A group of 20 Arlington Soccer players and families are attending the Women's World Cup in Australia from July 17-27. The group, led by travel coach Ingrid Zegada-Frias, will provide daily updates of their trip, which is being overseen by Arlington Soccer partner WorldStrides Sports. In addition to attending three games, the crew will also sightsee and learn about the local culture while touring Sydney and Melbourne.

Day 1: July 20
(Written by Thomas Garno/2014 Boys White)

   

We ate breakfast at the hotel restaurant, which was delicious. We then took the bus to Circular Quay in Sydney to tour the Sydney Opera House. The tour was super fun. We learned about the story of how it was built, how long it took (about 16 years) and even how much money it cost (more than $100 million dollars!) and so much more. After that we walked around Sydney to find a good place to have lunch. Our family got sandwiches and sushi. After we ate, we walked back to the bus and went to a little park that was part of the Sydney Botanical Gardens.

Then we took the bus to tour one of the oldest cricket grounds in the world, Sydney Cricket grounds (SCG). It was really fun! We learned all about cricket. We even got to bat and bowl (pitching in baseball terms). After that we took the bus back to the hotel to quickly change and then we headed to Stadium Australia for the first Women's World Cup game: Australia vs. Ireland. While we waited for the hospitality suite to open we did a skills challenge. Then we went up to hospitality where we had dinner, which was delicious, and waited for the game to start. Once the game started, we watched the first half. Then at halftime dessert was served. After halftime we watched the rest of the game. It was a good game. Australia won 1-0 on a penalty kick. After the game we stayed for a few minutes, then walked back to the bus and took it to the hotel.

It was a great day! My favorite part was the game because it was my first time at a World Cup game and it was really fun!

  

   

   

   

   

      

Day 2: July 21
(Written by Sebastian Crafts/2015 Boys Black)

   

   

This morning we had free time to do something we wanted for the morning. My family went to the Royal Gardens. The trees were good for climbing.

Later we went to Bondi Beach. We explored the rocky ocean side. I liked jumping around on the rocks. We caught a small crab. We even got a small crab claw off a crab. We then had a surfing lesson. I enjoyed surfing for the first time, but the water was cold. I would rather do it again in a warmer place.

Tomorrow I’m looking forward to whale watching and watching the USA World Cup game.

   

Day 3: July 22
(Written by Mimi Lutz/2007 Girls White)

  

   

Today was our free day in Sydney. We started our day by going to the FIFA Fan Fest near Darling Harbour and watching the USA game. It was cool to see all of the other USA fans that traveled to Australia for the World Cup and the USA win was awesome to see with so many people watching in support. 

After the game, my teammate, Harper, and I walked around Darling Harbour and made our way to the wharf and took the ferry to Luna Park, an old amusement park that can be found in multiple Australian cities. After that we took the ferry back to Darling Harbour and walked around some more until we found somewhere to eat. Sydney has a lot of food options and everything is so good! After our meal, Harper and I walked to Pitt Street Mall, which had a bunch of shops, some of them I’ve never seen before but a lot of the shops we went in are also in America! After our shopping trip, we went back to the hotel where we ate dinner with some of the other people in our group. 

It was so cool to spend the day walking around Sydney and seeing all of the different activities and things that Sydney has to offer. This trip has been so fun so far, seeing all the different sights of Australia!

Day 4: July 23
(Written by Aurora Carrasco/2011 Girls Blue)

   

   

   

   

Today was our last day in Sydney and it was busy! We left the hotel at 7:45 a.m. for a long bus ride to visit two places outside of Sydney. First, we went to a wildlife reserve full of native Australian animals. I really had a great time feeding the wallabies and the kangaroos. My little brother, Ezra (3), was a wallaby magnet and the animals kept on coming to him because they all knew he would shove food in their mouths. One wallaby had an adorable baby in its pouch. We saw other adorable animals like koalas and all types of birds. After seeing more animals we got to feed the kangaroos and one came up to me. Practically every kangaroo rejected my dad.

After the wildlife reserve we went to the cable cars in the Blue Mountains and saw the Three Sisters rock formation. The floor of the cable car had a spot with clear glass which made me rush off, because I'm afraid of heights. After lunch, we took a train back up to the mountain that went fast like a backwards rollercoaster. It was all beautiful but very high up!

After heading back to the hotel and eating dinner we went to the France vs. Jamaica game. I found Jamaica's athleticism impressive and they were really fast. The game ended 0-0, which I think is a huge accomplishment for Jamaica but kind of sad for France. It was a great day and I can't wait to go to Melbourne tomorrow!

Day 5: July 24
(Written by Henry Garno/2010 Boys Academy)

   

   

Today we started our day with an early flight from Sydney to Melbourne. Upon arrival, we retrieved our luggage and took a bus to our new hotel. We were able to check into our hotel early and it was very fancy. At noon, we walked to a delicious Greek restaurant for lunch. After lunch, some of the group toured the Melbourne Cricket Ground (also known as MCG or The G), while others explored the city and did some shopping.

We went back to the hotel to freshen up and prepare for the World Cup Game. We left the hotel at 5 p.m. to walk to the Tram, which is a popular mode of transportation here in Melbourne. We arrived at Melbourne Rectangular Stadium to watch the Morocco vs. Germany match. It did not disappoint as it was an exciting game with plenty of goals. The final score was 6-nil Germany. We were right behind the goal and got to see a lot of the action close up. Stadium attendance was more than 27,000 (the Jamaica-France game we went to the day before in Sydney had nearly 40,000 in attendance!). Our group was able to successfully initiate “the wave," and it went around five times. Post game, we walked back to the bus and went to the hotel. It was a long day full of fun activities. I’m really enjoying this trip to Australia and wish we could stay longer.

Day 6: July 25
(Written by Harper White/2007 Girls White)

   

     

Today was our first free day in Melbourne. We started off by taking the Tram to Swanson St, a very busy street that’s a part of an area in Melbourne that has a lot of shops. Since we’ve been in Melbourne, we’ve taken the tram a lot. The tram is similar to the Metro except it’s free!

After some free time in that area, we went to the Koorie Heritage Trust center where we learned a lot about the heritage and history here in Australia. It’s really interesting learning about the south of Australia’s indigenous people in the Koorie. 

After the Koorie Heritage Trust, we went to Melbourne Central, a mall, where we had lunch and walked around. After lunch we went to the Eureka Tower, where we saw cool views of Melbourne! From the tower, we were able to see the stadium where we saw the Germany vs Morocco game yesterday! 

After Eureka Tower, we came back to the hotel for a little where we swam in the infinity pool. We then went to dinner as a group to an Italian restaurant called, Ti Amo. Dinner and gelato afterwards was really good! Overall, it was a great day exploring Melbourne!

Day 7: July 26
(Written by Charlie Garno/2008 Boys White)

   

   

We started the day off by waking up early and getting on the bus for a tour of The Great Ocean Road. Our first stop was a lookout point over Bells Beach. This is where the movie Point Break was filmed. The view was really cool and we saw people surfing big waves. Our second stop was Anglesea for another surfing expedition. The water was icy cold but our wetsuits made it feel like it was a lot warmer. Some had success and were able to stand on their boards while some were only able to kneel. Our third stop was another lookout point over a reef where there were huge waves that were breaking close to shore.

Our last stop on the way out was Lorne where we ate lunch at various places, did some shopping, and enjoyed the scenery. On the way back to the hotel we stopped at a chocolate factory and stocked up on goodies such as 1 kilo chocolate bars. We finished the day with dinner at the hotel. We go back to the U.S. tomorrow. It was an amazing trip!