Ahead of Sunderland AFC’s fixture against Bidvest Wits in the Future Champions Cup, we take a look at how the football partnership is developing with the Clever Boys.
The Black Cats and Bidvest Wits have enjoyed a fruitful relationship since agreeing to a football partnership in 2013.
To date the partnership has included Sunderland delivering coaching sessions in South Africa to Bidvest Wits’ academy, with Sunderland’s Under-16 team also training with their youth academy during their visit for the Future Champions Gauteng Cup in March 2014.
In November 2014, Sunderland’s head of international football development, Graham Robinson, visited South Africa as part of the partnership between the two clubs.
The well-travelled coach, who started his playing career in his native South Africa before later moving to the United Kingdom, delivered coaching sessions to Bidvest Wits’ Under-21 team and shared coaching methodologies with the club’s training staff.
The South African top flight side, which compete in the Premier Soccer League (PSL), are owned by Sunderland’s principal partner, Bidvest Group, and the two clubs are working together on a regular basis, sharing coaching and business expertise.
Graham said: “We work very closely with Bidvest Wits for the benefit of both clubs and often share ideas. I visit the club four times a year to assist in their ongoing youth development programme and I am starting to see an improvement in the players, which is a credit to the staff at Wits.
“The big thing for the club is that they are starting to identify players at a younger age and they are much more organised in their structure. This season, six players from their academy have moved up the academy ranks to their first team squad, which shows you that it is working.”
The partnership with The Clever Boys has continued to go from strength to strength, with the Black Cats welcoming Wits’ prodigy Liam Jordan to Sunderland last year.
The youngster, who is taking South African football by storm, recently made his professional debut for Bidvest Wits, making him the youngest PSL debutant in over six years.
Speaking about the partnership, Liam said: “The partnership has definitely benefited me as it has afforded me the opportunity to come to Sunderland for a development training week, it has also tested me against some of the best kids in my age group in the UK.
“It was a fantastic experience and I am thankful to both Sunderland and my club, Bidvest Wits, for making this opportunity a reality.”
No comments:
Post a Comment
drop your comment about your football hero, their fashion style, like who dresses most, who drink most ,who hang out most like going to club , who plays with woman most and so on