Sheffield link strengthened
Academy going great guns
UNLIKE SOME of the other, here today, gone tomorrow, academies that have sprung up and disappeared around the country, the Sheffield Wednesday Development Centre in Wexford continues to go from strength to strength.
Now in its third year, the centre is growing at an extraordinary rate. What started out in Bree United with 25 children almost three years ago has progressed into a much bigger operation, with 80 youngsters, aged six to 14, descending on Shamrock Rovers’ pitch in Enniscorthy to get some of the best coaching around.
The original aims of the programme were simple: to help each child to become a better soccer player, and to build their confidence on the field which in turn would help the clubs around the county by making their players better.
The medium term aim in theory sounds simple too, but in practice it takes time. That is to get at least one of the Development Centre players to a level where they can be signed by the Wednesday academy in England.
Recently, that second step moved a small bit closer when Marcus Brameld, Sheffield Wednesday’s Community Man- ager, announced during the elite week in July at Rovers’ facility in Enniscorthy that four players were going across the pond to spend a week training at the club’s academy.
Stuart Hession, Liam Doyle, Shane O’Neill and Leigh Whelan were the players chosen to make the short trip cross channel. It was a particularly sweet moment for the centre and its coaches, with three of the four boys picked around from the early days.
So off they went. The Wexford lads trained and played with the academy at the end of August and were invited to line-up with their hosts to play against a side from Malta. They bonded well with their new team-mates and they competed well, looking at home with boys who train five days a week.
The trip to train with the Wednesday academy has given added life to those left behind. They now have something to aim for and it’s clear that Brameld and his compatriots have their eyes on several players from the younger age group, should their development continue apace.
Brameld is the Community Manager with Sheffield Wednesday and, along with Head of Coaching John Williams, he is overseeing the development centre from afar. They have four visits to Wexford pencilled in this year to continue to keep an eye on the progress. They have also arranged tournaments for the academy players when they take their annual trip across the water.
The coaching syllabus for the development centre in Wexford is drawn up by respected coach Aaron Callaghan, former player for Stoke City and current second-in-command to Roddy Collins at Waterford United.
‘Tucker’ O’Brien is the soccer tutor with the academy, a respected local coach. After previously coaching with Wexford Celtic schoolboys and Shamrock Rovers men, he is also well known for his work with Kennedy Cup teams.
Jimmy O’Neill is involved in the fitness, strength and conditioning side of things. He is well known in athletic circles and has been a huge part of the Menapians’ success for the last number of years.
Aileen O’Connor is involved with the administration side of the Sheffield Wednesday Development Centre. The spearhead of the operation, she takes great pride in the player’s improvement. Her main goal is to see the children getting this opportunity. She said:
‘We would like to say a huge thanks to the Riverside Park Hotel and Leisure Max Wexford for their continued support and sponsorship, for making this happen for the kids of Wexford. By them being involved it is bringing a dream one step closer to each kid.’