As part of the NI Football League’s ongoing commitment to youth development, club representatives from Academy League clubs attended a coach education visit to Benfica.
The visit, co-funded by the Erasmus+ Programme of the European Union, allowed coaches and Heads of Youth to gain fantastic access to observe practices and methodologies at one of Europe’s major youth academies.
Expertly aided by Benfica Academy staff, representatives gained knowledge and insight into;
• The Benfica Youth Development Model
• Youth Scouting, Assessment and Match Analysis
• The Benfica Game Model
• On field tactical and technical sessions
The visit was organised in partnership with Invest in Sport Ltd with some of the learning giving clubs and the NI Football League further knowledge and potential to better shape the direction of our Academies and League.
Participations on the visit; Andrew McCrory (Ards), David Alonso (Ballinamallard United), Joe McCall (Ballymena United), Damien McAuley (Cliftonville), Stephen McCann (Coleraine), Gareth Bond (Crusaders), Terence Fitzpatrick (Dungannon Swifts), Mark Cromie (Glenavon), Stephen Lowry (Glentoran), Ryan Prentice (Linfield), Matthew Newell (Warrenpoint Town).
