The Clericus Cup
There is the Stanley Cup, the World Cup, the Sam McGuire Cup (for you Gaelic games fans), and the Nextel Cup but now the Vatican has added another sporting cup to the mix- The Clericus Cup. The only stipulation for this soccer competition is that you are a Catholic seminarian, clergy, or lay minister. I think you also need to live around Rome. Some of the teams seem to be organized around national origin. The Swiss Guards will be fielding a team, too. Italy's largest insurance company is providing sponsorship. I am not sure if clerical garb will be worn during the matches. Competition begins this week with the final in June.
The Vatican also has other footballing ambitions which appear to involve fielding a side to compete in Italy's top league, Serie A. It probably would be a great boon to them since football is akin to a religious institution in places. The church and in particular to Catholic flavor has been involved in soccer before. Celtic and Hibernian in Scotland were both formed out of Catholic congregations to raise money. Aston Villa and methinks Everton in England were established by churches. The previous Pontiff, John Paul, was a goaltending prospect in Poland. So who knows, that Lutheran Soccer League may be the beginning of professional soccer in your town.
The Vatican also has other footballing ambitions which appear to involve fielding a side to compete in Italy's top league, Serie A. It probably would be a great boon to them since football is akin to a religious institution in places. The church and in particular to Catholic flavor has been involved in soccer before. Celtic and Hibernian in Scotland were both formed out of Catholic congregations to raise money. Aston Villa and methinks Everton in England were established by churches. The previous Pontiff, John Paul, was a goaltending prospect in Poland. So who knows, that Lutheran Soccer League may be the beginning of professional soccer in your town.
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