Justin Haber is among the few Maltese players who played professional football away from our shores.
The Malta international goal-keeper enjoyed spells in Bulgaria (Dobrudzha), France (Quevily, RE Virton) and Greece (Haidari, Kerkyra) but is mostly remembered for his time at England’s Sheffield United and Ferencvaros in the Hungarian league.
Now, the 31-year-old is back and has embarked on a new venture intended mainly to assist promising young players to follow in his footsteps.
The Justin Haber Academy was launched yesterday. It will be run in conjunction with the technical staff of renowned English club Sunderland, the exclusive partners of the academy.
The doors will be open for boys and girls between the ages of six and 17 years and the school starts operating from Floriana in September.
“I am really happy to be here today and launch this project,” Haber said.
“The academy is something I have been dreaming about for several months.
“This project will provide Maltese children with better opportunities to develop their skills in a professional set-up.
“Unfortunately, the main problem with our football is that young players are not groomed adequately and when they reach senior levels most of them are found wanting.
“Our aim is to provide a holistic approach to football development and to this end we have already secured the services of fitness coaches, a sports scientist and psychologist and also a dietician.”
Haber said that seven Maltese coaches will be engaged at the academy.
They will be travelling to Sunderland soon to familiarise them-selves with the coaching methods adopted by the Barclays Premier League club.
The academy will host a maximum of 300 participants with the first 250 accepted on application.
The other 50 will be selected by Sunderland coaches during trials in September.
Those showing promise will be invited to continue their training at the Black Cats’ academy for an entire season.
Ged McNamee, Academy Manager at Sunderland FC, said that the project will hopefully unearth new talent.
“This initiative represents a great opportunity for us to share the philosophy of our academy in a country that has real passion for the game,” he said.
“Justin Haber is fully committed and wants to develop a structured coaching programme that gives young hopefuls the best opportunity to fulfil their dreams.
“So, we are delighted to share this vision.”
Black Cats’ profile
Mike Farnan, Marketing Director at Sunderland FC, was of the same opinion as McNamee.
“This partnership is an ideal launchpad for us to ignite new partnerships away from the UK and raise the profile of our club in Malta,” he said.
“Justin’s desire to introduce this academy here is impressive and deserves credit. His drive, commitment and determination mirrors our values as a football club and we are excited to turn his dream into a reality.”
Registration for the Justin Haber Academy is already open.
Application forms may be collected from all Eurosport outlets or www.justinhaberacademy.com.