Bankstown and Berries develop partnership for juniors

The move was initiated to give young players a pathway into representative football after the previous model was phased out years ago.
Until now, there has been no direct link between amateur football players and the West Sydney Berries-Bankstown?s closest representative side-with players forced to enter the selective arena on their own.
Bankstown Association President Harry Sklavenitis hopes the partnership can curve that trend.
?We are trying to better introduce football in the area so hopefully it gets off the ground this year,? he said.
?In the old days, kids were in Bankstown from Under 11?s right through to Under 18?s but unfortunately that went away.
 ?Our main goal is to develop our juniors and have the career path for kids want to go further without having to go out of the area.?
The 2012 season will mark the beginning of the joint venture with programs already in place to give juniors appropriate support to play football.
Some of the benefits include :
–          Every player that registers in the Bankstown area will receive a free family pass to attend all of the Berries home games
–          Training camps with recognised Berries coaches
–          Bankstown Metro (Under 11/12) goalkeepers trained by Berries coaches
–          Metro teams will also train at least once a fortnight with Berries? Super Youth League sides (Under 13-18)
–          Berries players will attend Bankstown Association training sessions to offer advice.
There are more than 7000 registered players in the Bankstown Association, which will soon become a breeding ground for Berries players. The pathway will help the transition into representative football easier and improve the quality of play in the Berries sides with younger players being taught the same methods.
The Bankstown Association is attempting to introduce a football excellence facility for all representative teams and finals matches of local competitions.
-By Mitchell Grima