33 photo: Carrie George
by: Carrie George Soccer is the national sport of Italy and a central part of Italian culture and entertainment. The baseball hats and football jerseys seen everywhere on American streets are replaced with soccer jerseys. Kids pass time playing soccer in parks and empty piazzas. The spirit of soccer is abundant in Florence. As a part of the Kent State Florence program, students get the opportunity to play in a 5v5 soccer league with other teams in the city. The Kent State team played against teams from Syracuse, California State, Gonzaga University and even Italian teams. Junior Public Relations major Samantha Meisenburg and junior Interpersonal Communications major Madison Satmary both played for the Kent State team this semester. Each of them had played soccer before college and were excited to play again in an international setting. “It was really new to me,” Satmary said. “I’ve never played with
Florence flashes Football guys before. I’ve always played in community leagues with all girls and a big team, and we always had practice three days a week.”
This year was also the first year Kent State made it to the quarter finals. Each team member received a medal for their achievement.
The Kent State team, unlike some of the other teams, did not have a coach or regular practices. Few of the team members knew each other before signing up, and they all took to the field with little to no preparation.
“I love that it’s so much bigger here,” Satmary said about soccer in Italy. “Just seeing people go as crazy as I feel about soccer is awesome.”
“Going in blind was like a trust fall. I really didn’t know what to expect,” Satmary said. The league also had access to a pool of refugee players. Several refugees played with Kent State students, allowing the students to interact with people from a different culture and background. “It was cool to say, ‘I played with refugees, I’m playing in a country that accepts refugees,’ whereas where I am from, it’s debatable,” said Meisenburg.
“I love soccer and being able to bring that to Italy with me was an amazing thing,” Meisenburg said. This was just one of the many university sponsored programs offered to enhance the study abroad experience of students abroad. What better way to enjoy Italy than to make friends, get competitive and play football?