Football

Forty young footballers and their coaches visited Norwich for the Cringleford international 5-a-side football tournament hosted by Cringleford Junior Football Club at Easton College. The city of Rouen generously financed the four teams and their coaches who came to Norwich. The Rouen visitors were given free entry to visit Norwich Castle during their visit. NNRFA volunteers helped out with the visit. 

The Norfolk & Norwich Rouen Friendship Association (NNRFA) played an important role in helping to establish links with Rouen Town Hall, who have been fantastic, encouraging teams to come, funding them for transport, accommodation, passports and much more. And Norwich Town Hall put up £1,280 to cover some of the CJFC costs they had to take on in relation to the Rouen teams – brilliant. NNRFA members were present every day and met the young people and their coaches on Rouen Road (where else?) on Monday 5th, to take them to see the Castle (Norfolk offered us free entry!) then to City Hall to meet the Lord Mayor. It’s a real example of city twinning in action.

We wrote to all at Rouen City Hall and received the letter shown below from Amélie, who leads on International relations at Rouen City Hall.

Dear Bert, Thank you very much for this message. I am very happy to know that this sporting weekend went perfectly and that it was able to lead to the discovery of Norwich, the sharing of sport and the experience of these encounters which enrich our life's journey. I warmly thank you, as well as all the members of the NNRFA for this invitation and your precious involvement in this exchange and in the partnership between Rouen and Norwich, it is thanks to this that 65 years later, it is still active and dynamic. We are happy at the City to have been able to support this project and ensure that these 4 teams of young players can participate in the Challenge.

We can only hope that these experiences will multiply to strengthen our bonds of friendship!! With my kindest regards, Amélie