FCV visit Guernsey
In the first week of August, FCV Academy ventured to the island of Guernsey as Head of Talent Development Ben Watts hosted a series of training sessions over a three-day period.
On Tuesday 7th August, Watts put on a full day of training, which was free to attend for players, as he went in search of the next Kyle de Garis – a Guernsey native who came through FCV before earning trials at a number of EFL clubs.
“Guernsey was a great place to visit, all the people are friendly and really approachable, which helps a lot,” Watts said.
“The lads were great and I spent time talking to the parents, they asked all sorts of questions. It was a very productive trip – the football was at a very high standard and the players were excellent technically.
“We had a total of 30 players turn up for the Tuesday sessions, a great turn out for a single day. All 30 players expressed an interest in FCV and one set of parents said it was one of the best sessions they’d been to, so that’s promising.”
Covering an area of roughly 24 square miles, and with a population of roughly 62,000, the footballing infrastructure on Guernsey is particularly limited, meaning the opportunity FCV provides can often be a lifeline for budding young footballers.
Watts highlighted this as one of the reasons for going to the Channel Island, and with so many expressing an interest in the Academy, it made for a positive trip.
“Kyle de Garis is an example of a lad who has come over to England for the Academy and gone on to have trials at professional clubs, so it gives players like him a great option.
“We had Kyle join us at the training sessions and many of them were really interested in hearing about his experiences.
“There is a lot of talented players on the island who don’t get the opportunity they deserve and hopefully FCV can provide this for them.”
