Birkirkara FC Youth Academy address Youth FA session

by Ayrton Galea - 30th May 2016

Birkirkara FC Youth Academy, and Dingli Swallows nursery were last week invited by the Youth Football Association to share with the other nurseries their experience of pooling their resources, and working together.

At the start of season 2015-16, Birkirkara FC reached an agreement with Dingli Swallows, which saw a number of Birkirkara U14 players, together with their coach, going on loan with Dingli Swallows, to take part in the U15 league. This was beneficial to both clubs, as Dingli did not have enough players to take part in the U15 league, while the U14 Birkirkara players gained valuable experience by taking part in the U15 league.

Birkirkara FC Director of Youth Coaching, Mr. Mark Bondin, explained that Birkirkara had a large number of players in the combined U14 and U15 age groups. Since there is no league for the U14's, it was decided to keep the required numbers with Birkirkara's U15 team, while loaning out the rest to one club, so that they also get the necessary playing experience. After several considerations, Dingli Swallows were chosen as the perfect partners for this initiative.

On the other hand, Mr.Kevin Axiaq, Head Coach of Dingli Swallows Nursery explained that such opportunity was deemed fit for Dingli as this addressed the limited number of players within their team. With this partnership, Dingli nursery could participate in the Youth FA Under-15's league.

Both Birkirkara and Dingli emphasised the importance of getting the necessary backing and support from the mother club. The Chairman of the Birkirkara FC Youth Academy, Mr Ivan Mizzi, explained how important it was that the club was on board with the initiative in the very early stages.

Embarking on this initiative meant that both clubs discussed ways and means of cooperation which included the sharing of tasks and responsibilities and so creating a win-win situation for both sides. It transpired that the element of trust between the nurseries involved is of utmost importance and a fundamental factor for the success of this merge. During an open-floor discussion, the nursery representatives expressed their views and queried the nurseries involved on the challenges they might have encountered whilst working on this merge.

In his concluding remarks, Fr Hilary Tagliaferro congratulated Birkirkara and Dingli Swallows nurseries for making this a successful story, which other nurseries should learn from. Engaging on such collaboration is a way forward to address the challenges that some nurseries are facing throughout the season. This requires good planning and goodwill from all parties involved and always keeping in mind the growth and development of the young players who indeed are our future footballers.

This project is part of the Growth & Retention 2020 supported by the Youth FA.

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