The Soccer Institute of Australia is on the hunt for the best young soccer talent in Mount Isa.
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The Institute is the brainchild of former State League of New South Wales South Cardiff player Dean Kelley, now resident in Mount Isa since the start of 2016.
“We’ve got a week to week training camp on now, which is something that I had in Newcastle before I left there.” Kelley said.
“We train everyone from three year olds all the way to 17 year olds, but we’ll keep similar age groups together so 10s and 11s, for instance will play together.”
The 'Soccer Institute of Australia' clinics start from Tuesday, February 25 and are a week to week after-school program that focuses on the development of each individual player.
“On Tuesdays and Thursday we’ll be at Good Shepherd Catholic College and on Wednesday Parkside have been good enough to allow us use their training facility.”
Kelley said the clinics would be based on techniques for improving individual performance rather than the team-focussed activities that take place at normal training sessions.
Kids only have a certain window – once they get to 17 or 18 whatever they’ve learned that’s what they’ve got for the rest of their lives
- Dean Kelley
“It’s focussed on the individual, working in smaller class groups where we can get the positioning right, we can get the tencique right whereby you should be trapping the ball with the correct foot, how to bring a ball down from high, how to beat a player,” he said.
“All those type of skills generally get missed through the ages.
“Kids only have a certain window – once they get to 17 or 18 whatever they’ve learned that’s what they’ve got for the rest of their lives.”
Kelley said this was why getting to them a bit younger was so important.
“They might get a little bit bigger or a little bit stronger or faster but their ball skills generally won’t improve past a certain age,” he said.
“Before these bad habits come in, ideally, it takes three or four months to break a bad habit and three weeks to create a new one.”
Anyone interested in the clinics should email deankelley@soccerinstituteofaustralia.com.au, look them up on Facebook “Soccer Institute of Australia” or ring Dean on 0414 922 287.
Both girls and boys are welcome.