Interview with Mr. Mark Bondin

by Ayrton Galea - 9th June 2014

Birkirkara FC gives its utmost importance to its Youth Academy, and recently, the Club has appointed a new Director of Youth Coaching, Mr Mark Bondin.

Mr. Bondin, had a fourteen year experience in coaching before joining our Youth Academy. We talked with Mr Bondin about his vision and targets for our Academy and other topics.

Who is Mark Bondin?

I am 34 years old, married to Chantal (a Birkirkara FC Player) and have an 8 months old daughter called Elena. By profession I am an operating theatre nurse, but I am currently employed as a sales representative with a company selling medical equipment and consumables. I have been involved in football for the last 14 years as head coach.

What are your main hobbies besides football?

Reading, however lately I have stopped because of time constraints.

Mention three things you cannot live without.

A mobile phone, a car and a good meal.

Do you have a favourite quote or motto?

Always know what you are doing, and more importantly, why you are doing it.

What motivates you most in life?

The love for my wife and daughter. They are my reason for living.

Do you follow international football? If yes, which is your favourite nation when it comes to football, and which is your favourite club?

At a very young age I started to follow Italian football. Today I follow also football in Spain, Germany and the Netherlands, as I think these three nations have a lot to teach us. My favourite club, however, is Juventus.

Who is your favourite Coach?

I do not have a favourite Coach, but I can say that I follow a number of coaches. I think it is very important to see what different coaches are saying about the game, so that you can take the best out of them. Just to mention a few, Guardiola, Klop, Sacchi, Benitez, Van Gaal and Ancellotti.

Did you used to play with any team before starting your coaching career?

Yes, I played for Mqabba

How did your coaching career start?

I started at the age of 20, after two years not playing football. I set up a nursery in Mqabba, as I thought that children in my home town should have better opportunities then I had. I started taking courses and studying football so that I could keep myself updated with the game.

Why did you decide to join Birkirkara FC? Why not another Club?

I had several offers but I decided to join Birkirkara FC as it was the only club speaking to me with serious and clear objectives for their future on the youth sector. One important aspect is that the Club's Youth Sector is managed by the senior team committee. This is definitely showing goodwill from the club to introduce young players at top level in Malta.

What is your opinion on the current set-up? Are there any things you would prefer to see being done in a different manner?

The set-up at Birkirkara FC is great. The set-up at youth level needs to be upgraded a bit more. We are working on this and we shall be coming up with a good proposal in the coming weeks.

What about the other coaches and premises?

The technical staff is very good. We have already appointed all the coaches for next year. There will be some changes from the current team of coaches. With regards to premises, they are very good. The only pity there is that we do not have a full size pitch available for our competitive teams. However, we have already reached agreement with the club's senior committee that we shall be hiring a pitch at least once a week. This shows the goodwill I mentioned earlier, and this is one reason for choosing Birkirkara FC.

What are the things that matter most to you, and will address to change in your first months with our Youth Academy?

I would like to see a change in the mentality in the way people look at the Academy. We are focusing on setting up a number of technical and administrative guidelines which will have to be followed by coaches, administrators, parents and players. In this way, we would be having a more professional set up.

What is your vision for the Academy?

My vision for the academy is that we want Birkirkara FC to have the best Youth Academy on the island. The best does not mean winning an U8 tournament, but putting as many players as possible at the disposal of the First Team Head Coach.

What are your targets with our Academy?

1. Increase the number of players in the lower age groups.
2. Improve the style of play that the academy is playing.
3. Set up different ways of teaching in order to make sure that all players in our academy have an opportunity to improve.

What makes this Academy different than the other football schools on the island?

It has a clear set of objectives. Many clubs do not have a link between their youth sector and the senior team. Here there is the will to challenge the tradition and move on with an interesting project.

Is there something you would like to say? Maybe a message to the children attending the academy, their parents and also those who do not yet form part of this big family?

My message for the children is to always watch football matches. This will help you improve your passion for the game. If you have passion for football, you will be eager to learn, making you a better footballer.

Parents, please always remember that football at younger ages is not the same as senior football. Please always act as parents and not as supporters who want to win games at all cost.

Thank you.

comments powered by Disqus