Bring youth game out of the cold & kids will develop a hot skill set
be linked with big names as well that shows how high they want to go.
“From what I’ve seen, the facilities and everything around it, it’s massive.
“With this first game, that in itself is creating history by being the first team to play for the club.”
Beckham has led a media charm offensive in the days prior to the inaugural fixture, expertly batting eyelashes at Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo on Jimmy Fallon’s Tonight Show last week with almost seven million viewers to witness it.
The club is co- owned by ent repreneur Marcelo Claure, Japan’s second richest man Masayoshi Son and oil and gas magnate brothers Jorge and Jose Mas.
Its public face was never going to be anyone other than Beckham.
But his presence behind the scenes suggests there’s little of the Vladimir Romanovs about the former Manchester United and Real Madrid icon.
“They’re trying to build a family culture,” Morgan explains, as the occasional background cackling that punctuates our conversation attests to.
“They want to have a lot of these team dinners and events like that. There’s a specific culture David and the owners want to create.
“David, Jorge and (sporting director) Paul McDonough all came to the team dinner and that was really important for us with such a big game coming.
“It’s good to see everyone’s it together.”
That uni ty perhaps bbenefits the likes of Morgan mmost – a young man leaving bbehind parents, four siblings aand offers from the English CChampionship to forge his oown path.
And in the wake of a PParkhead career which nnever real ly got off the gground, choosing his next mmove wisely was crucial.
The former St Mirren yyouth insists: “It was a big ddecision but one that we as a fami ly unanimously tthought was the right one.
“Once you’ve got the backing of the people close to you that’s an important first step.
“I wanted to push myself out of my comfort zone.
“Coming to a club that’s really ambitious and working with coaching in
A rare Saturday off allowed me sub and every time a team to get to Kilwinning and watch scores, the sub must replace my son Ben’s boys club get a team-mate. knocked out of the Scottish Cup. Goals can only be scored
Ice Station Zebra in deepest inside an attacking area and Ayrshire where there was zero there are always three balls fun to be had. Not for the waiting at the side to be used players, the coaches, the ref or for the restart. the parents who risked freezing Instead of leagues, games to death at the side of the pitch. would be played at
The only enjoyment was for “festivals” where teams one team to win despite the hail, compete against each other sleet and howling gales which on the day. meant the ball was rarely on The game can, of course, the pitch. It was depressing to gradually be expanded to four watch it fly over the pitchside on four and then five on five. fence time after time and proved It encourages touch, a complete waste of time. invention, flair and an ability
Coaches shouting for their to take players on and dribble players to run but rigor mortis past opponents. has set in and they can barely All of these are attributes move. Not for the first time my that are slowing fading from mind wandered towards our game. That sense of what we can do to t taking the staff who have different philosophies to revolutionise our in initiative and what I’ve experienced – all of that will country’s approach showing an
ssi in help my development and hopefully push to youth football. individuality
wwf fo me on at international level as well. For a start, which is what “Everyone’s trying to come out for the playing outdoors football should
bbe first home game against LA Galaxy in in this weather is a be all about – two weeks – I’m dragging half of Greenock nonsense. We have expressing your
banned young talent. t with me!”
players heading Building your Morgan will never lack for visitors, of the ball yet we are self-confidence ssi that he is sure, but the way he cuts through happy for kids to in one-on-one chatter of Beckham and the perks of endure sub-zero situations s and aaf f
America’s Sunshine State, with a focus temperatures on adding tricks and on improving his game, is clear evidence Saturday mornings flicks to your that he isn’t treating the move as some where staying warm repertoire, r bbt kind of holiday. is what it’s all about. being able to
It’s football that brought him here and I had a spell in think outside
Germany with the t box. that what he wants to focus on, not the
semi-pro side Hess What we have view from the bus window across the Oldendorf FC and it in Scotland is a magic city. allowed me to see y youth programme
MLS has long since shed its “retirement how they cope with the winter that has boys clubs playing home for England internationals” image, months. Surprise, surprise, they in the coldest months and at swapping imports for exports such as have managed to get it right by times it’s more about battling Chelsea’s Christian Pulisic and Borussia using common sense. through the elements than Dortmund’s Gio Reyna, son of former They take the game indoors. anything else.
Rangers hero Claudio. All of the clubs – including the We need to think again, take
biggest ones – play in the youth game indoors and Whether Morgan eventually treads a
tournaments for prize money keep it as much fun as path back to Europe remains to be seen and it works brilliantly. possible. Surely we should but for now its clear he’s all in for pushing They have developed a miniconsider it as the game I
Inter Miami up the football ladder. football programme that is watched yesterday did
Well, except for one thing. designed for young players nothing for anyone involved. and is based around improving I won’t hold my breath as technique. There is less whenever I offer a solution to emphasis on tactics – it’s all some of the wrongs with about fun, more touches, more football in this country, it gets goals and more game time. the cold shoulder. But what’s
The base concept is two the point of asking players to teams of three trying to attack perform with a football in and defend two mini goals on a arctic conditions when they small pitch. Each team has one can’t feel their feet?
“Mind you,” he jokes. “I’m not calling it soccer or anything yet and I don’t intend to!”
The boy from Greenock knows he wouldn’t get away with that down the Battery Park.