Player of the Month March 2008

Victor Francisco Suarez

Glasgow Touch: That's a funny accent you have there Victor, are you from the South side?

Victor: No, Eibar, Spain. It’s a small industrial city in the Basque region of Spain, not far from a much nicer city called San Sebastian. By the way, the weather in my area is as rainy and cold as Scotland. (A quick look at the gallery pics of Victor in action both in Glasgow and Spain suggests he might be bending the truth a little.)

Glasgow Touch: Either they play Touch a little differently in Spain or you used to be a bit of a rugby player.

Victor: I first started playing rugby in Valencia when I was around eighteen. I played for the Universitad Politecnica de Valencia (UPV) and for the District Select. I played scrum half/centre, and I was the captain of UPV for several seasons. In Scotland I played for GHK for a season and a half and also for the University team.

Glasgow Touch: So what attracted you to Touch?

Victor: A friend of mine, Kieran (The Galway Flying Machine) had the idea of getting a few of our mates together to play touch. He knew a bit about it, and I had played touch in the past when warming up for rugby training and games. I must also say that my wife thought that I was putting too much weight on with my new diet (beer and sausages rolls) and I required some kind of slimming technique!

Glasgow Touch: And how do you find it now you've converted to Touch?

Victor: Touch is a fast game where there is very little time to rest as the players are constantly involved in the game. This made the game extremely enjoyable and very inclusive as all the players are forced to fully participate in the game. It's a very sociable game where there is room for everyone, regardless of experience or ability.

Glasgow Touch: Now for the obligatory, do you have a stand out best touch moment?

Victor: It has to be the first game that I ever played. My team scored in the first set of six, and we thought that we were not that bad. However reality struck - we lost the game and finished with the wooden spoon…but it was still great fun.

Glasgow Touch: And do you have worst?

Victor: To be honest, none. However, in the tournament mentioned above, we played against a team called Tactus (most of their players were Scottish Internationals) and we spent the whole game chasing shadows. I do not want to remember the score.

Glasgow Touch: So with the start of the Touch season upon us, what are you up to at the moment?

Victor: Currently, I am training quite hard for the European Championships this summer as I have been selected to play for Scotland over 35s. I am also coaching the team (Glasgow Lions) that I play for and around 20 to 30 beginners.

Glasgow Touch: Do you want to give anyone a special mention, are you bringing out a book or DVD that you'd like to plug?

Victor: I am organising a tournament for beginners at the end of May, which I hope will help in increasing the numbers of touch players in Glasgow and in another touch regions. At the moment, Glasgow is a kind of sleeping giant, as the game has never been promoted properly. However, this year with the new league and the support of Glasgow Touch, I believe things are going to improve significantly.

Glasgow Touch: Cheers Victor. Nice to see Glasgow Touch getting a shout out.

Check out the gallery for pictures of Victor in action.