of years ago, the uniforms were typically the plain looking blue jerseys with the white colored numbers matched with the simple white pants. However, times have changed and they have advanced into something cooler and newer.

Here are a few ideas to help you out in choosing your own football paraphernalia.

1. The fabric must be softer, more comfortable, and more functional.
2. Choose jerseys with longer lengths which can be tucked into the pants.
3. Get uniforms with more tapered and more contoured patterns.
4. Prefer the so-called "Lineman's Cut" type of jerseys which hug the arms and the body.
5. Take a look at the contrasting inserts for the side or shoulder of the shirt.
6. Consider using the matching inserts to be placed on the pants.
7. Make use of multi-colored numbers, graphics, and some neck plackets.
8. Adopt the sleeve length that could either be equipped with or without the rib cuffs.

Basically, you could take a pick from an array of choices. You can express yourselves with the colors of your choice. More so, if you want to be truly unique, you might as well have your football uniforms and kits customized. You may opt for a more heavyweight and durable fabric, the use of the Lycra side inserts to make it more fitted to the body, and the pants that match the upper shirt with Lycra side inserts and other special effects. Overall, the football kit manufacturers have the technology to produce the orders according to the customers' specifications while paying careful attention to the color, fabric, and other options.

In summary, the options are all available for you when it comes to deciding how your uniform and other kits would look like. The football kit shops make it possible for you to enjoy the game while showing off your jerseys and pants and other football accessories with pride. The salespeople in the shops are going to be of assistance to you so no need to worry!

In recent years, a new soccer betting market has evolved. The under/over 2.5 goals market has become increasingly popular among sports betting enthusiasts and soccer fans. This kind of soccer betting allows punters to try predicting whether or not there will be less than 2.5 goals scored in a match or more than that figure.

Newcomers to soccer betting can be confused by the 2.5 figure after all it is not possible to score this number of goals in a match. The 2.5 figure is just an imaginary one that sits in between the 2 goal and 3 goal marks allowing bettors to bet on both scenarios.

The reason this market has become so popular is that people find it easier to predict how many goals will be scored in a match rather than the eventual result. For example, in a match featuring two very low scoring teams the likelihood is that this trend would continue and goals would be scarce. In contrast games that feature two free scoring teams would be far more likely to see more than 2 goals scored.

If you can spot a team that is consistently involved in games which feature less than 2.5 goals, it is possible to enjoy a high success rate with this form of soccer betting. There have been many examples of outstanding teams who win most of their matches yet still be involved in low scoring encounters.

Finding a team who is a good bet for the under/over 2.5 goals markets is not just about how many goals they score. The defensive aspect is equally important because how many goals a team concedes also plays a large part in whether or not they are regularly involved in low scoring matches.

Because of the popularity of this market there is now a range of similar ones with the line being set at 1.5 goals, 3.5 goals and even 4.5 goals although they are yet to become as popular as the 2.5 goals market.

In terms of odds these markets provide significant value compared to other soccer markets. If you have a good knowledge of the sport or can carry out some research then betting on the under/over 2.5 goals, market in soccer can be a very profitable activity.

For many Capetonians the Green Point Stadium which is billed to host one of the semi-finals of the FIFA 2010 Soccer World Cup is nothing but a construction site, and it is difficult to imagine this construction site hosting such a prestigious event in less than two year's time.

The stadium's architecture has been designed to compliment Cape Town's sky line, particularly Table Mountain, with sweeping architecture and a stretched fibre-glass mesh. While stadiums traditionally have very flat horizontal edges the designers have attempted to break these hard lines with a much more fluid looking structure that will compliment the stadium's exquisite setting.

The stadium is scheduled for completion in December 2009, allowing at least six months for the grass to bed down before the arrival of the World Cup in June 2010. When the stadium is completed it will probably be one of the most picturesque stadiums in the world. It will have Cape Town's signature of Table Mountain framed by Signal Hill, Lions Head and Devils Peak as its backdrop. As if this was not enough of a cinematographer's dream the stadium's north western view is out towards the Atlantic Ocean and the historic Robben Island.

It is astounding to see how quickly the stadium is changing from a big pit with a plethora of cranes to a skeleton of a stadium that will host 68 000 fans during each of the games of the 2010 world cup.
The stadium will host five of the first round games, one of the Round 16 games, a quarter final and finally one of the semi-finals.

Ultimately the stadium will be at the centre of a huge urban parkland that will host a wide range of sports facilities for all Capetonians.

The completed stadium will consist of "6 levels" comprising of:
Ground Level Sports team rooms, VIP and VIP reception, lowest parking level, medical and police facilities, waste collection and compaction;
Level 1 Media areas, TV and radio studios, FIFA offices and sports event staff offices, and upper parking level;

Level 2: Public Plaza main concourse pedestrian access down to lowest tier and up to second tier, disabled person's seating, fan shop, VIP welcome zone, concession stands;

Level 3 Lower level of business club, multi-purpose hall, security and police offices, operator's storage spaces, smaller food kitchens;

Level 4 Upper level of business club, larger food preparation kitchens, stadium administration (operator's) offices;

Level 5 VIP lounges and private corporate boxes.

Level 6 Upper concourse, concession stands and access onto third tier of seats; and
The roof which is located above the highest level of seats, and contains an accessible roof including the lighting and media zone, with catwalk access into and through the roof structure.

There has been significant skepticism about whether the stadium will be completed in time for the 2010 World Cup, but judging by the speed with which this stadium is being constructed there is no reason to doubt that Cape Town is going to host one of the most spectacular semi-finals that world soccer has ever seen. BRING ON 2010!