Sunday, May 11, 2008

4 out of 6

This week has been a great week in so many ways. Just eight days ago I was in Stoke to watch them win the point they needed to move up to the Premier League. It has been 23 years since Stoke last played at the top level of English football. It's been a long wait but on Sunday it was all worth waiting for!!!

The celebrations went on well into the night and I was starting to regret the fact we had booked an early morning flight home the next day. However, we needed to come home, as there was lots to do if we were to be ready for the Aztex home opening game on Saturday. Once back in Austin the week was pretty much a blur, concession vendors came and went, programs needed printing, tickets needed collating and distributing, volunteers needed contacting but somehow it all came together on Saturday evening against the Leones.

It's early but not too early to put ourselves through a self-analytical report card, feedback and reflection are an important part of improvement. I have to say that right now I would give us 4 out of 6 as an organization both on and off the field.

4 out of 6 reflects our current points total, with a win and a tie in our first two games, we are top of the Division and must be pleased with how we have started our first campaign. The players and coaches have done a great job, settling into a new team isn't easy and they have performed well. Yet they know and feel there is more to come. The roster is starting to gel, the teamwork is beginning to flow, the understanding is starting to develop. As the College year wraps up we are still waiting on a couple of players to join us. All of this bodes well for the future.....there is more to come!

We had a successful first home game on Saturday and were delighted to see a crowd of almost 1,500 enjoy the game. Most of our planning and hard work paid off but there is still much more we can do to improve our performance off the field. We have received lots of compliments and we really appreciate them and also some constructive feedback. Behind the scenes we know we have lots more we can improve on. So, off the field, while we don't have a points total to rely on to give us feedback, 4 out of 6 feels about right.

Thanks to all of you who came out to support us, spread the word, tell your friends and bring them out to our game next Saturday. It promises to be another exciting game against local rivals from Dallas. Come out to Dragon Stadium, support your Austin Aztex and make some noise!!!