Blagojevic raising the stakes with Skilleroos Under 13 side

The 41-year-old has been quite content with his new batch of players but insists that it?s still early days yet.
?We?ve only just started but I have been pleasantly surprised with the group of boys and their professionalism towards training and learning.
?The players have been very receptive at training in a good environment so I couldn?t have asked for any better.
?At the moment it?s more about familiarising our new players with our existing players.?
A delicate process took place in selecting Milan?s squad for 2012 which involved a host of Football NSW scouts, colleagues and coaches in getting everything right.
Names such as Han Berger, Alistair Edwards, Jimmy Fraser, Alex Tobin, Norm Boardman, Doug Henretty, Alf Galustian, and Kelly Cross were part of the push for a Skilleroos program.
?It was a one year identification process which was a combined effort between the FFA, Football NSW talent scouts and other colleagues through our scouting network that got involved.
?Football NSW head scout Doug Henretty played a huge role in this as did Jimmy Fraser who selected our keepers for this age group amongst the names you have mentioned who have pushed the program to where it is today.
?Blacktown Olympic Sports Centre (our home ground) must be mentioned as well as the FFA and Football NSW of course who made this program come to life.
?In regards to the trial process we had a fair few names which we then condensed it after watching them train and trial.
?The beauty was that we had a few different coaches watching over these trials with the likes of Alex Tobin, Ian Crook, Jane Talcevski, Zeljko Kalac, Trinity Allen, Jason Falzon and Ante Juric all assisting as we didn?t want to miss a beat with these selections.
?The U12s state titles in Shoalhaven in late September this year also assisted in the process as it was a great opportunity watching these youngsters in a comfortable environment.?
Blagojevic outlined his objectives for the year but made it clear that it was in accordance with the FFA National Curriculum in watching and developing his players further as footballers.
?Our objectives are in line with the principles of the National Curriculum.
?The current group of players are in the Skill Acquisition Phase of their development.
?During this phase, the emphasis is placed on developing them with strong functional game skills.
?Technique is key and it is something I continually push and educate these kids in perfecting their game.?
Having been involved for almost 18 months now with the FFA, Blagojevic has enjoyed his time coaching promising potential Australian internationals.
?It has been a great experience thus far and I am only looking forward to what 2012 will bring.
?It is quite humbling knowing that I am in this position but it?s great to see young enthusiastic players excel in an ideal environment in furthering their careers as professional footballers.?
Blagojevic had a decorated playing career as he was a former NSL player with APIA Leichhardt Tigers, Marconi Stallions, Sydney Olympic, Parramatta Power and Newcastle Jets to name a few before heading to Europe where he played for Belgium side Germinal Ekeren before playing in Holland with SC Heerenveen.
He also spent some time in Singapore and Malaysia and represented Australia at senior and youth level but his fondest memory was playing in the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona where the Olyroos squad finished fourth.
?That was a huge highlight for me, representing your country at the biggest sporting event, namely the Olympic Games was amazing.
?We did very well there and just lost out to a bronze medal to Ghana in the playoff but overall an experience I will never forget.?
Skilleroos Under 13 Squad
1 ? Jackson Volarich
2 ? Nicholas Zervas
3 ? Soloman Vaiika
4 ? Ben Folami
5 ? Henry Davies
6 ? Anthony Gallo
7 ? Lewis Fraser
8 ? Josh Bartolotto
9 ? Gianni Stensness
10 ? Jamie Gorgovski
11 ? Josh Evans
12 ? Harry Van der Saag
13 ? Jake Trajkovski
14 ? Jordan Bennett
15 ? Xane Zinneddine
16 ? Justin Wilkin
17 ? Daniel Arzani
18 ? Bailey Fleming
GK ? Evan Davies
GK ? Julian Di Canio
-By Mark Stavroulakis