Skills Acquisition Program Gala Weekend Hailed A Success
The inaugural Skills Acquisition Program (SAP) Gala Day kicked off on Saturday 8th of June as participants from 26 accredited Football NSW SAP Licensees from across NSW along with Capital Football, took part in what was a fantastic weekend of football.
SAP players from under 9’s, 10’s and 11’s all took part in Gala Day matches at Football NSW headquarters in what was a great spectacle for all players, coaches, referees and parents involved.
Football NSW Head of Football Phil Brown was delighted with what the SAP Gala Day achieved.
“Thanks to the efforts of the SAP Licensees, players and parents we were treated to an exciting weekend of football, played in the right spirit, and focused on the development of the States’ talented young footballers.
“It was encouraging to see boys and girls, striving to achieve and enjoying themselves at the same time”.
Over 200 parents and coaches from various clubs and associations were treated to a special educational seminar conducted by former Socceroos captain and now Football NSW Technical Director Alex Tobin.
Australian football identities such as former Socceroos skipper Paul Wade, newly appointed FFA Assistant National Technical Director Kelly Cross and former Socceroo goalkeeper Zeljko Kalac were also on-hand at the coaching seminar.
Tobin was pleased by the interest shown by club and association presidents and technical directors who were all keen to observe and share their knowledge about the game.
“It was a great weekend of football on a number of levels.
“First and foremost, the technical quality of football for players at this vital age is undoubtedly on the rise. Secondly, and equally as important, there is a growing shared responsibility amongst licensees, parents and coaches towards developing all our young players to their full potential.”
Father of two, Sam Nizam, whose youngest son Emre is part of St George FC’s SAP U9 program hailed the SAP Gala Day a huge success.
“As a parent you enjoy seeing your kids do something they love and having seen what was put together via the SAP Gala Day, I had a happy camper at home.
“It’s great to see our young ones enjoying the game they love, staying fit, healthy and playing in a team environment where they will hopefully make lifelong friends.”
Western Sydney Wanderers head coach Tony Popovic was a keen observer at the SAP Gala weekend, this time as a parent.
Popovic in particular was impressed with the organisation of the SAP Gala Day and praised the promotion of further developing our promising youngsters.
“When I was going through the ranks we had nothing like this around. Having this program in place is certainly great for all of the kids involved”
“It’s healthy for our future players to build on their development as footballers at a young age”.
Hyundai A-League clubs Sydney FC and Western Sydney Wanderers were also present over the weekend. Players such as Mark Bridge (WSW), Ivan Necevski and Vedran Janjetovic (Sydney FC) all made guest appearances signing autographs and taking photos while Channel 7 newsreader Mark Ferguson and his television crew were on hand in further promoting the event.
SAP is the official Football NSW development program for players aged from U9s to U11s, Developed by the Football NSW Technical Department, SAP provides a structured best practice learning environment, consistent with the FFA National Curriculum, to support development of the State’s aspiring young footballers.
A second SAP Gala Day will be organised for August this year with more details to be announced shortly.
-Football NSW Media Release
