THE sponsors of the next generation of Burton Albion players were able to get a first-hand look at what goes on at the club’s Academy with a chance to see the lads in action at St George’s Park.
Burton Albion Academy wanted to thank the sponsors of its different age groups by inviting them to take a look at how they work with youngsters at the home of football in England.
The visitors were able to see the futsal centre, the indoor 3G pitch and to watch the teams and coaches in action. They were able to see the Foundation Phase youngsters playing games against Birmingham City - part of an ongoing programme of inviting surrounding clubs to St George’s Park to further improve the skills of the Academy players.
Academy Manager Dan Robinson said: “I want to say a huge thank you to all the partners of the Academy, who play a massive part in allowing us to run our programmes to the high level we do at brilliant facilities such as St George’s Park. It’s great that they were able to come along and see what we do first-hand.”
“We have all our ages training here from the under 8s up the 18s, who play matches at St George’s Park as well. We have use of the indoor 3G pitch and the futsal hall, which all adds to helping us develop players for the first team and it’s a powerful tool for recruiting players when you have these magnificent facilities here at St George’s Park. It’s not unusual for England players and other top sports people to be floating around and it’s a really inspiring place to be for any young players as well as the coaches and staff members.”
John Upson, from Under 16s sponsors Rushcliff, said: “We want to pay back the local community and invest in it and we saw Burton Albion Academy as a great opportunity to do that. Burton Albion Academy are so welcoming, and we feel part of the family and the whole atmosphere here is great.”
David and Alyson Hewlett, from Prestec and M&P Preservation, who sponsor the Under 10s and Under 9s, also enjoyed the visit to St George’s Park.
Alyson said: “We saw first-hand the great work the Academy does, and we wanted to get involved to give something back because of how well looked after the youngsters are and how great the coaches are with them.
“They look at the individuals and nurture them as well, developing people skills and it brings on their confidence through school and everything.”
David said: “Burton Albion is such a caring organisation. You see Ben Fox who has come through the Academy and what an example he is back here interacting with the youngsters. We want to see the club flourish and that’s why we sponsor the Academy.”
The Academy sponsors:
Under 9s
M&P Preservation
Under 10s
Prestec
Under 11s
Response Multimedia
Under 12s
Salloway
Under 13
RAES Ltd
Under 14s
UK Waterproofing Solutions
Under 16s
Rushcliff
Under 18s
Knott