EAMON MULVEY, the 9-10 age group coach at Manchester United, expressed his delight with the natural and raw talent of the local primary school footballers who featured at the Atlantic Football and Life Skills Development Camp.
The camp took place from December 2-4 at the Hasely Crawford Stadium, Mucurapo and it involved special training for the top 50 children (25 boys and girls respectively) who competed at the 2011 Atlantic National Primary Schools Football League.
“There were lots of natural talent with exciting players who showed that they have lots of potential,” said Mulvey. “For Atlantic to bring the best players together on this camp is great.” Mulvey and his assistant Kevin Ward dealt directly with the youngsters, who conducted sessions on football skills, life skills and life management - the latter two departments were arranged by the Trinidad and Tobago Olympic Committee (TTOC).
On the first day of the camp, Mulvey noted that presentations were made to local coaches and teachers about the coaching methods and philosophy used by Manchester United.
“These sessions went very well, with the teachers and coaches very enthusiastic to practice what they learned,” Mulvey said.
The following day, the children were spilt into two groups (boys and girls) and then batched to allow the coaches to conduct age-appropriate sessions.
Mulvey noted, “Ward worked one group on various techniques, while I had the second group playing small-side football with an emphasis on creating a positive learning environment.”
And, on the final day, the children participated in a pair of “World Cup” festivals, which comprised of full-length games.
“All the children participated and extra children from the Atlantic Real Madrid Foundation Social Sports School, Dion La Foucade Soccer Schools and the girls national players joined in,” Mulvey said.
“It was a successful day with lots of goals, high quality play, fun and enjoyment by all.”
While the children were presented with certificates of participation and special prizes, during the closing ceremony, the girls had the added incentive of being included into the training camps of the Trinidad and Tobago Under-15 and Under-17 teams.
The Atlantic Football and Life Skills Development Camp was organised last year and is a post-competition initiative in the Atlantic National Primary Schools Football League.
Through partnership with Manchester United and the TTOC, Atlantic stages the camp to help develop local football by building football and life skills in children.