Gelvandale football scout Eldon Smith will be hosting the first “Train Like A Pro with Eldon the Scout” football camp in December.
The 14-day camp, from December 1 to 14 at the Saints Football Club in Gelvandale, aims to expose young aspiring footballers to academy-level training while also providing a talent identification platform for players.
Smith, the head of recruitment at QT Sports, which manages Mbelezeli Mbokoza, Khanyisa Mayo and Omega Mdaka, will facilitate the one-man show, which is under the banner of “The Football Project”.
“This will be the first of its kind training camp I’ll be hosting,” Smith said.
“Usually, I am known for scouting, so I always travel around the country doing talent identification programmes or scouting programmes.
“So, this is the first time I am actually doing a training camp.
“This is also an opportunity for me to earmark players with potential for future opportunities or even a kid that might be ready for an opportunity right away.
“That is essentially the aim of the programme: educate, train and empower kids.
“To teach them what proper training looks like.
“I work with a lot of professional clubs in terms of scouting and player recruitment, so I know what their level is like on a national scale or at a professional level.
“The players will come and spend two hours with me, and we will be discussing various topics, going from basic tactical training to teaching kids how to do analysis of football matches.
“How to analyse their own games and how to do opposition analysis. Also covered is basic performance analysis and how to watch a football game.
“I also tell players that when they watch a football game, they should do so as students rather than for entertainment. Then you won’t learn anything.
“The scouting aspect is a bonus.”
A registration fee of R1,400 is required to reserve a spot and space is limited.
The cost covers a training kit, snacks and refreshments for the duration of the 14-day camp.
“There are limited spots available. I am looking to have 20 players per age group.
“The reason for the limitation is that I want to give children a lot of attention.
“When the numbers are too high, you don’t get to spend as much time with the players.”
Smith said he intended to hold the camp annually during the school holidays.
The Herald
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