News

United academy up and running

The invited group were identified at recent youth trials with each local club encouraged to put forward their best players who were eligible by age for United’s National Youth League (NYL) squad.

While players like Palm Beach’s Chris Lucas were offered a deal for the coming NYL season, others who impressed were issued with invites to attend the United academy and continue their development.

Head Youth Coach Mike Mulvey, who has delivered two NYL Championships in two seasons, said the club’s inaugural academy was a great step forward as he looks to prepare the next generation of Gold Coast United youngsters from local stocks.

“I think last night was a very important moment in the short history of our club and is further demonstration of our commitment to creating pathways for local young players,” Mulvey said.

“They all arrived full of hopes and dreams which is exactly what we wanted to see. It also gave our players a good opportunity to do some coaching under our watchful eye and both Michael and Jake did a great job.

“We gave them drills to perform so that Miron and I could see the kids in action and overall it was a fantastic night. We’re all looking forward to the coming weeks so we can see these players develop their skills and understanding of the game.”

Aside from the technical side of the coaching session, both Mulvey and Head Coach Miron Bleiberg spoke to the young hopefuls at length about having the right mentality to make it to the professional ranks.

Mulvey in particular highlighted the need for the players to bring the right attitude in terms of commitment, standards and fair play.

“Before the training session began we had a good talk to the players to let them know what we expect from them. One of the things we spoke about was the attitude they have to bring with them,” Mulvey said.

“Attitude is fundamental to making it as a professional player. If you have a good attitude then you have a good chance; if you have a bad attitude you have no chance and that was something we drummed into them from the start.

“They all seemed to understand that and it certainly showed through in the session.”

The Gold Coast United Academy will continue for the next eight weeks with selected players then invited periodically to continue their progress by training with this season’s National Youth Team squad.