After just a few hours on the field, European soccer coaches said it was clear young 麻豆社国产athletes have the right stuff to go pro.
Professional European league coaches and scouts from Genova International Soccer School (GISS) spent four days watching and teaching 麻豆社国产kids how to become better soccer players at the Howe Sound Secondary School fields last week (July 5 to 8).
Italian national team U-21 coach, Marco Montersor, GISS Italy technical coach Mauro Zironelli and GISS technical director and scout Morris Pagniello shared their expertise with young athletes sizing up who has the right stuff for a bright future in European football.
Pagniello said he could see talent in the 30 boys and girls between the ages of 8 and 15, even after just a few hours of professional training.
"Honestly, I think they've got good possibilities because they've picked up on the work we've gone through, really quick."
Participants enjoyed hours of tests, technical exercises and plenty of plyometrics training aimed at making athletes faster and more powerful.
"I've already seen improvements in one training session. Could you imagine this [training] full time? You don't know where their limits are. The sky is the limits for these kids."
As a scout for the Serie A team AS Roma, Pagniello said 麻豆社国产youth have what he's looking for - determination and athleticism.
In the last four years, Pagniello has found and signed 42 players often from remote areas to 18 first and second tier European teams. He said players from isolated areas, like Squamish, play better than city kids.
"I've picked up all of my players - the players who have been signed in the past - they've all been from the country and isolated places. They seem to have more power and determination than city people, less distractions maybe but there's something about them."
North American GISS director Alberto Corso said athleticism and a willingness to learn are keys to success in the professional European football industry.
"For us, it's not that we're looking for the Wayne Gretzky. What we're looking for is athletic ability and the ability to learn," said Corso, who comes from a family with three-generations of professional Team Italy soccer players.
"If you're an athlete and you can learn, we can teach you how to play soccer."
At the end of the clinic two athletes will be invited to attend a GISS Academy in Ovado, Italy for a week.
Thirteen-year-old GISS clinic participant Keenan Bir said he hopes to one of the lucky few to go to Italy.
"I came out to learn some more soccer moves and they're picking two people from each group to go to Italy and I hope [to go.]"
Even though Bir has been playing soccer since he was four years old and plays on a West Vancouver team year around, he said he's learned a lot from the European coaches.
"I've learned to hop around the ball and sprint," said the centre mid-fielder.
"And I hope to get my shooting up."
Bir said he's enjoyed the soccer clinic because the coaches spent some one-on-one time telling him how to improve.
"They'll focus on certain players at certain times and tell us what we're doing wrong."
"It's a really good opportunity and they're really good coaches," said the youngster who desires to be a professional soccer player one day.
GISS program director Tim O'Brien said he's very happy about the turnout especially since this is the first clinic GISS has hosted in town.
He hopes local soccer players realize a professional future in soccer is a possibility for Canadian youth in Europe.
"If you want to, you can play professional soccer."
He said Canadians don't realize how big soccer is over seas and they underestimate how many athletes are needed to fill the rosters in the best European leagues.
"If you think about it there's 2,000 professional teams in Europe whereas in Canada there's three but we have as many kids playing here."
Eventually O'Brien hopes to host a GISS clinic in 麻豆社国产a few times a year, fostering growth and development of local athletes.
