Photo: Mexican boys
On the way to be the biggest
It is a huge task to house 12,000 of the 16,000 players and leaders that will take part in the Dana Cup this summer.
Dana Cup 2013 bursts every conceivable area and the organizers have a big job in front of them to house the thousands of participants. After the official deadline on the 1st of May is now over, there is registered 907 teams. Around 16,000 players and leaders are on their way to Hjørring to play soccer in the last week of July. 4,000 of them have arranged their own accommodation during the week and the remaining 12,000 will have accommodation through the Dana Cup.
- It is overwhelming to experience the huge interest to come to the Dana Cup this summer. We might still loose a few teams but it looks like a record. Our last record was in 2007 with 852 teams, in 2012 we welcomed 832 and now it looks like around 900 teams, says Dana Cups daily leader Jette Andersen. As we celebrate the number of teams in our office we are also fully aware of the extra work and extra preparations that need to be done.
- And this is already happening, says Jette Andersen.
- When we have to accommodate 12,000 people and feed even more, it requires a considerable amount of preparation. Everything needs to run like clockwork when the young people arrive in town. Some of the local schools are closed which means the Dana Cup has to find some new accommodation options. The challenge is big as we are in a period where the municipality is closing down schools which we no longer can use for accommodation but we will find new places and have it organized in time.
The job to accommodate the participants is not the only challenge in 2013. With more participants there are more family members and supporters coming to Hjørring. These adults have many wishes but most common is the wish to stay in caravans.
- We have secured the space for caravans and tents, so now we just have to secure the caravans to rent out, says Jette Andersen. We have earlier, to a lesser extent, had a camping place which was very popular and a place where the adults could enjoy themselves and contribute to the fantastic Dana Cup atmosphere.
All the Dana Cup staff and the hundreds of volunteers that stand behind the cup are in full swing with more than 2½ months to go before the Dana Cup 2013 kicks off. Dana Cup will take place between the 22nd and 27th of July.
