Image: Mark Avellino. Interview: Dean Menere
A contingent of credentialed European scouts will be in Melbourne next month as they look to unearth any prospective talents during a week-long stay as part of the 2016 Talent Identification Program (TIP).
The third edition of the program will run on the mornings of 15-16 and 19-21 December at Jack Edwards Reserve in Oakleigh, with the sessions being 90-120 minutes in duration.
The program is open to participants aged 15 and over and will consist of training sessions and matches between registered participants.
December’s edition of the TIP is set to be the third of its kind in the past 12 months, which has according to organisers has been “very well received” by the European clubs in attendance.
The most recent program in June saw Richmond teenager Anthony Trajkoski secure an extended trial with Dutch second tier side FC Emmen, which subsequently led to his signature for their U19 side.
The talented midfielder came into last December’s camp without a senior appearance under his belt, having been an unused substitute in Richmond’s final game of the season in 2015 that saw them secure promotion to the top flight.
He was, however, a key player in the club’s 20s, who went head to head with Victory Youth for league honours, with the 18-year-old named Players Player of the Year by the club.
Speaking from his base in Emmen near the German border, Trajkoski reflected on his experiences with the program and how it led to the overseas move to a club noted in recent times for producing Dutch national team and Sporting Lisbon striker Bas Dost.
“Last years’ experience with the Dutch coaches was good. The camps were a good way to show yourself in front of the coaches. It helped me understand some of the areas of my game that needed improvement. Overall they were fun and I enjoyed them,” he said.
“By doing last year’s camp I felt prepared and ready for when the next one came along. On the last camp I was asked to come and trial with FC Emmen and I’m now signed with their 19s for the season.”
Trajkoski eventually made his senior breakthrough in 2016 with Richmond in the NPL, making four league appearances off the bench before departing for the Netherlands mid-season.
Capable of playing out wide and in a more central role, the diminutive youngster has made a splash in his new surroundings, scoring three goals in his first six matches as he continues to knock on the door of the first team.
“Holland is great and I’m really enjoying it so far. It has always been my dream to play in Europe. I saw this as a good stepping stone for my career and development. I’ve got this chance now so I’m here to prove myself and show my ability,” Trajkoski stated.
Last December’s edition of the program had a particularly Dutch flavour, with the majority of the representatives coming from the Netherlands, with Eredivisie side Heerenveen represented once more by Peter Maas, a scout and trainer at The Super Frisians.
The 2009 Dutch Cup Winners have a proud history of producing several internationals, including the likes of Luciano Narsingh and Giorgos Samaras, as well as being the one-time home of Dutch strikers Ruud van Nistelrooy and Klaas-Jan Huntelaar.
Heerenveen are rated as one of the best development clubs in the world and in 2014 were ranked 17th in Europe for having players trained in their academy playing professionally in the first divisions of European countries.
In attendance will also be Andjelko Ivanjko, a scout from Dinamo Zagreb which has been rated as having the third best academy in European football by CIES Football Observatory in their latest list of rankings, just behind Dutch powerhouse Ajax and Serbian outfit Partizan.
The Croatian powerhouse has a long tradition of producing some of the country’s finest footballers, which in recent years has seen them develop the likes of Niko Kranjcar, Eduardo, Luka Modric, Vedran Corluka, Mario Mandzukic, Dejan Lovren, Mateo Kovacic and Alen Halilovic.
29-time Hungarian league winners Ferencvaros will be represented by scout Peter Elekes, with the reigning league champions having a proud history in Europe.
Arguably the biggest and best supported club in Hungary, The Green Eagles have sold star midfielders Zoltan Gera and Muhamed Besic to Premier League clubs in the past decade or so.
Andreas Georgson, the Head of Youth Scouting at Swedish champions Malmo, will also be in attendance, bringing a Scandinavian flavour to the contingent.
The one-time European Cup finalists are known throughout the world as being Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s first club side, while RasenBallsport Leipzig star Emil Forsberg featured for the Sky Blues in recent seasons.
Promotion chasing 3.Liga side Osnabruck are the German representatives, with club scout Lutz Schubbert set to join the others in Victoria for a club coached by American Joe Enochs.
The sixth and final member of the touring party is Kiril Vangelov, a scout for Levski Sofia, who are the most successful post-Communist era club side in Bulgaria.
A 2015 CIES report on youth development ranked them 14th in the world for having the most players who spent at least three years in their youth academy that are now playing professionally in one of the top division of the biggest 31 European leagues.
The purpose of their visit to Melbourne is to scout Australian talent for their respective club sides both at academy and senior level.
Each of the six men will also give a presentation on their club’s scouting processes at Alphington Grammar on Monday 19 December from 6.30 to 9.30, which also allows attendees to participate in a Q & A session while also being afforded to talk to the scouts personally.
In addition to these activities, the scouts will also attend the Melbourne Derby and NYL games and NPL club training sessions in order to gain a better understanding of Australian football.
A representative of TF14, the player management agency bringing the six men down under, told TCF that the program is a unique opportunity for both players, coaches and parents.
“This is a great opportunity for parents with young children, for coaches and aspiring coaches to understand the development philosophies of top European clubs, and also what the key characteristics they look for in players are.”
“This is the biggest program to date with six clubs in attendance. We have deliberately focused on bringing a diverse group of clubs to view the trials to ensure that participants get the maximum opportunity of impressing and being selected.”
“Firstly, having six clubs there means you get more opportunities to be seen, each club also will value a different type of player and see the game differently, therefore it provides all types of players with an opportunity to succeed.”
“Football is played differently all over the world, and they all look for and value different types of players. The clubs also come from diverse parts of Europe with varying requirements with regards to passports. Some European countries are very strict with regards to non-EU passport holders (the United Kingdom being the strictest), others are more flexible, and we have brought clubs that are generally more open to non EU passport holders.”
The TF14 player manager spoke about the difficulties Australian footballers have in getting noticed, especially outside the A-League where video coverage of games is limited.
“For players to get trials with professional clubs in Europe is extremely difficult and expensive. In virtually all the cases, players will need to pay for their own flights and accommodation to go over and trial (unless a club is extremely interested in them and has been following their progress, which is unlikely for all but national team representatives and A-League first team players).”
“And that would just be a trial with one club – we thought we would turn the game on its head and instead bring the coaches and scouts here. Suddenly it’s much more affordable, and you have an opportunity where previously you wouldn’t have.”
“It really is a unique opportunity. What Australian players and parents need to realise is that professional clubs don’t need our players, there are tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands of players out there wanting to make it. Many live in Europe or come from footballing hotbeds like South America and Africa where it’s been proven to European clubs that they can find successful talent.”
“Australia is not on the radar for most clubs and is not considered important, so we need to make it as easy and as enticing as possible for them to consider Australian talent, and what better way than bringing them to Australia during the start of our summer,” he added.
The total cost of the entire program is $600 and any interested applicants should register their interest via email Boris@tf14.net for further information.
For more information including registration follow the link to the Athletic Football Group here.