Tweed Valley Kings High Performance Seminar
Tweed Valley Kings have set the wheels in motion to ensure the Tweed Football stars of tomorrow will receive the worlds best coaching without having to leave the Tweed Valley, with the launch of the South East Excavation Junior Development Program at the weekend.
The development program, seen as essential to give local football enthusiasts the same opportunities as their metropolitan counterparts, was launched at the weekend with the Kings holding their first High Performance Seminar.
The Seminar designed around Project 22, a Football NSW initiative to prepare junior players of today for national team selection in the 2022 World Cup, was presented by Football NSW CEO Michael Quamby and High Performance Manager Paul Bentvelzen.
Tweed Valley Kings Coaching Director Barry Saunders said, “ The Tweed area has a wealth of raw talent. Five years ago our players made up 25% of Gold Coast rep sides, with one of those players James Brown now playing for Gold Coast United and the Australian Under 20 team. Currently our representation in Gold Coast squads is under 5%. Our aim to lift our coaching and player standards from grass roots through to elite levels, so all players to can play Football at a level that is tailored for them, and hopefully some of those will make up the Australian Soccer Roo team in 2022.”
The program is ambitious but achievable according to Saunders, and already has the endorsement of Gold Coast Soccer and is currently being reviewed by Football Queensland. “Our aim is to lift the bar, and work outside of our comfort zone “Saunders said. “Coaches and players are looking for help and are eager to learn. The South East Excavation Tweed Valley Kings development plan will be the blue print for that, and the Tweed Area will become a centre of excellence for Football.”
“The seminar, designed for coaches, just blew people away” Saunders said. “What’s going on outside the Tweed is fantastic and to have world class coaches speak too and run workshops for us is something that should have been happening a long time ago. The outcomes from the seminar where exactly what we were looking for” Saunders said, “That was to wet the appetite of coaches for high performance information, and have them take that hunger back to their clubs and players.”
Tweed Valley Kings we will now go into phase 2 of the development plan with a series of coaching education programs starting in early March. After that, the Kings will introduce the FFA national curriculum to the Tweed for ages 8, 9, and 10. This will involve a series of coaching clinics and school holiday camps where players have the opportunity to enter identification or under pinning programs.
Saunders said, “These opportunities are open to all players and coaches from the Tweed Football community and the Tweed Valley Kings encourage everyone to become involved.”
Photograph attached: Football NSW High Performance Manager Paul Bentvelzen taking the Tweed Valley Kings Under 11’s through their paces in front of 50 of the Tweed Valley Football Coaches on Saturday.
FOR MORE INFORMATION
Milton Pollock, TVK Secretary
Mobile: 0434 668560 Email: tvk@tweedvalleykings.com.au
