Little Azkals to hold mini clinic to determine lineup for Italy summer camp
THE official 25-member lineup of the Little Azkals who will be going to Italy next year for a one month summer training camp will be determined during the mini camp from Dec. 16 to 22 in San Carlos City, Negros Occidental.
Head coach Oliver Colina said the mini camp is the last activity for the Little Azkals this year.
“After this I have to evaluate all the players and I have to select the players who will be going to Italy by April next year,” Colina said.
He added that participation in the camp is very crucial and all booters have to prove their capabilities to get a chance to train in Italy.
The Scuola Calcio Giacomo Tedesco in Palermo Italy through its director general Nicolo Ferrante has offered to sponsor the one month training camp of the Little Azkals in Palermo, Italy from April to May.
The sponsorship will include accommodation, food and local transportation as well as training modules.
Originally, the camp is supposed to have 30 players but Colina said he had written the Philippine Football Federation (PFF) to add more players for the camp as he has also seen potentials in two or three players from San Carlos City.
The camp was supposed to be held here in Cebu but Colina opted to have it in San Carlos City because he plans at least five friendly matches with some teams there.
“By the time of the training camp, it’ll already be the Holidays break so there won’t be many teams to go up against here,” Colina said.
Based on their performance, some of the members of the current Little Azkals will move on to the RP U14 by January next year.
The training camp will serve as talent identification for additional members of the RP U14.
The RP U14 team will be seeing action in the PFF National U14 Festival of Football also in San Carlos City by February.
The festival will further serve as talent identification as aside from national and local tournaments, the RP U14 will also be seeing international action via the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Festival of Football by June.
Richard Montayre, who heads the PFF grassroots and youth development committee, said parents of the boys will be contributing for the funding of this camp as well as sponsors. /CORRESPONDENT MARS G. ALISON
