Elite DC Magazine 1 June 2012
FIRST YEAR YELLOWS
James Washburn and Tom Ellacott talk to us about their first years as Scholarship players at Torquay United
IC M e h t t a Elite UK rt, and viewpoints
Read our
re p o
Schoolboy Shrimpers
Centre Manager Kurt Doyle talks about Morecambe FC’s Development Centre venture.
I X d n a l g My En
See who are our ‘experts’ have down for England’s opener in Euro 2012
ADC parent club, Rotherham United.
ELITE RETURN FOR MIC 12 FOR the second consecutive year, Elite DC competed in the MIC, rubbing shoulders with the world’s best football clubs.
This was the tournament’s 12th edition, and again teams from all over the globe converged on Girona to take part. The tournament opened with Brazil’s Under 20’s side facing home side FC Palamos, as is the tradition each year, and featured a host of talented youngsters from South America.
Featured in their squad was Rafa ‘Rafinha’ Alcântara, a promising FC Barcelona prospect and younger brother of first team regular Tiago who was an MIC ambassador this year. Rafinha has already made his senior Barca debut in this year’s Copa Del Rey.
Once again Elite UK faced some really high quality opposition. The Class B side faced a competition that featured Brazil’s National Squad and the Ivory Coast’s, as well as the likes of FC Utrecht, Athletic Bilbao, Rubin Kazan and Espanyol.
In Class C, there was a group game against eventual tournament winners Aspire Senegal, in a draw that contained FC Barcelona, Real Madrid, FC Porto, Inter Milan, Southampton and also
For the youngest age, Class D, there was a group game against Ukrainian top flight side FC Dnipro. Their draw contained Ajax, Athletico Madrid, FC Barcelona and Manchester United.
‘It was a fantastic experience, just as it was last year,’ explained Elite DC Director Stuart Henderson. ‘For the players who are able to make the trip it is a real education, perhaps an eye opener in some instances, as to just how good the players are at the top level. Generally our boys are only just off the level of Centre of Excellence or Academy players in our country,’ he added. ‘We find that a lot of the English teams that do come here find it very difficult, such is the quality, so for our boys to be competing and giving good accounts of themselves is great to see.’
Click on the picture to see Elite DC’s MIC 12 Highlights
PARENTS VIEWPOINT
Micky Cummins travelled with his son Owen for the second time. For Micky, the tournament was a great experience for his son to go through and left him with many memories that will stay with him.
‘Firstly, I would like to say a massive thank you to Elite for providing this fantastic football and life experience for Owen.
LIAM SUTCLIFFE, Head of the Development Centre Programme for Rotherham United, travelled to his first MIC Tournament this Easter. Liam oversaw the Class D squad, who had a great week in Spain, as he explains.
once in a life time experience for the players and it did not disappoint.
‘Not only was it great for him to make some new
friends from the different Elite centres, but it also provided him with a unique opportunity to see and experience what every player at the different centres is aiming for by mixing with, and playing against, the best academy sides in the world,’ he explained. ‘This tournament has left him with many memories, including making friends, leading the flag out at the opening ceremony, playing against the eventual winners (Aspire), visiting Camp Nou, going on the bumper cars with his team mates and even starring in Elites own version of Soccer AM ‘Team Mates’.
COACHES VIEWPOINT
‘We entered an exclusive competition with some of the worlds best clubs on show.
‘The accommodation, facilities and staff of the organisers were second to none. Putting together the standard of football with all of the above set us up for a
‘We were very proud of the players throughout the competition and to see first hand the way the players grew and increased their knowledge of the game was fantastic.
The opportunity for them to play against FC Dnipro and the Hong Kong National Team, speaking a different language with a very different approach to the game was a wonderful learning curve for the players.
‘The icing on the cake was the opportunity to pit our wits against FC Barcelona in a pre tournament friendly. For the players, I think this was worth the trip to Spain alone.’
High Flying Gulls been good, getting to learn from the coaches and players has helped me a lot. The main reason I haven’t played so many games is that a lot of 2nd years play in my position, and they were going for pro contracts this year.
JAMES WASHBURN AND TOM ELLACOTT are two very recent success stories to emerge from the Development Centre system down at Torquay United.
Both lads attended the Plymouth site, based at Salt Mill in Saltash, and only went into the club as 15 year olds.
Here they take the time to
talk to Elite DC about their first year as scholars, and their experiences at development centre level that helped them to reach where they are today. How have you found your first year as a scholar at Torquay United ?
Tom Ellacott – It’s not been as good as I wanted it to be, I haven’t been playing much. Training
James Washburn – I wasn’t playing at the start, then the middle of the season I played a lot, then I’ve not played much at then end of the season. Form changes. You could be playing really well then have a dip in form and you can be out of the team. Then you are almost waiting for the other guy to do the same! I did alright, but it’s hard to be consistent. Kirtys Mackenzie and Niall Thompson, who have got pro’s, have been consistent all season. How did it feel when you were offered your scholarship?
JW – Best feeling. You just knew after the holidays exactly what you would be doing and didn’t have to worry about coming back to school and 6th form. Obviously you put a lot of work in to get that far, and it was great to earn those further two years.
utes in that game, and then no-one really spoke to me after that. I was let go after 5 weeks.
TE – I went on trial at Argyle for a few weeks, played 20 minutes of a game and scored one against Exeter City. I had a trial at Ipswich Town for two weeks, but I was in competition with a Welsh and an English international, so it was really difficult. I also played for Swindon Town against Argyle, I started sub but made the goal in a 1-1 draw. I went to Cheltenham Town but didn’t like it, after that I then got in at Torquay. All these trials came from Elite DC.
“IT WAS GREAT GOING BACK INTO SCHOOL AND TELLING EVERYONE YOU ARE PLAYING FOOTBALL.....YOU ARE PREPARING TO PLAY FOOTBALL EVERYDAY FOR THE NEXT TWO YEARS TO TRY AND BECOME A PROFESSIONAL”
TE – It was great going back into school and telling everyone you are playing football, it is nice as everyone is worrying about college and stuff like that whilst you are preparing to play football everyday for the next two years to try and become a professional. For me, I signed in December but then got my scholarship in April, it all happened really quickly.
JW – The club seemed to work it out, once they think they will be offering you a
scholarship, so they can dip you in with the youth team. Then you’re a not stranger to it when you come in after pre-season for the first time. Were you looked at by other clubs before going into Torquay United?
JW – I went in at Plymouth Argyle on a 6 weeks trial. It was weird. I played upfront in training, I’m naturally a centre back, and scored a goal so the coach asked me to travel for the weekend game. I played 2 min-
JW – Just after I signed, I went on the North East Tour. There a couple of teams were asking about me. To be honest, though, I just wanted to get back and start with Torquay.
Did it make a difference to you, being at a Development Centre before going into the professional level?
the last man and they would kick it over for me to chase and then expect me to score.
tournament in Holland against Macedonians and other nationalities. TE – I went to Sweden, and experienced different playing styles, referees and climate. It really helped me.
Is joining an Elite Development Centre something you would encourage youngsters to do?
JW – The gap between club football and that higher level is filled by Elite, there you learn more than you do at club side but not as much as the pro club as you are in there everyday. TE – With my club side I was just told to stand on
Both James Washburn and Tom Ellacott attended numerous Elite DC tours during their time with the development centres.
The higher level ofmatches, against sides that were both centre of excellence and academy level across the country, really helped the boys by exposing them to a level of game play you don’t get to play normally unless you are a signed player at a professional club.
With Elite I learned to link up the play more and add more to my play like movement and awareness of the game. JW – I have had games against Sunderland and Newcastle with Elite, they are good experiences to have. I also played in a
TE – Definitely, you go and play top clubs, go away in tournaments where there are lots of scouts and get great coaching.
JW – You don’t stop playing for you club, you can do your Elite training with professional coaches but you don’t stop club football like you do if you are at a Centre of Excellence. It’s not a massive leap then after being with Elite, it becomes like a half step, that really helps.
MY FAVOURITE XI BY SEVERIANO CATINDIG-STAGG
THIS MONTH our Media and Communications Officer, Severiano CatindigStagg, talks us through his favourite 11 players.
In goal, I have gone for Italian legend, Gianluigi Buffon. His presence and shot stopping skills are second to none, and he continued the Italian tradition of producing excellent goalies.
He is protected by a centre back pairing of Paolo Maldini and Sergio Ramos. Both are masters of their art defensively, but equally as important have the ability to launch attacks and retain possession with their superb passing ability.
Either side of them are legends, Cafu of Brazil and Bixente Lizarazu of France. Both are World Cup winners, and alongside the likes of Roberto Carlos, are the reason you see so many over-lapping full backs in modern football.
Redondo, the skillful Argentine midfielder sits in front of them, with Paul Scholes and Xavi, two outstanding midfielers, pulling the strings either side of him.
That leaves a potent forward thinking trio, with Zinedine Zidane in behind Raul and the original - Ronaldo.
Zidane is my favourite player of all time. He had fantastic feet and balance, whilst Rauls record is incredilble.
The ‘real’ Ronaldo was a phenomenon, going on Youtube and watching his highlights reel shows just how special a talent he was.
SHAKING UP THE GLOBE (ARENA)
At the turn of the year Morecambe FC embarked on a landmark venture for the club, setting up four Development Centres to, finally, give the club a schoolboy recruitment system to compliment the College Course they currently run once boys reach school leavers age.
Kurt Doyle was the man put in post to oversee these Centres. After completing a degree in Sports Science, gaining his UEFA A License and then working with several Liverpool County FA sides and professional clubs, Doyle was ready to step into the full time role.
‘The key difference between Morecambe and nearly all other Football League clubs is that this is the first time in recent history that the club have had school boy players attached to them. This requires a lot of extra work as, in effect, we have had to create a whole new department,’ he explained.
‘The project at Morecambe has been challenging but enjoyable,’ he continued. ‘I have man-
“THIS IS THE FIRST TIME IN RECENT HISTORY THAT THE CLUB HAVE HAD SCHOOL BOY PLAYERS ATTACHED TO THEM”
aged to assemble a staff which I am happy with, and having a core of good people around you is essential as the project is a such a large scale development.’ ‘Having good people who understand each of the local areas has been important and I think we are starting to make some really good progress right across the board now.
‘The quality of our players
is extremely high considering how long we have been running and this has been highlighted by our performances in some of the recent games.’
One of the biggest challenges for Doyle and his team has been increasing the profile of Morecambe FC outside of Morecambe itself. When trials were held for the centre that opened in Morecambe, the response was, to quote Head of Youth Dickie Dan-
son, ‘absolutely fantastic’. Over 500 boys were in attendance. However, outside of Morecambe it has taken a lot more hard work.
‘Given the club is relatively new to the Football League and has a limited profile outside of their area the project has been as much about developing the profile of the club as it has been recruiting players.’
‘This has been a big challenge but the evidence of it working is there. Particularly in Liverpool which is a notoriously difficult place to recruit players given the competition,’ said Doyle.
‘A number of the key grassroots clubs refused to send players in to the initial trials but having seen the project and our games programme first hand, a number of these clubs are now approaching us to work closely with them.’
That the Liverpool centre is attracting quality players is a big feather in the
cap for the work being done at the Development Centres, particularly when you consider the amount of professional clubs that recruit from the area. Aside from the obvious sides like Liverpool, Everton, Tranmere Rovers, Crewe Alexandra and Accrington Stanley, you have numerous top clubs coming into the area looking for the best talent.
One big factor in attracting players is the games that Doyle has been able to secure the Centres, to allow the players to play against top professional outfits whilst still being able to play for their club sides. ‘As with any new program clubs are wary of playing us to begin with. Clubs like the Manchester ones who we have both played at different age groups want to be tested, and are therefore very selective in who they play. ‘There has been a lot of work behind the scenes to plan some games and its pleasing to finally see these games come to fruition. We have also
played the likes of Rotherham United, Crewe Alexandra and Wrexham who are established and well respected youth programmes. I think it is a real testament to the programme that our boys have been competitive in all of these games and this will only help us secure more games likes this in the future.’
Since the Morecambe Centre’s opened, there have been some excellent matches for the young Shrimpers. Crewe Alexandra, whose youth department seems to make first team players year after year, played the Centre very early on in the program.
Since then, there have been games against both Manchester United and Manchester City, Rotherham United, Wrexham, Wigan Athletic and Everton FC, as well as top outfits like Prestatyn Town FC and Bangor City.
PLAYERS PAGE
TEDDY UNWIN-MARRIS is a recent addition to the Rotherham United ADC based in Chesterfield.
Teddy plays his club football between the sticks for Brampton Rovers Under 11’s. His team have achieved successive promotions, and now find themselves in Division A of the Sheffield League after winning Division B and C in consecutive years.
We would like our players across all of our Development Centres to contribute to the magazine, so any ideas you have seen that you could add to, be it picking your Favourite XI of all time or writing in to tell us about your club side’s success this year, please do. All contributions should be sent to - seve@elitedc.org
Teddy had a big ‘hand’ in his teams promotion, conceeding just 16 goals all season, and saving all 4 penalties he has faced this season also.
His penalty saving exploits also helped clinch a local tournament for his side, and Teddy counts this penalty save as his proudest moment. GREAT WORK TEDDY!
Congratulations to the Torquay United Truro Under 13’s side, who won this years Westcountry Cup in Newquay during the Easter Holiday.
Midefielder Rob Green was the hero in the final, latching on to Kyle Bradleys through ball ahead of the on-rushing Sidmouth Town goalkeeper to restore the Yellows lead, after Callum Bertrands
opener had been equalised by Sidmouth. The Truro boys earned great praise throughout the week for their ball retention and thrilled parents and neutrals with their clever attacking play. They showcased all of their talent in the final to secure a well deserved win. Well done to the lads on a great weeks football.
YOUR COUNTRY NEEDS WHO ????
WiTH EnGLAnDS oPEninG GrouP GAME oF THE 2012 EuroPEAn CHAMPionSHiPS nEArLY uPon uS, ELiTE DC WEnT AbouT FinDinG ouT JuST WHo THE ‘ExPErTS’ THink roY HoDGSon WiLL PiCk For THE JunE 11TH oPEnEr AGAinST FrAnCE
Cardiff City and Republic of Ireland Under 21 striker Joe Mason, who opened the scoring in this years Carling Cup Final against Liverpool, goes with a 4-3-3 of:
Goalkeeper -Joe Hart Defence - Glen Johnson, Gary Cahill, John Terry, Ashley Cole Midfield -Frank Lampard, Steven Gerrard, Scott Parker Forwards -Ashley Young, Theo Walcott Andy Carroll
Newcastle United and England Under 21 attacking midfielder Dan Gosling, formerly of Plymouth Argyle and Everton FC, puts his Three Lions into a 4-5-1 formation: Goalkeeper - Joe Hart Defence - Glen Johnson, John Terry, Joleon Lescott. Ashley Cole Midfield - Theo Walcott, Steven Gerrard, Scott Parker, Frank Lampard, James Milner Forwards - Jermaine Defoe
Cheltenham Town’s midfield maestro, Luke Summerfield, took time out from the Robins League 2 Play-Off push, during which he picked up a Man of the Match award in the semifinal first leg, to pick his side, opting for a 4-5-1 formation : Goalkeeper - Joe Hart Defence - Glen Johnson, Gary Cahill, John Terry, Ashley Cole Midfield - James Milner, Frank Lampard, Scott Parker, Steven Gerrard, Ashley Young Forwards - Andy Carroll
The new England manager, Roy Hodgson, had only ever previously worked with two current England squad members, Glen Johnson and Steven Gerrard, prior to taking on the role of England manager
Liam Sutcliffe is Head of the Development Centre Program in place at Rotherham United FC. An ex-professional with Bradford City, Liam opts for a 4-2-3-1 formation for his Three Lions side:
Goalkeeper - Joe Hart Defence - Glen Johnson, Gary Cahill, John Terry, Ashley Cole Midfield - Gareth barry, Scott Parker, Alex oxlade-Chamberlain, Theo Walcott, Steven Gerrard Forwards - Andy Carroll
Stuart Henderson is Director of Elite DC. Stuart has managed several semi-professional clubs in Devon and Cornwall alongside running Elite DC. Stuart sets his side up in a 4-5-1 formation:
Goalkeeper - Joe Hart Defence - Glen Johnson, Gary Cahill, John Terry, Ashley Cole Midfield - Theo Walcott, Frank Lampard, Scott Parker, Steven Gerrar, Ashley Young Forwards - Andy Carroll
Shaun Keeble runs ADC’s for Torquay United in Cornwall and Devon. The former Boston United and Holbeach United striker, who went on to manage Holbeach, favours a 4-4-1-1: Goalkeeper - Joe Hart Defence - Glen Johnson, John Terry, Gary Cahill, Ashley Cole Midfield - Theo Walcott, Frank Lampard, Scott Parker, Ashley Young, Steven Gerrard Forwards - Danny Wellbeck
BRANDON’S STORY
Bristol Rovers schoolboy, Brandon Guthrie, discusses his progression into the Centre of Excellence his development, as he explains.
‘I went to the M.I.C The Mediterranean International Cup. It’s known as the Mini World Cup in some places. I went to this tournament in April 2011 all the way over in Spain,’ he said. ‘The likes of Messi, Fabregas, Dani Alves, Pique, and Valdes have entered this tournament, so it was a real step up to play in the same cup that some of the greatest players in the world have played in.
Brandon Guthrie is a youngster who has made the progression from Development Centre to the Bristol Rovers Centre of Excellence.
Brandon did things a little differently to most though. He has actually been based with the Taunton site, which was attached to Bristol City and then Torquay, but has found himself at Rovers via the MIC, Keele Cup, a trial at Exeter City and a little help from a few of his coaches.
Brandon initially went into Bristol City after a year at his Centre, but didn’t quite make the level needed. ‘I was only ten at the time and was happy to go back in to the Development Centre to continue my development’, said the youngster.
That decision proved to be a great one, as it was through the development centre that Brandon was able to play against some of the top teams in the UK and abroad to help
‘We played two local Spanish teams, the South Korean National team and Athletico Madrid after qualifying for
the last sixteen, they eventually went on to win the whole tournament.’
‘I also entered another tournament in July 2011 called the Keele Cup held at Keele University. We played against teams such as Stoke City, Port Vale, Bala Town and Accrington Stanley. I captained the team in this tournament,’ he continued.
‘To play against Athletico Madrid was the biggest step in football so far in my whole entire life. The speed was crazy and it was a really tough game. It did, though, give me more belief and confidence as a player. The level that Athletico Madrid play at is the level that I want to be at and in my opinion I thought I wasn’t too far off.
‘These experiences gave me the urge to practice more and more to become the best I can be. Those moments in my life made a real impact towards the future of my football.’
On the back of these experiences, and competing so well, Brandon ended up going for a trial with Exeter City, with endorsements from his tournament coach, and Development Centre coach Mike Barrett to support his case. ‘He went with our best wishes even though we haven’t worked with Exeter City, he had earned his chance’ explained his tournament coach Severiano Catindig-Stagg.
tor his progress now that he has gradudated from the Development Centre system.’
Brandon has just finished his first season at Rovers, and has earned plenty of praise since making the step up.
‘He had displayed great desire to keep improving himself, and was always asking for advice and would put into practise anything you helped him with.
‘At the MIC he was one of the players who did compete really well against the top teams, and in Keele he was very comfortable against the professional clubs we played.
‘When a player is showing talent, as well as huge desire and determination, as a coach you want to help them as much as you can.
‘The fact that, despite taking the scenic route, he has ended up with a club that we work with is great also as we can keep in touch and moni-
He has taken his dynamic style, covering every blade of grass and then passing the ball wisely, into the Centre of Excellence level and really found his feet. His story is a great example to our players that hard work gets you rewards, and that if you do not get signed by a club at the first time of asking, going back into the development centre level is a great way to help you reach that level in the future.
www.elitedc.org 0845 003 7339
Magazine produced by:
Severiano Catindig-Stagg Media and Communications officer, Elite DC seve@elitedc.org