Schedule Update: Week Of 8 December 2008
The scheduling of next week’s sessions got complicated, first with the addition of a mixed session on Tuesday, and then with the change of venue for Monday, so I’m doing the update as a separate post. Update (rankings shown in brackets as necessary):
- Monday, 8 December 2008, 9 am onwards, at FICO. Tom will confirm whether it’s 1 or 2 hours, and the final numbers. I called Boris, and he’s confirmed, so you have at least 10 – Bobby, Tom, Santi, Manuel, Rajseran, Franco, Shankar, Kevin, Damian, Boris. Based on the updated rankings, the team selectors are Tom and Bobby. Line ups will appear later.
- Tuesday, 9 December 2008, 9 to 10 pm at The Cage (Kallang) – 10: May (-), Joel (28), Boon Yick (46), Murray (11), Reza (16), Ladi (19), Andy P (36), Rajseran (18), Franco (26), me (31). FULL. Colours: Black, White. Our first mixed session.
- Wednesday, 10 December 2008, 9 to 10 pm, The Cage (Kallang) – 10: · Kevin (51), Edardy (20), Rajseran (18), Bobby (12), John S (14), Philipp (15), Lukas (-), Ian (5), Yaseen (33), Kin (13). FULL. Colours: White, Black.
- Thursday, 11 December 2008, 9 to 10 pm, Sports Planet @ East Coast – 10: Tom (10), Franco (26), Shankar (25), Mike A (43), Gilbert (2), Ronak (48), Yaseen (33), Andy M (1), Nick (63), me (31). FULL. Murray and Ladi in reserve. Colours: Red, White.
If we need to apply the priority system, those playing more than 1 session are (Tuesday shown separately):
- Franco – 2+1
- Rajseran – 2+1
- Yaseen – 2
- Shankar – 2
- Tom – 2
- Bobby – 2
- Kevin – 2
- me – 1+1
Instead of bumping anyone off, we can go up to 12 on Thursday, as necessary.
Categories: Uncategorized
Jiv/Tom – I’m out of town over the weekend, back late Sun. So pls appoint an alternate selector. Tks
Ok Bobby.
Next highest ranked player is Mark “Manuel” L, but he hasn’t yet hit the minimum one-fifth of all sessions since 1 September 2008 threshold.
The next highest is Rajseran.
Tom, you decide who you want to call.
Hello everyone.. Thanks for inviting me to the group..
it’s for 2 hours.
george is in for monday so that makes it 11.
Jiv, have you decided whether you are playing?
Boris, you’re welcome. FIOFAFI is open to everyone with the right attitude.
Tom, I’m playing Tuesday, so I’ll give 2 hours on Monday a miss. Is Kevin bringing any friends? I’ll also ask Nick. What about Clive and Mark C?
It might be neater to go 6 v 6 with one rolling sub per team, rather than trying to rotate 3 teams, but I leave that to you.
By the way, George is now the highest ranked player on Monday, but he’s just short of the one-fifth mark.
This site is just amazing. Rankings and stuff too! Haha.
if we 11 than i offer my place and take rest on monday.
Franco: wait a while. I need to check with Kelvin and Nick.
ok…sunday I will see … what will be the situation…enjoy your EPL….I m going for my Bundesliga – saturday night dinner…:-)
HI Rajiv
I cant get any players to commit for Monday , Can you play to make the numbers ?
I can’t get any of my guys either. Many of them ran in today’s Standard Chartered marathon so it’s rest day for them.
thanks for trying kelvin.
franco, unless we get another by midnight tonight, it looks as if you will have to wait for your hug
Hi guys. What colours tomorrow?
URGENT:
Venue for tomorrow has been changed to East Coast. KO 9am.
Jiv, can you post the line-ups according to the rankings please? Can we go
A: 1, 4, 6, 8, 10
B: 2, 3, 5, 7, 9
Colours RED and Black.
Drove all the way to FICO this afternoon to pay for the courts as agreed $85 for 2 hours. This @#ker over at FICO said he knew nothing about the deal and said “I tell you what, this is how much you pay for two hours”, showing me a calculator with $124 for the two hours. I told him to fuck off, of course.
Anyway, Jiv managed to get the court at East Coast. See you all there.
nevermind Jiv, I got the rankings and here are the teams for tomorrow:
REDS: George, Mark L, Santi, Damian, Boris.
BLACKS: Tom, Bobby, Rajseran, Shankar, Kevin.
Please be there before 845am to warm up and wind up your opponents.
I have sent a text message to all indicating their colours and change of venue.
I’m sorry FICO didn’t work out Tom.
I’ve arranged for Rajseran to give Boris a lift from the vicinity of FICO.
Thanks Rajseran.
Again, thanks guys for the effort to make sure all of us can enjoy FIOFAFI tomorrow. See you guys.
Thanks Tom and Jiv for organizing the games. Public Holiday or no public holiday, rain or shine, recession or no recession, win or lose there is always a game on!
jeefers… cant make it on wed..
Jiv, am still looking doubtful for tomorrow (ankle). Will play if really needed but at some point I think I need to take 2-3 weeks out if I want this niggling injury to go away.
Both Reza (flu) and Joel (conference call) are out tonight, and Kin and Ian are out tomorrow, so revised numbers are as follows:
If anyone playing on Thursday can switch to (or add) tonight or tomorrow night, please do so.
Jiv
i can play tonight. I am also happy to swap to Wednesday from Thursday if required
I can play tonite if needed
Rajiv,
I can play tomorrow night, if needed.
Cheers,
John J
Rajesh thanks for the lift again. If you ever need an extra player feel free to call me, though transport might be an issue if the venue is not near an MRT station.
rajiv,
i put my back out last night. going to have to cancel. hope you can find one more.
rgds andy
Yuchi is in for tonight, so we’re back to 10 for tonight.
Andy M, I’ll wait to see if anyone else comes in for tomorrow, before switching you from Thursday, as that would leave us with an odd number for Thursday. Would you play all three days?
See Current Schedule above for update.
at a push i could as Thursday looks like a 6-aside so not much room for running about
Melvin can play tonight, and Yuchi can switch to tomorrow, so I’ll leave you on Thursday Andy.
Most of us will be playing our second game of the week on Thursday, so 6 v 6 might be alright.
F@*k it – im not playing tonight just realised we got a bird playing. (Sorry May its just mixed games are a very different style of game) Better playing 5 on 5 on thursday too – so count me out unless you are short.
So Who is wearing Black and Who is wearing White today ?
And If Murray is not playing today , and if Boris is interested i can fetch him again today . Let me know soon ! Wont be able to check the update later , will be out for some Meetings again . How Boring . zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz .
Hi
If anyone is interested in Playing on Wednesday instead of Thursday , let me know , i dont mind playing on Thursday instead . Thanks and that one day break might do good for me.
May has agreed to switch to tomorrow.
If anyone playing tomorrow feels as strongly about it as Murray, please let me know, and also let me know whether you can switch to today or Thursday.
I’d like to get a regular mixed session going, but not at the expense of losing regulars.
Rajesh, I’m sure you can manage tomorrow, especially if May is playing
.
I’ll see if anyone drops out before confirming numbers for Thursday. I was thinking 5 v 5 with 1 rolling substitute for each side, but 1 hour would be insufficient for that.
Tonight’s line ups under “Current Schedule”.
u can put me in reserve for any day.. but preferably days with red/black jerseys since i don’t have a white one.
I’ve come down with a pretty bad cold today. Not sure if it’ll clear up by tomorrow so if anyone would like to swap from Thu to Wed, that would be great. Then I’ll have an extra day’s rest before playing, otherwise I may FIOFAFI till I die (read T-shirt thread for context).
Boon Yick has asked to play in white tonight, so Boon Yick and Melvin have swapped sides.
hi rajiv,
Thanks again!
I don wanna cause any inconvenience.. Hmm…I donno what’s the meaning of being called a bird.. but anyway, maybe you can start the mixed sessions later next year or some time possible. I think some people might not voice out strongly, but would definitely prefer a all men session. I think it’s better you can find another player tomorrow..will join next time! Thanks! I really appreciate it!
Hi Rajiv,
As per my SMS, i am happy to play tonight at the cage, See you all there and welcome to the group May.
Ladi
Sorry about that May.
Some of the guys are ok with mixed sessions, some are not, but as long as we have enough people, we can have separate sessions to cater for all.
And if there are enough women who want to play, there’s always the option of putting together an all-female session.
no problem rajiv,
i understand, if i were a guy, i might not wanna play with a gal too
maybe this week is too quick to implement this, as people have not been informed about mixed sessions..let me know by sms when mixed sessions are up and supported!
i dont want to be sexist.. but how bad is May? i mean, lets not presume that ladies soccer is tat bad a standard and that we are all so good that we cant play with them. i mean, i dont think having any lady at any session may tone down any physicality. In fact, it may mean more physicality since we all have to show off… hehehehehe. Which means that i may take out my physicality on another guy at the session instead of the girl.. so perhaps Santi may get hacked more from me…
hmm..maybe i can be a substitute, well actually i’m not confident at all that i can last for a whole hour, so being a sub is good!
well, i can shoot and pass the ball, but not gd at dribbling..need practise! 
I never really had many chances to play soccer, only when competitions require girls to be in the team or with colleagues, but i do watch premier league every week..hehe..
anyway, i think mixed sessions really need some careful planning and time for ppl to digest.
Sorry May, your last two comments got caught in the spam filter (I don’t know why this has been happening from time to time).
Actually, it was first proposed as a mixed session, but I guess some of us (that is, Murray) had not digested that yet
.
We don’t have substitutes for our regular sessions – it’s one hour flat out, without breaks.
I’ll definitely let you know once we get mixed sessions going, but I might wait until we have a larger pool of people, including more female participants, so that we have a better mix. A mixed session will definitely have a different dynamic to it.
In the meantime, I’ve come across the Singapore Social Women’s Football group on Facebook.
Another woman who asked me about FIOFAFI earlier in the year found her way there.
Boris, if you’d like to take May’s place for tomorrow’s session at The Cage, Rajseran may be able to give you a lift.
I see,so someone who calls girls birds has a brain of a bird..
Thanks rajiv,I will check that website out.appreciate ur help v much.
May
He’s English May, they call girls birds in England.
Update:
May and Rajseran are out tomorrow, but Ladi is in, and Nick needs to switch from Thursday to tomorrow.
Murray comes in for Nick on Thursday, and I’ll switch my Thursday for Kevin’s Wednesday.
So we have 10 each for tomorrow and Thursday. See “Current Schedule” page above for the names.
And they call Guys Chicken i guess in England
Morries in Asia Birds are referred more to Guys then Gals
Birds means Burung , Kuku birds , Bird Brains , i can even go on in Hokkien etc all Asia Slang . YOu might get Sarong PArty Gals Book in MPH and they have all kinda of meanings there. Welcome to Singapore
Rajiv…thursday 6vs6 or 5vs5? if 6vs6 with substitute, why you dont invite may…it would just fit 4 her….and with our strict rules on tackling I dont see any probs with that…just give her a try…it’s all about community and we can’t win or lose any things only drop or climb in the ranking..;-)
We now have 10 for Thursday Franco, so it’s 5 v 5.
I think we should have more female players before we start mixed sessions, so it’s truly a mixed session, and not just 9 guys and 1 girl
.
whats wrong with that..?…Gilbert would enough it too…right Gilbert…and as I understand Ladi..tooo…:-)
no honestly, I have played nearly 2years with some casual player like us in the german school and we had one Lady from Germany (ex-bundesliga, SC Freiburg) and it was just emazing to see how the guys behavour in the beginning and how it changed over a couple of session as see start tp out play couple of guys like cones…;-)
It was always fun and it helps also a bit to keep a good attitute…I mean we don’t need to change on that..:)
cheers and see you on thursday.
Franco, May was down to play tonight, but withdrew, saying
It might be better to leave it at that for now.
She is of course always welcome on the blog, or for our drinks.
Put me on Standby for Thursday incase anyone drops out. Thanks
A reminder – the latest schedules, confirmations, and where applicable, line ups, are now found under “Current Schedule” above. Click on it.
Thanks Jiv for swapping with me. Went to see the doc today and got meds that prohibit me from playing today. Should be alright for tomorrow night though. Don’t wanna give it a miss cos it’ll be my last session for the year definitely and until when I don’t know…
We’re all entitled to our opinions re. women at football, of course.
But in the interests of fair play and transparency, one thing the co-ordinator of FIOFAFI must not be seen to do is to bow to the pressure of one or a minority of individuals.
As I’ve understood it, there was one session designated “mixed” and the other three un-designated (i.e. normal boys only). I realise that we have busy schedules, but what’s the difficulty in opting to play in the other three if one has strong feelings against playing in a mixed session?
A poll should be pinned to the front page which asks: “Should FIOFAFI organise one mixed session a week?” with voting options as follows
(1) Yes, on Mondays,
(2) Yes, on Tuesdays,
(3) Yes, on Wednesdays,
(4) Yes, on Thursdays,
(5) Yes, I’m not fussed about when,
(6) No, full stop.
If there are more (#6) votes than the rest combined, we drop the subject altogether.
Whatever the result, we should stand by that decision.
Hi Rajiv
if you are looking at playing 6 aside for tomorrow , i could fetch Boris then, Thanks .
Several of the regulars have played in mixed sessions, and are in favour of it, but the fact is, the dynamic of the game changes.
May graciously withdrew from tonight’s session once she realised the issues.
Like most polls (other than Monday’s poll), a poll is likely to be inconclusive. In any event, I have a sense of who are in favour, and who are against, as I’ve spoken to several of us about it.
The blog is intended to be facilitative. Please read “FIOFAFI As A Platform”. Anyone is free to book a regular session and put it forward to be filled through the blog. I’m happy to leave the dynamic of any regular session to the person doing the booking, so if anyone is keen on mixed sessions, just book a regular session and put it forward as a mixed session. Perhaps one on the weekend. It might be easier to get a mixed session going at the weekend.
Some things just need to evolve. The blog has.
By the way, there was no pressure from or on anyone. May first agreed to switch from Tuesday to Wednesday, then chose to withdraw. If she had not, we would have just gone ahead last night with 9 players (8 guys and a girl).
The reality is that as far as organizing sessions are concerned, it’s not how people vote, but whether they confirm for a session and actually turn up. I realized this earlier in the year when we were still at one or two sessions a week, and when I tried to canvass views on preferred venues.
Why dont we invite May to watch one of our games first and then decide if she is up to that robust playing preferably when i am playing on that day ( no reason why) , not forgetting Redseason too if she can take all that F^()&)#)&% , You M$)(&)$&^ and Son o$(&_($^ his usual Words and also our dear Santi for calling out FOULS , falling here and there .,
If she can take all this , i think she should be ready . It took me for awhile with the culture shock and already blend in well.:)
Jiv, as spoken last night, please pull me out of Thursday’s game.
Mixed sessions are not bad. Helps keep emotions and escalating tension in check. If you know what I mean! =)
Rajseran, I know you’re on reserve for tomorrow, but Sze Kuan is also keen to play tomorrow. As you’ve already played twice this week, do you mind if Gilbert’s place goes to Sze Kuan? If anyone else withdraws, you can come in then.
You might want to save yourself for the first FICO session on Monday!
Ok no problem . Will rest for monday then .
Rajseran, pls continue to be on standby tomorrow if you don’t mind so that just in case I still can’t shake off my flu, you can take my place. Thanks.
Thanks Rajseran.
Kevin, I would ordinarily suggest that you rest, and let Rajseran take your place, but since this is your last game of the year, and Rajseran has played twice this week, I’ll leave it until tomorrow.
Current Schedule updated.
Hey first of all i’d like to apologize to May, sorry about that especially if you were looking forward to your first game on Tuesday night. You should have played rather than me.
‘Birds’ is just English slang for girls it has no derogatory connotations, equivalent to ‘Blokes’ for guys.
My contention is mainly this, if you are the only girl playing you are de-facto the odd one out and will get treated differently – no matter how skillful/fit/tough you are.
To introduce mixed sessions we need to do it properly and get several ladies (WaGS) involved. The ideal place for this would be having 4 or 5 teams play a tournament where we could have mixed teams or even a ladies only team play against the guys. We can obviously introduce mixed sessions during the week but we still need more ladies involved – do you or anyone have more friends who would like a game?
There is a fair amount of tough language, verbal abuse kicking and all round tough play in the games so you know what to expect – no matter what Franco says, actually its usually him doing the dirty haha. Mixed games will usually help soften the atmosphere which can be good. Although it can be a bit abusive on the pitch virtually everyone who plays are nice guys.
So welcome aboard May but lets do things properly guys!
Murray, and I told I play already like a bird..:-)…I also doesn’t like somebody touch me…right Raj?..:)
The line ups for tonight are up under Current Schedule.
Please be at The Cage by 8.45 pm, and use any waiting time to warm up.
Rajseran, I’m afraid I’m going to have to ask you to play tonight (I’m sure you don’t mind!). I can’t seem to shake off this virus and it’s best that I don’t play.
I really enjoyed FIOFAFI sessions this year and would really like to thank Jiv and all who helped organised the sessions every week.
Have a blessed Christmas and New Year.
Thanks Kevin and see you Soon
I will take youe place tonight
Franco looks like i am playing opposite you again today and i will do my best to keep my hands off you
> only try no promises.
Hi Rajiv,
Thanks for your email on “other sessions”.
Btw, I agreed to switch to wed via sms when you asked if I could, because I had not known of Murray’s strong opinion on mixed sessions. But after seeing it on the forum, I chose to withdrew. Also the players on wed might be disappointed that their session suddenly became a mixed session. Like i said, my intention then was just to play (which almost happened on tuesday, thanks to the people who agreed to join even though they knew it was a mixed session
) to see if it works out without causing any inconvenience, but it still did to some extent. And seeing the numerous chats regarding this, I’m kindof embarrassed of this ‘mess’. 
Yap yap, see how this evolves next time and thank you Rajseran for your invitation to mixed session at Choa Chu Kang, will let you know if I can make it.
Lastly, I wanna thank all the guys who were willing to give mixed session a try!
No need to be embarrassed May. If we never discussed anything, we’d never make any progress!
Don’t think of it as a mess. In the end, our four sessions went on as usual, and we now have the prospect of an additional mixed session in the new year. That’s progress.
When you switched to Wednesday, I SMSed all the guys already confirmed for that session, and no one raised any issue. Some of them were in fact looking forward to it.
My main concern is that if a mixed session is going to have a different dynamic, it should be an additional session, rather than converting one of the existing session.
The Tuesday session had been on-off for a few weeks, so I first treated it as a new session, when in fact, it should have been treated as an existing (albeit irregular) session. My fault really, for not thinking it through fully, but then we wouldn’t have had all this interesting discussion.
And do read Murray’s last comment. He’s not entirely against mixed sessions
.
Always feel free to comment on the blog, especially if you like discussing football or futsal. If we have more females commenting on the blog, you wouldn’t stand out so much, but we have to start somewhere.
See, so the real problem is not that a girl might like to play futsal with us or chat on the blog, but that there are currently not enough females.
Raj but will Franco be able to keep his hands off you??
I dont Trust Franco Either .
Franco dont drop the SOAP
Tonight’s session at Sports Planet @ East Coast is up under Current Schedule.
Please be there by 8.45 pm, and use any waiting time warm up. As it’s raining, it might make sense to head there a bit earlier than usual.
The ball is with Andy M. Andy, could you also sort out the payment/collection? Thanks.
Tom, Franco, don’t forget your hug.
Don’t let Rajseran get in the way.
Dirk told me a couple of weeks ago that he looked up “bird” in a German/English dictionary and the meaning given was somewhat derogatory.
I think when it applies to young women, especially in a British context, it is either complimentary or neutral. In the Free Online Dictionary for example:
According to the Urban Dictionary:
In Singapore, we’re probably more familiar with the more American “chick”.