The four young footballers from Gulu based football academy, Football For Good (FFG) Derrick Ocan (U18), Lisa Kakanyero (U16), Polycarp Mwaka (U15) and Owen Bradbury (U14) successfully returned to the country from the 2 weeks’ training camp in Mallorca in Spain.
The quartet trained with the Mallorca football club underage teams and also visited historic sites.
According to the director of the Football For Good Academy, Adrian Bradbury, the players performed to the due expectations.
“The boys really performed up to expectation, with a couple really turning some heads”
Bradbury senior hailed the level and organization of football at the Spanish side.
“The level of football at Mallorca is very high. Our boys were not left behind. It’s incredible really, that after just two years (and barely scratching the surface on our national talent identification) that we’re already ‘interesting’ to a top European academy.”
Small sized players:
Bradbury hinted on the technical strength of the players despite their small bodies.
“Though being undersized, our boys were very technically strong and with some time in that environment, can compete at this world-class level. That makes it clear that our future is indeed very, very bright.
While on the tour, the Ugandan group interacted with the Mallorca club Chairman, Maheta Molango, and Director of Football, Javier Recio.
There were great discussions on the possibility of future trips and links.
Further Linkages:
The Ugandan contingent also opened up new avenues to fresh networks with interesting links and opportunities in Palma.
The group toured the Palma beach, Palma Aquarium, local caves and a number of sites on the tranquil island.
They also visited the famous Rafa Nadal academy and interacted with colleagues at that new international school.
This was the first ever trip to Spain for the Football For Good Youth Academy launched in Northern Uganda in January 2015.
The trip was coordinated by the Spanish Segunda side’s current club consultant, Ivan Campo.
Campo is also a former member of the Spanish national team who played at Mallorca, Bolton and Real Madrid, where he won two UEFA Champions League crowns).
He worked closely with the Northern Uganda football academy to realize the invitation.
The academy is a professional youth football set-up that delivers on elite training and competition, world-class education and character-building, and global opportunities on the field and in the classroom.