 Behind Amjadieh
Part three
By Hooshyar F. Naraghi
October 22, 2003
The Iranian
The following story
is about playing soccer in the the middle of the
streets of Tehran. The original text was written in Persian
for a high school composition class in 1971 in Iran. Amjadieh
is the name of the oldest football stadium in the heart of
Tehran. It is no longer in active use because most
soccer games are now held in the 100,000-seat Azadi
(Liberty) Stadium. Here's part 3:
By now, the new superintendent Mr. Tabrizi had
become an established figure in our school. The football game
had turned
into a nightmare
for us; we had to find a way to resume our games. Until one particular
day, one of the players came to school with a huge grin on his
face and eyes that indicated possible mischief. He bore great
news. He had located a quiet street suitable for our football
games. The street was situated only a block away from school
and directly behind Amjadieh Stadium. The street happened
to be adjacent to football field number 2 in Amjadieh.
We promptly inspected the street at lunch time.
The description was indeed correct. The street
was wide, although
it sloped to the south. The slope was not steep enough to affect
the game though. In exchange, we were rewarded with a much softer
and smoother asphalt. The coarse surface of the school yard would
not be missed. Our potential football field presented
us with one major problem.
Very deep cement canals had been built on each
side of the sidewalk. If the ball fell into the canal, the game
had to be stopped.
For this reason, it was unanimously decided to consider the canal
as an off-field area. Fortunately, it seemed that the canal would
not be filled with water. Its sole function was to provide a
reservoir for possible spring showers.
A few residential units were on one end of the
sidewalk. It seemed that most of them were vacant during the
lunch hours. We were
not able to see cars parked in front of these units. The wonderful
red brick wall of the stadium towered at the other side of the
street. This meant that the ball would be prevented from falling
into the Stadium platforms, built for the spectators.
Our concern
was to find a solution for the goal posts. The solution seemed
simple enough. A couple of bricks could be placed on top of each
other. In fact, this turned out to be a better field than our
previous one at school. We could now employ real large goals,
and because of the width of the street, more players could participate.
Our field was ready. We just needed to agree on a specific time
for our daily games.
We decided that early mornings were no longer
suitable. Rousing the neighbors from their enjoyable deep slumber
was definitely
asking for trouble. The perfect time was lunch time, between
the hours of 12 to 1. Another game could be scheduled for the
after-school hours.
A few weeks later we adapted so easily to the new field that
if ever asked to play in the awkwardly square shaped school yard,
we would consider it as an affront.
Our games were held daily
at noon and in the afternoon behind Amjadieh. The
games had taken another dimension since those early morning games
in the beginning of the school year. These games were now extended
into a full-fledged football league, with every class represented
by a team. Several classes such as my own ninth grade, had more
than one team represented. We had an abundance of skillful and
talented players and all eager to play. Each day practically
marked the formation of a yet newer team. It was a rewarding
experience to witness this growth.
We usually enjoyed an added bonus, when our teachers
did not show up for the afternoon classes, and we were released
earlier
than our usual time. This translated into three hours of non-stop
football. We had established an added incentive to our games,
namely playing for rewards and trophies.
The name "Behind
Amjadieh" was mentioned in every circle, spread out like
a commodity name throughout the school. We were so busy basking
in our glory, we forgot the news might reach our beloved superintendent,
Mr. Tabrizi, one of these days as well... >>> Part
4 (Last)
>>> Part
1
>>> Part
2
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Behind Amjadieh