U16s Turkey treat for Easter

This Easter a squad from the Fife Elite Football Academy will travel to Turkey for a two week training camp.

The squad, made up principally with members of the Fife Elite Football Academy’s U16’s group will stay in Alanya, at the Gold City Tourist resort. Here, they will make use of the resort’s 5 star training facilities and also play a game against local opposition.

Funding for this trip has come through the SFA’s application to the Leonardo da Vinci project. A project which allows people in education to widen their skills through being given the opportunity to participate in learning experiences in another country within Europe.

The ‘Lifelong Learning Programme’ as it is called, has allocated over 7 billion euros in the past 8 years to allow young students to acquire new skills, knowledge and qualifications. Fife Elite Football Academy will join a number of Scottish football clubs who have accessed this funding over the years.

Head of Youth at FEFA, Stephen Wright, will head up the delegation of coaches who will travel with the group. He stated;

‘This is a wonderful opportunity for the players. It is our intention to use the trip to lay down the foundations for next season and not to look upon it as an end of season trip. The boys will take part in at least two training sessions per day and it gives them the opportunity to have a taste of what being a full time football player is like.

"The chance to play against foreign opposition is welcomed as it will be a great learning experience for them. The players have been magnificent in adjusting to the new Regional academy and deserve recognition for their hard work in being successful in the process of amalgamating the four academies into one.’

Craig McWhiter, Youth Development Director at DAFC, commented; ‘

I am delighted that we have been afforded this opportunity to further develop the players and coaches within the Fife Elite Football Academy. The invitation from the SFA to participate in the Leonardo da Vinci programme, further solidifies the status that the Academy has achieved in such a short space of time.

"Given that the squad was an amalgamation of players from the four Fife professional clubs, the experience of living and training together for 13 days, can only help to further develop and strengthen the Academy’s identity and ethos’.

Not only will the players take part in football activities, but prior to, during and after they will take part in learning more about Turkish culture, language and history. On return to Scotland, their experiences will be assessed through having to complete an online survey which will assess the knowledge and skills they have gained. These activities are an intrinsic part of the Leonardo da Vinci project.