Manchester gives Zazu School boys taste of professional football

Two formidable teams from the Manchester United Academy, accomplished performances from their Bolton Wanderers counterparts and a windswept pitch at the training centre of League Two club Bury FC were some of the challenges encountered by a group of young football hopefuls from Malta recently. Kevin Azzopardi has more...

This much-anticipated football extravaganza kicked off on Thursday, August 18 when 32 boys, aged between eight and 12 from the Zazu Football School, staff coaches and a sizeable party of parents and close relatives boarded a BritishJet flight to Manchester.

I had been approached by Ray Farrugia, the mastermind and head coach of the school, and other directors, to be part of the contingent for this end-of-season excursion.

In over 13 years working in sports journalism, I have always tried to support and promote Maltese football, despite all the limitations hindering its long-term progress.

Hence, the prospect of seeing Maltese youths pitting themselves against English opposition was one that I relished, even if it necessitated a drastic alteration of my erstwhile vacation plans for the summer.

At the airport on Thursday morning, a glance at the faces of the children, all kitted out in white polo shirts and blue shorts, enhanced my conviction that I had done well to accept Farrugia's overtures to join him on this trip.

All around the Departures Lounge it was all smiles, the facial expression of these football-mad boys reflecting their eagerness and enthusiasm.

Their sense of anticipation increased on arriving at the Man-chester airport as the first members of the group making their way to the baggage reclaim zone spotted two Manchester United stalwarts.

Word quickly spread that Dutch internationals Edwin Van der Sar, United's new goalkeeper, and Ruud van Nistelrooy, were within 'touching distance'. This triggered a chase by adults and children alike to catch a glimpse of the two stars.

Attempts to acquire Van Nistel-rooy's autograph proved elusive as the towering striker left the airport soon afterwards but Van der Sar remained seated and looked unperturbed by the sudden attention of camera-wielding fans.

He willingly signed autographs and posed for photographs with his admirers... definitely not a bad way to begin this football jaunt.

A tour of the Manchester United museum and stadium, aptly known as the Theatre of Dreams, was thoroughly enjoyed by the Maltese tourists. Inside the stadium, the dressing room used by Manchester United, the home dug-out bedecked with the club crest and the players' tunnel proved the most popular photo-stops.

The first two days in the north of England were interspersed with shopping tours to United's megastore and the Trafford Centre, a magnificent indoor shopping mall.

For the younger element in the group, this trip was all about football though, and the serene setting of the Castle Irwell Student Village, the residence of the University of Salford, provided just the perfect environment for that, what with its expanse of natural grass.

Bristling with youthful exuberance, the boys would spend every minute of their free time kicking a ball. Their enthusiasm was literally infectious, inspiring most of the parents and the few media personnel accompanying the group, including yours truly, to organise impromptu kickabouts. One particular evening, the 'thoroughbreds' were heavily outnumbered by 24 to 10 in a young vs old challenge.

Serious business for the teams began on Saturday, August 20 when they faced Manchester United at Littleton Road, a training pitch owned and run by the Old Trafford club.

The U-9s took part in small-sided games whereas the matches involving the U-10 and U-12 teams were split into four quarters of 15 minutes each.

This gave the coaches, particularly those in charge of the United youths, the chance to use all the players in their large squads.

United's organisation

Manchester United's superior teamwork, fitness and excellent sense of positioning on the pitch gave them a clear edge over their Maltese peers, the latter clad in light-blue Lotto tops and white shorts, supplied by Teamsport.

The U-12s found the going very tough but the U-10s, despite losing to United, acquitted themselves better and gave a very good account of themselves.

Several players from the Zazu Football School rivalled their United counterparts in technical skills but our boys clearly need to devote more attention to improving their tactical knowhow and work ethic.

Within hours of finishing their games against Manchester United, most of the members in the group headed for Old Trafford to watch United's first home Premier League game of the season against Aston Villa (1-0).

The itinerary was pretty much the same on Sunday as the U-10s took on Bolton Wanderers.

As was the case the previous day, the Maltese delivered a lively, spirited performance and also managed to get off the scoring mark.

Soon after the game, the two buses carrying the Maltese contingent drove to the Reebok Stadium for the Premier League match between Bol-ton Wanderers and Everton (0-1).

The third match of this tour took the Zazu Football School teams to Goshen Sports Centre where they played against Bury.

Three matches were held concurrently on different pitches on a wet and windy evening.

The unfamiliar weather conditions did not dishearten the Maltese who were up to the challenge offered by the Bury teams.

The U-12s stood their ground well in the first of three 25-minute sessions and also had some open chances to break their scoring duck.

However, as happens so often with Maltese teams, they seemed to lose their fighting spirit after conceding a goal.

Not so for the U-10s. An early goal set them on their way to a fine performance and victory over Bury, rounding off a highly positive Manchester tour.

The competitive spirit and uninhibited play of the boys in the U-9 teams also drew affectionate cheers from the parents and other spectators who happened to be at Goshen Sports Centre on that particular Tuesday evening.

Later in the day, the group enjoyed a meal at Gigg Lane, Bury's stadium before watching the Carling League Cup match between the home side and Leicester City.

Wednesday evening at Littleton Road, the U-12s played their last match against Bolton Wanderers and then it was back to the residence and the hotel to get suitcases ready for departure the following morning.

The feeling was very positive amidst a general acknowledgement that the trip benefited the boys' development, exposing them to the standards of their English counterparts at such a young age.

And let's face it, the chance to play teams of the calibre of Manchester United and Bolton does not happen every day.

The group in Manchester:

U-9 - Alex Tabone, Jack Vella, Dillon Cassar, Glen Fiteni, Jean Claude Agius, Clyde Xuereb.

U-10 - Keane Cutajar, Shawn Deguara, Melvin Busuttil, Dylan Meli, Bernard Borg, Isaac McCarthy, Luke Montebello, Dormond Micallef, Brandon Paiber, Jonathan Licari.

U-12 - Kurt Rizzo, Jean M. Dalli, Aaron Dalli, Jean P. Agius, Kurt Aquilina, Sam Abela, Michael Mumford, Francisco Mumford, Sean Borg, Cayne Pace, Zach Muscat, Albert Spiteri, Chamison Muscat, Michael Borg, Bernard Galea, Jurgen Gauci.

Coaches - Ray Farrugia, Ronald Vella, Wayne Attard.

Experience will benefit boys, says Farrugia

Ray Farrugia was in typically high spirits at the end of the Manchester tour.

"The most important thing is that the boys enjoyed themselves and gained experience... I think we have achieved that objective," Farrugia remarked.

"How many children can claim to have had the chance of playing against a side from Man. United?

"Just watching how they train, how they play and how they conduct themselves during matches will help our children's development which, after all, is the priority of my school.

"With regard to performances, we were at a disadvantage because our opponents train together and put a lot of emphasis on teamwork and organisation. Nonetheless, there are many positives to take from this experience. Individually, our boys were definitely not behind the others and their collective showings improved with every game."

Established in February, the Zazu Football School hosted around 140 children in its first six months of operation.

"The massive feedback we received from the public after we launched the school was very encouraging," Farrugia said.

"Now that we have laid the foundations for the future of the school, we are committed to continue building on the success we have had so far.

"It's a source of great satisfaction for us noting the improvement of children who had never played football before they began to train with us. Our philosophy is to help youngsters not only become better players but also good persons when they grow up."

George Borg, a director of the Zazu Football School, echoed Farrugia's positive sentiments.

"We went to Manchester to play football," Borg said. "Everything was in place for the children to enjoy themselves to the full.

"It was hard work for the teams against Manchester United and Bolton Wanderers but they did not let us down. They showed great enthusiasm to learn and improve.

"Definitely, they will look back at this memorable experience as an invaluable learning exercise."

Borg also underlined the school's ambition to become a leader in football education.

"There are limited places left for next season and that shows that the Zazu Football School has, in a very short time, shot to the forefront of youth football training. We are working to widen our pool of coaches with former Malta skipper David Carabott having just signed a contract to join our technical staff.

"During the season, we also plan to have some international players and coaches visiting the school while the possibility of sending other teams abroad is also being explored. The end-of-season trip to Manchester also features high on our agenda."

The Zazu Football School's Manchester tour was supported by Westin Dragonara, Quaker, Team-sport, Konica-Minolta, Peugeot, Ranieri and Chez Gaetan.

More information on the school's activities may be obtained by calling Randolph Mizzi on 9947-7910.

kazzopardi@timesofmalta.com