Premier coaches host clinic
Horsham and District Soccer Club will host a two-day junior training clinic with coaches from National Premier League team Ballarat City Football Club.
The clinic will be at Horsham Racecourse Reserve in Bennett Road, from 9am to noon on Saturday and Sunday.
There will be separate sessions for players aged 6-11 and 12-16.
Ballarat City junior development coach Jason Spirovski will run the 6-11 session, while Ballarat City technical director Nicholas Bearham will coach the 12-16 age group.
Bearham, from England, is a UEFA B licenced coach.
The licence is mandated by UEFA, the governing body of European soccer, and is the second highest licence awarded by UEFA, allowing holders to be head coaches of men’s amateur clubs, youths up to age 16, and assistant coaches for professional clubs.
Horsham and District Soccer Club committee member Avril Hogan said the clinic would help the club improve its own coaching programs.
“Nicholas Bearham has vast experience across five countries working in youth development, which will not only help influence the players but our local coaches as well,” she said.
“The Horsham and District Soccer Club has been growing year on year, attracting children from outside of the local area, including from smaller towns like Murtoa, Dimboola, Stawell and even Watchem.
“With the start of the 2019 season there will be more exciting changes in the ongoing development of the club.
“New players and committee members are keenly sought for the upcoming season.”
Mrs Hogan said the coaching clinic would build on the club’s strong ties with the Ballarat District Soccer Association.
During 2018, under-nine and under-11 players from Horsham travelled to Ballarat’s Morshead Park to play occasional games against Ballarat teams.
“This has served to expand the skills of the players and give them a greater understanding of how they compare to teams in urban areas,” Mrs Hogan said.
“Of the five games played by the under-nines, they won two and drew one.
“It built their confidence immeasurably, making them look forward to future games.”
The club also participated in the under-12 Macca’s City Cup tournament in October.
A Horsham district team travelled to Bendigo for three matches in one day, including a tight contest against Swan Hill.
In January, Melbourne City Football Club invited junior Horsham district players to attend a match against Perth Glory. The Horsham players ran onto the field with the players as mascots, played in the half-time break and acted as flag bearers on the field for the entire game.
Mrs Hogan said junior players interested in attending this weekend’s clinic could register by visiting website www.trybooking.com and searching for ‘Ballarat City FC Clinic’ with the search date February 9, 2019.
The cost of the clinic is $99 for both days.
People can contact the club for more information by visiting its Facebook page at www.facebook.com/horshamanddistrictsoccerclub.