ave you ever wondered what it might be like to dive for the winning pass in e Super Bowl? Odds are none of us ill ever know what that feels like, but e players of the Touch Football BC eague sure know what it is like to dive or the pass. Every spring and fall, men pnd women from around the Lower ainland put on their cleats, tape up heir knees and fingers and hit the turf. This is a fast-paced, fun sport that eeps you fit and turns even the mildest ouch potato into a weekend warrior,” says league President Henry Huber. And e should know. He has been playing ouch football for more than a decade ow. “A few years ago we had over 60 eams in the men’s league alone. There as been a real push in the women’s division to encourage new players to oin, and trust me when I say there isn’t another game like it,” he says with a lint in his eye that lets you know he Imeans it. The quality of the sport is second to none, and the diversity of playing levels allows all to join. The Men's Recrea- ional division has the most teams, boasting four divisions of play. “If you are looking for some laughs and a good e of football, this is the place,” jokes id Hutchinson, another long-time player in the league. The women’s league as eight teams and boasts the Canadian ational champions. For the last seven ears the British Columbia women have been cleaning up in the tournaments around the country and they are proud This week we preview Group D —Spain, Nigeria, Paraguay and Bulgaria. The Spanish enter the World Cup riding a 1-0 loss to France in the opening of the Stade de France. Nigeria gave Italy a run in 1994 when they made the round of 16 and seem poised to advance at least that far again. This is Paraguay's first World Cup since 1986, when they recorded their best finish by advancing to the round of 16, The Bulgarians were the Cinderellas of the 1994 World Cup, when they finished fourth. This year they will have to prove whether or not they were just a flash-in- the-pan or a real world soccer sports@op.douglas.bc.ca ouch Football of it. But if you don’t think you are quite Douglas College athletes. ready for MVP status, there are plenty of younger teams looking for new players. Similarly, the Men's Elite division boasts the 1997 Canadian champions—the Dolphins. There are a dozen high calibre competitive teams in the region, always welcoming new players who are eager for that football rush. This league is far more organized than you might think. Each division has a representative to help schedule the — seasons and supervise registration. Many of the games enjoy refereeing by qualified officials, and are played on some of the finest parks available. Each team consists of ten to fifteen players to play the seven-a-side, non-contact, three downs game. “It’s easy to catch on and learn,” says Olga Smith, Director of Promotions, and rookie player. “I started this sport last fall after watching my friends play for years. I got sick of just watching, now I just do it.” There are two seasons: April-June and September—November. Registration for the Spring Season is March Sth at the Burnaby Lake Sports Complex at 6:30 pm. Fees vary for the different leagues and range from $35 to $75 per player, including player insurance, referees and field permits. To find out more about the league call the Touchline, a voice mail system that updates players of games, registration and social events. Everyone interested in organizing a new team or joining an existing team are invited to phone 444- 8223 and leave a message. World Cup - The Hamish's Predictions Bulgaria (38) x The Bulgars, like the Spanish, havea very experienced goalkeeper and defence corps. Bulgaria will win this group, however, because their forwards and midfielders have far more experience than their Spanish counterparts. The only decent team that Bulgaria beat in qualifying was Russia, but Bulgaria proved that they can play under pressure by advancing to the round of 16 in their first World Cup in 1986 and finishing fourth in their second World Cup in 1994. Nigeria (67) x The team that almost knocked Italy out of the "94 World Cup returns to prove that almost beating the Italians wasn’t a fluke. Although the Nigerians don’t have a lot of international experience, they proved that they know when to play hard (witness a gold medal at the Olympics and that game against Italy in 1994). The Nigerians could win this group if they beat Bulgaria. Spain (22) The strength of the Spanish squad is their defence and goaltending. Keeper Andoni Zubizaretta has over 120 international appearances, and midfielder Fernando Hierro has played in over 50 international matches, making scoring goals hell for opposing teams. Like many European teams, the Spanish will stumble when they try to score goals. Their most experienced forward only has 23 international appearances under his belt, which is not a good thing when facing defences like Bulgaria’s. The Spanish will, however, have to be careful of relying too much on their defence or they might miss the second round all together. Paraguay (30) After missing the last two World Cups, Paraguay is looking to build on their best finish—an advancement to the second round in 1986. However, this is not Paraguay’s year. Like most of the teams in this group, Paraguay’s strength is goaltending. Goaltending, however, doesn’t win games. Young forwards Ricardo Rojas, Francisco Esteche and Jose Cardozo will have to step up if Paraguay has any hope of winning a single match in this World Cup. wayTo co DOUGLAS As the season comes to a close, the OP would like to send a big kudos to all the Group of Death Homan’'s Predictions Spain(22) x With long time goalkeeper Andoni Zubizaretta, who has 121 caps, Spain’s goaltending will not be a problem. Their defence is very strong, led by Miguel Angel Nadal and Albert Ferrer. Their midfield is taken care of by Luis Enrique and Fernando Hierro. The main threat at the forward will be Kiko Narvaez. Spain’s greatest weakness is that they usually choke in the big games. Their best finish was in 1950 when they placed fourth. Nigeria(67) x Nigeria's ranking is way too low. Nigeria is one of the best teams in Africa and the defending Olympic champion. Most of the members of the Olympic team are on the World Cup squad. Nigeria’s most experienced player is goalkeeper Peter Rufai, who has 65 caps. The midfield is led by Victor Ikpeba and Sunday Oliseh. The forwards are led by Daniel Amokachi and Emmanuel Amunike. Nigeria's best finish was in 1994 when they made it to the round of 16. Paraguay (30) This is Paraguay’s fifth World Cup but their first since 1986. Paraguay is led by goalkeeper Jose Luis Chilavert who stops shots and scores goals for the team. Goalkeeping is Paraguay’s strong point, but they have too many weaknesses to advance to the playoffs. Their best finish was in 1986 when they advanced to the round of 16. Bulgaria (38) f Bulgaria won't match their fourth place finish at USA ’94 even though they have basically the same team. Their goalkeeper will be Borislav Mihailov, who has played in 101 caps. Their midfield will be led by Yordan Lechkov who scored the game winning goal against Germany in the quarter-finals of the last World Cup. The forwards once again will be led by Barcelona's Hristo Stoichkov. x- Advanced to the round of 16 FIFA Rankings in parentheses (as of March 10,1998) power, The Other Press March 11, 1998 9