Proliferation of dubious soccer academies in Kano

Soccer Academy is a term frequently used to portray a camp or preparing program zeroed in on creating soccer abilities for youthful, gifted and promising footballers.

It is likewise a preparation establishment in which proficient soccer clubs scout youthful soccer players and help them progress and form into future football stars all over the planet.

Academies are often conducted in the academy over a series of days or weeks, but however escalated projects could in fact last months. Going to a soccer academy is more similar to going to a soccer school; because it usually involves a variety of instructors working on specific curriculum items.

The academies begin coaching or training promising players very early on to set them up to join a particular club or any club that shows interest in them.

With a few exceptions, one of the fastest ways for a player to break into a professional soccer club is to join a soccer academy and this is because almost every single professional soccer player in Europe and other places has come up through a soccer academy.

Clubs are always on the lookout for young talent and if some is (are) spotted; they try to sign them up to their academy as fast as possible to ensure they get the player they want.

And this has yielded dividends for many clubs and many players, as Lionel Messi of Barcelona, was a homegrown player by the club’s academy.

And what most of us did not understand is that being a part of an academy does not guarantee one of becoming a soccer player though, it is far from it.

Because one has to be hard working, prayerful, listen to his instructors and be very lucky to scale through and be what he wants in a club of his choice.

But once a club has spotted something special in the player, they will scout and go for him and do all they can to make him become a good and successful soccer player.

In most places, every big club has a soccer academy and some even have theirs in the second or third national league in some cases.

In a nutshell, soccer academies differ from club to club and country to country, but the general way of doing their things or operations will be similar wherever they are.

Normally, academies are either full board or day camps, which mean that young players will live full time at the academy, or they will still live at home but go to where the academy is located several times a week.

And all the players in all academies continue their school education. In fact, their normal education is still given a lot of importance and priority. Emphasis is also placed on good academic results. As in some cases, very poor results at school can lead to the player being expelled from their academy.

Generally speaking, in England, academy players tend to go to their normal school while a lot of academies in France undertake the education of their players.

Their football training and education are always performed by the club at their dedicated training ground and environments.

Most academies organize two or three sessions a week with a match against another academy team or local team on weekends as this allows enough time for recovery, for education and to make sure that the players do not injure themselves or burn out.

The number of training sessions a week does vary from club to club, as the training sessions also vary greatly.

There is a lot to be taught in so many different domains but generally training sessions will aim to improve the young players’ physical attributes, their skill and technique with the ball and their positioning and tactical play off the ball.

This means that some sessions will be focused on developing stamina and particular muscle groups, other sessions will be focused on improving dribbling, shooting, passing etc., and finally some sessions will be focused on teaching how to press as a team, what to do in certain situations and much more.

It is worth noting at this point that soccer academies are not easy to be a part of as a lot of pressure is put on the youngsters, and the rate of conversion from academy player to professional is extremely low.

Moreover, there is no general age that is better for soccer academies. In England, you can only legally be a part of a soccer academy between the ages of 9 and 16, and while laws are different across Europe, that is the general age for a soccer academy.

But being picked up by a club can happen at any age though, and because there are so many quality soccer players that slip through the cracks every year, clubs are keen if they sniff out talent, regardless of age.

Clubs have several training schemes operating at the same time, so if the training academy is not right for a young player’s age, there will be other options.

There are also many different ways to be scouted for a soccer academy. Of course, the first thing that you need is to be a very, very good player.

Players that are offered academy places are usually the best players in their general area, and consistent excellent performances for their local club or school team will get you noticed.

Most clubs have networks of scouts that keep an eye out for the next superstar that will be playing for them next or seasons ahead.

The scouts are not necessarily looking for the best player on the day, as they know that any player can have a bad or good day.

They are looking for players who they think can turn into professional players, so attitude is a bigger criterion than what you might think.

Intelligence on the field is another criterion that scouts look for a lot, as intelligent players are much better at learning.

If there is one thing not to do when being scouted, it is to play selfishly to look better. A scout will see right through this and not playing easy or useful passes will count against the player.

Here in Kano state I was made to comprehend that there are various enrolled and unregistered soccer foundations working in the state.

But I doubt and question if these academies are operating in the same way or manner those in Europe or other places are,  because I was made to understand that emphasis is more on the amount of money desperate parents who want their children to play in European leagues are paying.

They deluded parents and players with delicious proposals from big European clubs and only for them to end up being duped or abandoned either here in Nigeria or in the Whiteman’s land where the weather condition is usually too harsh to bear.

I was dependably educated about the cases regarding players who were charged high and subsequent to paying they are yet to go to the airport terminal talkless traveling around anywhere.

about the cases of players who were charged high and after paying they are yet to even go to the airport talkless of travelling anywhere.

More so, an instance of a Kano Pillars FC player prevalently called Tsamage and few many others who were cowed to pay high measure of cash to go to preliminary in Europe yet just to go and returned with essentially nothing.

The Soccer Academy in Kano should be earnest to themselves and their students. They ought to do what is generally anticipated prior to wandering into the institute business. They ought to do what different academies in the world are doing.

They ought to initially put a structure down and furnish it with vital offices and labor supply to endure for the long haul that will answer its name.

As a scholarly spot, they ought to utilize academicians and great mentors that will deal with the understudies’ schooling and football training.

To acquire passage into the school, they ought to initially direct a capacity test for all their imminent students to confirm their ability prior to acquiring affirmation.

It is just only great, gifted and capable players that will be admitted into the institutes yet not anyone since there is no assurance that each player will scale through.

They should evade gathering cash from guardians or students for international IDs and other voyaging reports as these must be affected when a player is really or genuinely invited for trial.

The operators should have a certified connection or connections with scouters and specialists inside and outside the country that they will showcase their item to.

In conclusion, I expect every one of those that have gathered cash from these players or their folks for the sake of taking the players out, to kindly get it once again to them and request it just when these players are truly going out.

It is not a good idea to collect money for a job you can’t do.