How football lads are being given the opportunity to ‘live the dream’
PROUD father-of-nine John Ian- dola does not quite have enough children to start his own foot- ball team. But his boys have impressed Gillingham FC so much that the club has signed three of them – Ellis, Isaac and Perry. And their younger brother is also expected to make the grade. Maidstone taxi firm owner Mr Iandola gives much of the credit to the coaching and encourage- ment of SEFA (Soccer Elite FA), set up by ex-professional foot- ballers Tony Browne and Lee Spiller. They are helping youngsters
like the Iandolas to ‘live the dream’ – 70 have been signed by professional academies in the past three years. “Scouts are looking at us be-
cause of the level of talent we are uncovering,” said Lee. Clubs including Chelsea, Tot- tenham, Crystal Palace and Millwall have taken on boys from SEFA. In fact, SEFA produces teams
that compete with – and often beat – the pro-academy
sides. Against Colchester re- cently, the U15s won 1-0; the U13s claimed a 4-3 victory; and the U11s drew 4-4. Tony and Lee look to achieve
as muchwith youngsters in one day a week as the pro academies do in a whole week. Lee said: “We have seen play-
ers transformed in the space of six weeks.We worked with one lad, Matthew Hathway from Kings Hill,onhis speedand agility, which led to him being signed by Palace.” “We are in it for the benefit of
the kids. Ultimately we see our role as enabling them to live the dream.” SEFA is in partnership with
two schools with high-quality 3G pitches –Maplesden Noakes in Maidstone and Swadelands at Lenham. It also works with several
local primary schools and runs structured fun sessions for re- ception-age children at Penen- den Heath, Mote Park, Sutton Valence and Staplehurst on Sat- urdays. SEFA’s development manager, Stuart Bell, said: “It’s
Coaches Tony Browne (far left) and Lee Spiller (far right) with Matthew Hathway (inside left) and Matt Funnell
a very positive community story.”
Meanwhile, SEFA takes school leavers on as appren- tices. “They continue their stud-
ies for BTec level 2 and 3, while continuing to pursue their foot- ball careers and develop their coaching qualifications,” ex- plained Stuart.
The Barcelona way IT was five years ago that Lee went back to his former school, Senacre, and worked with head teacher Guy Hewett to develop the academy idea. “We bought portable floodlights.We had the dads helping us carrying the batteries,” he re- called. “We played our first game against Palace and got beaten 18-1.” Lee said it could have been an even heavier defeat but for goalkeeper Bradley Cummins. “Palace signed him and he is still con- tracted to them five years on. He was SEFA’s first success.” Lee said they aim to instil the same football ethos in their youngsters as they do at European champions, Barcelona. “Get the ball under control and be com- fortable in possession. Be confident with the ball – it’s the same for all ages, from toddlers to 19-year-olds.” Development manager Stuart
European triumph
IN April, the SEFA lads en- joyed the trip of a lifetime to Spain for the Valencia CF Cup.
There were U8s, U10s and
U12s representing Benfica, Inter Milan and two teams from Brazil. SEFA U8s made it to the
final and beat the hosts Va- lencia 5-0. Perry Iandola, pictured right, lifts the trophy. To the left is Robbie Roberts, who has also been signed by Gillingham. The boys’ team plans to defend the title on a return trip next spring. SEFA itself won the gold award for top academy.
The U8s beat the hosts in the Valencia CF Cup
Bell stressed that SEFA – despite the word Elite in its name – does not try to be elit- ist. “We are giving something back to grassroots football, ensuring it is inclu- sive and accessible to every player. ”
Size is no obstacle to success LEE Spiller played for The Gills and was at Chelsea as a teenager. He knows how easy it is for for small, shy but potentially very tal- ented young footballers to be overlooked. SEFA puts youngsters like that at the heart of its ethos, giving them the chance to make the big time by tailoring coaching to each individual’s needs. A good example is Harrietsham’s Ellis Iandola, who joined five
years ago. Lee said: “Ellis was very shy. We had to take time with him.
When he started at our academy itwas all very new for us all. Ellis wasmeeting new people.We gave him time, had a kick-around and he gradually got into the sessions. He has now become a top player and probably one of the most outgoing lads. He works with the younger boys himself now.” Stuart Bell said: “While the professional academies are looking
for the finished article, SEFA offers to unlock each person’s poten- tial by finding the right approach to their individual requirements.”
To contact Downs Mail just phone 01622 630330 South 23
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