IQ Football from Craighall expands in 2021
CRAIGHALL PARK – Local soccer academy aims to launch a girls team.
IQ Football is looking at changing things up this year.
While weekly lessons will only resume in February, the soccer academy at Craighall Sports Club hosted holiday clinics in October, December and January and has plans to make its programme bigger and better.
“We had a few matches against other academies recently and this year we want to do more, maybe have a few games in a day and make it a tournament,” said head coach Sean Szabo.
“The restaurant here is nice and families can eat and have a good time between matches.”
For the moment, lockdown restrictions mean matches are not allowed and Szabo said keeping the players safe was his number one concern.
Also read: IQ Football adjusts to new normal
Protocols such as temperature taking, sanitising, social distancing, training in smaller groups and personal questionnaire forms have been the order of the day since the soccer academy reopened last year.
The outfit caters to players aged three to 14. But the free online training videos Szabo organised last year were seen by some adults, and he has organised one-on-one training with them, in person and online.
“I want to expand the private coaching as well this year, both remotely and here at the venue. We will also have more group training sessions per week. Some children have shown an interest to train two or three times a week, so we will be doing that.”
One of the plans Szabo is most excited about is starting a girls team.
“We have had a few girls playing with the boys and in the boys’ matches but we want to start a girls-specific side,” the coach added.
“Some have said they will even train in the girls team and still go to the boys training. This is easier for the youngest girls but the older girls find it a bit harder and will need their own division.”
Details: IQ Football sean@iqfootballsa.co.za; 079 607 6101; www.iqfootballsa.co.za
