International students grateful for FCV experience
Eight players from three different countries were awarded places on FCV Academy’s August Development Camp after impressing at open training sessions over the last year.
Four from Bulgaria, three from Australia, and one from India – the eight players have travelled far for the opportunity with FCV, but it was one they couldn’t turn down.
From Australia, the players were selected by Head of Talent Development, Ben Watts, while he was in Melbourne and Perth.
Peter Marinokic hails from Melbourne and has been mightily impressed with the standard off football on offer in Stamford, the home of FCV International Football Academy.
“The training has been intense,” he explained. “The coaches are great to work with. The way FCV is setup is brilliant, it’s perfect for developing as a footballer.
“There’s nothing like this in Australia so coming over here and being given the opportunity is amazing and I’m really grateful. The training has been hard but that’s good.
“If I was to come back on a full-time basis, it would be amazing. England is where the football’s at, it’s always been my dream to play here. FCV would be a great place to help me achieve that dream, you can see the success former players have had.
“While I’m here, I want to show the coaches and my peers that I deserve to be given an opportunity here at FCV.”
Hardik Bhatt hails from Kopana Football School in Mumbai, India, and is also in attendance at the FCV camp. It signals the beginning of FCV and Kopana’s relationship in terms of their players visiting the UK.
Bhatt was selected to attend by Gary D’Souza, head of Kopana Football School.
“This is completely different to what we have in India,” Bhatt claimed. “This is a fantastic opportunity to learn and develop as a person and player. I’m extremely grateful to both Kopana and FCV for allowing this to happen. “
Ben Watts ran a development camp at FC Vitosha Bistritsa, where four players were selected to visit the UK for the Development Camp.
Along with the players, two representative from the top-tier Bulgarian club have travelled to the UK, and they’re extremely impressed with what they have seen.
“The facilities here at FCV are fantastic,” explained Milen Nikolov, Chief Press Officer of FC Vitosha Bistritsa. “The accommodation is amazing because it creates a team environment and togetherness. The players live together so they are constantly teaming up with each other. I really appreciate this opportunity for the players.
“I also really like the external activities like Paul Brackwell, Education Manager from Aston Villa, the First Team Scout from Southampton who is visiting on Friday and the Wembley tour. That’s massive for our kids as we are brought up with Wembley being the home of football, it’s legendary. People come over to England just for Wembley, so this camp is a terrific experience for our players, and for all of them for that matter.”
