FOOTBALL: Northend team up with Blackburn Rovers for skills workshop

All the teams will be looking forward to a two-week winter break, following next weekend’s fixtures.

However, the Club’s Executive Committee wasted no time in finalising arrangements with the Blackburn Rovers Community Trust for a Soccer Skills workshop at the Showgrounds Ballymena on Monday 12th and Tuesday 13th February.

With four of the Blackburn Rovers Academy coaches coming across for the workshop, it promises to be an action packed few days.

This workshop comes on the back of an invitation from the Blackburn Rovers Community Trust for Northend to send across three teams to attend the Blackburn Rovers verses Peterborough United match on 21st April.

Robert Cooke’s U9s, Alex McDonald’s U11s and Robert Adams U14s are all looking forward to an action-packed weekend, where the Northend teams will play matches against some of the Blackburn Rovers Academy teams as well as other locally based teams.

This trip follows on the back of last season’s successful trip to Blackburn where a party of 50 from Northend were welcomed by the Blackburn Rovers Community Trust for their match against Aston Villa.

“Last season’s trip was an exceptional opportunity for our boys” commented Northend Chairperson Johnny Sayers.

“With the matchday experience of a professional club, proved to be a trip of a lifetime for the boys.

“The first-hand experience of the Club’s training facilities at Brocken Hall village in the Lancashire countryside, not to mention meeting a number of the Blackburn first team players and being involved in small sided games at half time on the Ewood Park pitch, was a trip that coaches and players alike will ever forget.”

Meanwhile, the Club received confirmation this week that three teams had been accepted in to the Foyle Cup, being staged in July.

Ally McGarry’s U10s, along with Neil Stewarts U11 team, and Peter Kennedy’s U12s are all looking forward to playing in the tournament for their first time.

Northend United’s Football Development Centre has no stopped for a Festive break but will return again on Thursday 25th January at St Patrick’s School Sports Hall, again from 6.00pm to 7.00pm

Under the direction of Uefa B and Coerver certified Head Coach, John Devlin, the Football Development Centre is open to all boys and girls aged 2012 and 2013 inclusive who are unconnected with any other Club.

For more information, or to reserve your child a place on the course, please call John Devlin on 0791 9056 834.

Application forms can also be printed off the Northend website by visiting the www.northendunitedyouthfc.co.uk address.