WaiBOP United will be holding the first trial session for its 2013/14 Youth Team at the Matamata Domain on Sunday October 13.
The franchise’s coaching staff, led by WaiBOP United’s Youth Team Coach, Paul Drake, has already spent a considerable amount of time scouting senior, youth and high school teams across the region. Drake also called for nominations from clubs and high schools in an attempt to ensure every potential youth team player was identified.
“We’ve been impressed by the talent on show around the region, so narrowing this down to a final squad will be difficult,” says Drake. “But that’s what we were hoping for and I think at the end of the trial process we’ll have a competitive squad of players for what will be a strong and intense challenge in this season’s ASB Youth League.”
WaiBOP United’s Head Coach, Peter Smith, is quick to stress the importance of the franchise’s youth team. “This is the next step in the football development of this region’s best young players,” says Smith. “It will see them working within the franchise’s structure and put them in the shop window for future first team positions. Ultimately we want to be bringing as many players through from the youth team to the ASB Premiership side so Paul’s job is of huge importance.”
Paul Probert from Tauranga is the assistant coach of the WaiBOP United Youth Team and Graeme Kinney from Whakatane is the team’s manager.
The ASB Youth League is open to players under the age of 19 on January 1 2014 and is played in two conferences – northern and southern. A national play-off series follows for the top two sides in each conference. WaiBOP United is in the Northern Conference and will play home and away fixtures against Waitakere United, Auckland City, South Auckland, Hawke’s Bay United, and the Northern-based NZ under 17s. Matches are played from January to March 2014.
For more information please contact:
Paul Drake, WaiBOP United Youth Team Coach
Peter Smith, WaiBOP United Head Coach
