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Young league players receive FAS FAI certificates PDF Print E-mail
Thursday, 17 December 2009 13:45
FAI Technical Director, Packie Bonner was on hand yesterday (Wednesday) to award certificates to participants of the FÁS FAI Youth Soccer Training Course. The training programme which is based in Cabra, Irish Town and Clondalkin in Dublin, facilitates both male and female participants with 75 players in total taking part.

Among this year’s graduates were former Manchester City player, Michael Daly and Dean Marshall from Coventry City who have just recently signed for Drogheda United and Sligo Rovers respectively. Also participating in the training programme was Craig Walsh who has just returned from a trial with AC Milan in Italy, Enda Stevens who has just signed for Shamrock Rovers and Ryan McEvoy who has joined Bohemians.

The FÁS/FAI joint initiative has had a number of substantial success stories in a relatively short period of time. Among the past pupils in the course were Kevin Long, now with Premier League side, Burnley and former Galway star, Jay O’Shea who is now with Birmingham City.  

The FÁS/FAI Youth Soccer Training Courses provide a unique blend of educational and football development for talented young footballers in Ireland who are currently unemployed. The programme enables footballers who have left school and are interested in developing a potential career in football or the sports and leisure industry an opportunity to enhance both their football skills and education level.

While everyone who does the course will benefit by a marked improvement in their own football progress, a number of participants have done particularly well in the recent past, last season 7 players played at International level and 19 players played in the League of Ireland.

An attractive feature of the FÁS/FAI programme is the emphasis placed on the educational development of the students. The education programme co-ordinates and delivers this aspect of the programme which consists of theory and practical sessions in the areas of health, fitness, business and computers.

Students are prepared for FETAC qualifications in health and fitness and if a certain standard of performance is achieved during this phase students then prepare for the ITEC Gym Instructor Diploma. Qualifications such as these allow students to secure full or part time employment in fitness centres, teach their own classes on a freelance basis or work as fitness consultants to teams.

The football aspects of the programme are looked after by FAI qualified coaches. The three to four hours coaching a day, which is expert and progressive, is supplemented by a fitness programme that would be equivalent to full time training. Weekly matches and regular gym work are also part of the programme. The course participants will also take part in Kick Start 1 and 2, the first two steps on the way to becoming a qualified coach.
 
 
 
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