The coaches were impressed by the hunger shown by the young KwaZulu-Natal footballers at the recent LaLiga Camps at the Hoy Park Sports Ground in Durban.
The two LaLiga UEFA Pro-Licenced coaches, Saúl Vázquez and Javier García, conducted the camps that attracted 150 promising boys and girls footballers between the ages of 10 to 17 years. Thirty local coaches also attended the camps.
Previously the camps were held in Johannesburg and Cape Town, are part of LaLiga’s flagship global Grassroots program, which has seen more than 900 young players participate in camps in the last year in countries including the United States, United Kingdom, Japan and South Africa.
The four-day Durban camps enjoyed the support of the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Sport, Arts and Culture and SAFA KwaZulu-Natal, who identified the footballers from the local football community. The footballers who participated were sponsored and facilitated by the Department.
“We always find talented players wherever we go, and Durban has been no exception," said Vazquez, an experienced LaLiga Sports Projects Specialist in the LaLiga Grassroots programme.
"What has been outstanding on this occasion is the hunger that these players have to learn more. They are so passionate about football, which is great because the sport is a tool for them to develop, not only on, but also off the field.
"During the week, the improvement was amazing, as we started with simple sessions to assess the level of the players, but we had to increase the difficulty of the training sessions every day.
"The players’ adaptation was incredible and we really believe there is a pool of players with good potential.”
The camps are geared at giving talented young local footballers exposure to LaLiga’s football methodology and to world-class coaching in the four areas of the technical, tactical, physical and psychological aspects of football at the highest level.
Vazquez said the Durban camps were also supported by former Bafana Bafana international Durban-born Delron Buckley. The camps had a strong focus on the players’ tactical development and decision-making. There was also an emphasis on how to use their technical skills and express their talent in match situations.
Marcos Pelegrin, LaLiga Southern Africa’s Managing Director, praised the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Sport, Arts and Culture for assisting the youngsters to participate in the camps.
“We would like to sincerely thank the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Sport, Arts and Culture for partnering with us on the camps and for ensuring they take place in the province for the very first time," said Pelegrin.
"The camps in KwaZulu-Natal were a huge success in providing young footballers from the province, who would not ordinarily have the opportunity, access first-hand to world-class coaching and a sense of what it takes to succeed at the highest levels of global football.
"We look forward to continuing this strong partnership as we continue to actively support the development of football in South Africa at a grassroots level."
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