Victory wants kids
PATHWAY FOR EMERGING TALENT
JUNIOR soccer players in Geelong will be the beneficiaries of a new Melbourne Victory initiative aimed at scouting the best emerging talent in Victoria.
The Victory is launching a series of talent identification camps across metropolitan and regional Victoria for eight to 12-year-olds, with Bell Park Soccer Club to host the Geelong region camp next month.
Melbourne Victory has recently established a player development pathway program that will serve to complement the training young players receive at junior clubs and provide them with specialist coaching to help elevate their skills and plot a path between junior football and the elite level of the game.
The pathway is made up of two phases: the pre-academy centre and the Melbourne Victory academy.
Rob Sherman, Victory’s general manager of technical coaching, is the man behind the program, and said it was an important step towards providing future generations of players with the support needed to realise their potential. “As a club we are committed to
identifying, nurturing and then developing the very best players in the country and these programs will provide the framework to accomplish that,” Sherman said.
“Over 30 promising juniors were referred by their clubs into our camp at Spring Hills in early January and the standard was testament to the fantastic work done at junior level by their coaches and that bodes well for future camps.
“A number of these players have been invited into the PreAcademy Centre, and in combination with the training they receive at their junior clubs, will help them reach their potential.”
Former Victory star Grant seek player nominations from clubs in Geelong as well as regions around Knox, Whittlesea, Point Cook and Albury-Wodonga.
The camp at Bell Park will be held over two days on March 1 and March 2.