Cape Town - Special football talents will have a chance to make a major breakthrough at the LaLiga Camp to be held in KwaZulu-Natal from March 27 to March 31 at Hoy Park, Durban.
The camp has attracted 150 boys and girls from under-10 to under-17. The talent identification program provides an opportunity for exceptional talent to be selected to attend the world-class LaLiga academy in Spain. It will also open the way for special talents to find clubs in Europe.
The camp is funded by the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Sport, Arts and Culture. Last year, the camps made their South Africa debut in Johannesburg and Cape Town. It is run by LaLiga UEFA Pro Licenced coaches, assisted by four local coaches.
Saul Vazquez, the LaLiga Sports Projects specialist, who has worked elsewhere in Africa, will head the camp in KwaZulu-Natal. Young footballers will be given an insight into the tactical, technical, physical, and psychological aspects needed to perform at the highest level in world football.
The participating footballers will be drawn from local football clubs, in close partnership with SAFA KwaZulu-Natal. An important objective of the camps is to give disadvantaged youth from all over South Africa. These children would not ordinarily have access to the opportunity to be coached by highly qualified coaches.
Once the camp has been completed, there will be a coaching seminar for 30 coaches from the provincial SAFA.
More than 900 young players participated in different LaLiga Camps globally in 2022, in countries including the United States, United Kingdom, Japan and South Africa.
“After very successful camps in Johannesburg and Cape Town, we are delighted to be bringing the LaLiga Camps to KwaZulu-Natal for the very first time," said Marcos Pelegrin, LaLiga’s Southern Africa Managing Director.
"There is a rich history of passion for the game and a culture of footballing excellence in KwaZulu-Natal and we are very happy to be able to share the LaLiga philosophy and coaching methods with talented young girls and boys footballers from the province."
KZN MEC for Sport, Arts and Culture, Amanda Bani-Mapena, has expressed excitement at the implementation of the KwaZulu-Natal edition of the LaLiga Camps. She said the seeds of growth that will be sowed by the camps will yield handsomely in the future.
"We believe that the hosting of the LaLiga camps in the province will provide the necessary boost that South African football needs," said Bani-Mapena.
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"Even more exciting is the fact that these camps are being conducted by the best football league in the world. The development of football from grassroots level is part of the Department’s core mandate, and we are honoured to partner with LaLiga in this initiative.
"The kids emerging from these camps would have been imparted with invaluable knowledge, experience and football expertise to become true global superstars of tomorrow.“
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The project entails top coaches from Spain coming to South Africa to conduct players camps and coaches clinics over a 7-day period three times a year.
The long-term outcome is to establish LaLiga football Academy in South Africa at the end of the second year to develop players to go overseas.
IOL Sport