The Education Through Soccer (ETS) U10 players took a trip of a lifetime to Madrid, Spain where they met, trained with and played against Spanish teams, a highlight being meeting the Spanish U21 national team.
Generation Adidas International hosted the club for 10 days in early October. The team visited the Santiago Bernabéu stadium, Real Madrid’s home ground, and saw their museum and trophy room housing their record 11 Uefa Champions League trophies.
For the first half of the tour, the team practised at the Real Madrid training grounds and were trained by Real Madrid coaches. The Real Madrid Foundation provided the young players with specialised soccer training for the second half of the tour.
They watched the Spanish national U21 team train and thereafter socialised with the players. The team visited the Royal Spanish Football Federation Museum where they learned about the history of football in Spain and saw the 2010 Fifa World Cup trophy, won by Spain in South Africa.
The youngsters also tested their skills by playing competitive matches against local Spanish sides.
Fehmida Schofield, the mother of one of the players, Keenan, attested to the experience being nothing short of amazing for him. “I saw this light in him. He is so passionate about soccer. It was amazing to see how the boys matured on the tour,” she said.
Manager and parent, Megan Rogers said the team realised just how hard they would need to work to have a successful soccer career. “The team came together on the tour. There is a remarkable difference in them,” she said.
She added that it meant a lot to the boys to meet their heroes and to be able to talk to them and see them as ‘normal guys’.
Alistair Rogers, the team’s coach, said he was amazed at the discipline of the Spanish boys during the training sessions.
Lloyd Tuffney, founder and owner of ETS said the boys had a tour of a lifetime. “We are hoping to send the U10 group every year,” he said.
Tuffney added that this age was ideal for players to have this kind of exposure, and it was not all about football – the team also visited cultural sites on the tour.
