It is more than just a game.
A group of young Moray footballers travelled to Germany for the return leg of the ultimate in sporting friendlies.
The squad of 16 children and 16 adults from Forres made the trip to twin German towns Vienenburg and Goslar just a week after it was hit by flooding.
The trip was a return visit after the Forres Soccer 7s club hosted a youth football team from Vienenburg two years ago.
For most of the children, it was their first trip overseas, and for most of the group it was their first time in Germany.
The group sailed overnight to Amsterdam from Newcastle, before being bussed to Vienenburg – where they were greeted by the children who had visited Forres two years earlier.
They also visited Goslar for a city tour, which was getting back on its feet after being flooded the week before.
One of the adults who went on the trip, Shaun Moat said: “It was amazing to see everything open considering it had been flooded by several feet of dirty water less than a week ago.”
The week ended with football matches between the hosts and their guests.
Both children’s teams won their matches before the adults took to the field.
Mr Moat said: “Two years ago we got beaten, so we there was pressure on us considering the results of both kids’ teams.”
The adults wonn their game making it a clean sweep for the group from Forres.
And the trip ended with a presentation of a gift hamper filled with local produce from Forres as a thank you from the visitors to their hosts.
