Keeping up tradition
After a long season, that ended for us on a mediocre 4th place in the first division, it was time for the End of Season Trip to recap, enjoy and plan ahead for the next season! To continue a tradition, Koh Samet was again selected as the destination for more than 30 people joining the trip: Players, wives, kids and sponsors!
After countless hours of preparation and discussions with the hotel (thanks to Por & Dave!) the crowd met at Haefele on Friday afternoon to drive jointly to Samet Pier. To prevent dehydration, the bus was equipped with 150 L of draft beer, the same amount in Singha cans and some hidden bottles of Schnaps.
After a bus ride with no traffic jams, lots of poker games and delicious Wiener Schnitzel, the entire team met at the pier to hop over to Samet on the speedboat.
Once everybody checked in, the beer station was set up and everyone gathered at the beach to have more drinks, Schnitzel, lots of laughs and chatters. A few players decided to explore the nightlife of Silversand beach just to join the beer drinking at the beach again a few hours later. It was reported that some returned to the hotel very late or even ended up in a pond – to be investigated further!
For a great start into the Saturday, everyone was welcomed with a wake-up Jaegermeister to briefly forget about all other hangover pains. The coaching team decided to recap the season already in the early afternoon, just to ensure a clear mind and pronunciation during the speeches. It was also the time to say goodbye to coach Dave, vice-captain Julian and Lorenzo. Dave has been the head coach for the past three seasons and managed the team to win two cup titles. He is handing over to Dominik but will remain part of the GAS management team to help whenever it’s needed, off and on the pitch. Julian is leaving GAS as a “legend” after seven successful seasons to return to Germany for his MBA while Lorenzo will relocate to Singapore for job reasons. Thanks to all of them for their great contribution to the German All Stars Bangkok!
The Saturday continued with pool relaxation and lots of beach fun. After the beach soccer game that ended with just 1:0 (great defence performances!), the team cooled off in the sea with a steady supply of ice-cold Singha beer. A delicious dinner buffet was served at the beach and kicked-off the Saturday night which some used to get some urgently needed sleep while others couldn’t get enough from the vibes, drinks and shiny face paintings at Silver Sand beach.
While the last keg of beer was tackled on Sunday morning, it started pouring and the thunderstorm helped to wake up the last ones sleeping. The sky cleared up again just in time for some group pictures before the speedboot returned us safely to the mainland.
All in all, it was another unforgettable GAS weekend that make this club so remarkable in South East Asia. Thanks to all who supported in organizing this trip. It’s now the time to recover from a long season to start again fully recharged in August…stay tuned!
