Just had to post this from my team's website. I will seek to find an update from the tournament but it demonstrates the importance serious footballing countries place on development. It is not by hope or chance that sucess follows the top teams and top football nations.
Everything is ready for the XXII edition of the National Tournament Pamesa La Liga Promises, a competition that will hold its grand opening tomorrow at a ceremony that will take place in the Main Square of Vila-real at 8.30 pm.
All participating teams will be featured in an opening party that will count with the performance of the company "Xarxa Teatre de Vila-real" and will be spectacular from the beginning to the end. In addition, a short version of all the hymns of each of the participants in the tournament will be played.
The competition which is sponsored by Pamesa will be held between the 19th and 21st of June at the Villarreal CF's Academy and will bring together all the U12 teams of First Division (except Athletic, replaced by Betis) in a competition that is organized by the El Larguero Foundation and la Liga, counting on the collaboration of La Sexta and Cadena SER.
The competition, which will be broadcasted on La Sexta and Laliga TV, will be divided into four groups of five teams each. Villarreal U12 competes in Group B.
The composition of the groups is as follows:
Grupo A: Barcelona, Málaga, Levante, Elche and Córdoba.
Grupo B: Villarreal, Atlético de Madrid, Real Betis, Getafe and Eibar.
Grupo C: Real Madrid, Espanyol, Celta, Granada and Deportivo de la Coruña.
Grupo D: Valencia, Sevilla, Real Sociedad, Rayo Vallecano and Almería.
Thus, the matches will start this Friday, June 19th from 10 am at Villarreal CF's Academy and throughout the day the winners of each group will be decided. On Saturday June 20th the knockout matches will be held from 10 am to 2 pm. The afternoon matches will take place from 6 pm to 8 pm, corresponding to the quarterfinal round which will be broadcast live on La Sexta and Laliga TV (all in the Mini Estadi at Villarreal CF's Academy).
Finally on Sunday, June 21st, the semifinals will be played at 11.30 am and 12.30 pm. The fight for third place is planned for 6 pm and the final will be played at 7 pm (all in the Mini Estadi).
Also, note that after the competition (Monday, June 22nd) of the participating teams will travel to Colombia to compete in the second edition of the International Tournament La Liga Promises. The representatives of the Spanish football in this competition will be Villarreal CF, FC Barcelona, Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid, Valencia CF and Sevilla FC.
I remember sometime ago asking Coach Hart if we could not duplicate the Academy system used by Villareal for example, as a development strategy to ensure we kept up with world football such that we would not get left behind. He pointed to lack of will, political support and etc. that exist in T&T football.
And just last week I was again reminescing with a Strike Squad member on the good old days when a game vs any caribbean team was a certain victory for T&T ...even vs jamaica ...but that it was not so now.
Well folks if we do the same things the same way we can expect diferent results ! If T&T does not do more than selecting a team for a tournament then we will find ourselves way behind other " lesser " teams in athe near future.
The recent sucess by the T&T team at the gold Cup , which played better than expected football, may just mask the problem of so little atention placed on development. It however shows that the potential is there for improved performences with a little planning and that we have the talent to step up and in short order.
Club Villarreal has been competing at the highest level against the best teams in World football for years and giving them a fight every time. In fact top teams loan out players to Villarreal to keep them in the game and to continue their development.
This is largely due to their Academy and their proven developmental programme ...as they cannot afford to buy big players and so to survive they have to produce them. Every year the big clubs come and buy their best players so they have to produce more to stay alive . This they have done and continue to do successfuly.
Yes the development programme is world class and cost a lot of money ....but with a population of around 40,000. ...The entire town could fit in the national stadium for Soca monarch !...we have more money than they have , more people than they have ...
So why can we invest in a similar system ? well acording to coach Hart, who infomed that he had visited Villarreal academy and was very impressed , we can do he same thing we wanted to ...well there you go food for thought
Mr TTFA , MR Minister of Sport do we want to plant a field of mangoes so we can have mangoes every year or are we content to go looking for a mango everyime we feel for one ( like every time a tournament comes up )
I will leave it there for your comments..
P.S. update
Monday June 22, 2015
All the award-winners at the XXII Pamesa LaLiga Promises National Tournament
As well as the two finalists, there were individual prizes for the outstanding players at the competition’s closing ceremony.
The curtain was brought down on the LaLiga Promises National Tournament by the awards ceremony. The mayor of Villarreal was on hand to present the winners’ trophy to the players of Sevilla FC, who did not stop jumping up and down and celebrating on the podium. After them it was the turn of an FC Barcelona Under-12s side who remained inconsolable in defeat.
Host club president Fernando Roig presented the Player of the Tournament award to Rodrigo Alonso of Villarreal CF, while Levante UD custodian Pablo Cholbi picked up the Goalkeeper of the Tournament accolade from Esteban.
The Top Scorer prize went to RC Celta’s Miguel Rodríguez, with Villarreal CF Under-12s boss Guillermo Oriol collecting the Coach of the Tournament prize.
XXII LaLiga Promises National Tournament honours list:
WINNERS: Sevilla FC
RUNNERS UP: FC Barcelona
THIRD PLACE: Valencia CF
PLAYER OF THE TOURNAMENT: Rodrigo Alonso (Villarreal CF)
TOP SCORER: Miguel Rodríguez (RC Celta)
GOALKEEPER OF THE TOURNAMENT: Pablo Cholbi (Levante UD)
COACH OF THE TOURNAMENT: Guillermo Oriol (Villarreal CF)
© LaLiga - Year 2015
