Introduction:
Last week SIA Academy took the G2 (youth) and Next Gen Soccer Pro athletes on a 5-day soccer tour of several cities in Portugal. The tour gave our international athletes the opportunity to see firsthand several important landmarks of Portuguese soccer, as well as the chance to face youth teams from Portuguese first division teams. This new experience allowed our athletes the opportunity to measure their individual and collective skills against high-level opponents, giving them a better understanding of what is expected of them to achieve their professional goals.
Overview:
Day 1
The soccer tour began with our international athletes getting a private tour of the Vitória Guimarães stadium. The tour included the club’s trophy room from previous seasons, the changing rooms and the stands. Our athletes also got private access to the media conference room where most journalists get to interview players and coaches before upcoming matches. After that our athletes got to go down to the field and walk through the entrance tunnel as if in a real match scenario. Having direct access to the field also allowed our athletes the chance to sit in the dugout. With the stadium tour over, our athletes headed to the Vitória Guimarães training center to face off against their base team.
Day 2
Day 2 began with our athletes visiting the city of Braga, home to one of Portugals most renowned clubs. The stadium tour for this first division club showcased the rich history the club had created over the decades, including several high-profile European competition titles across multiple disciplines. The tour also included a visit through the stadium’s VIP box, exclusive access to the media conference room and a walk through the tunnel leading directly to the pitch. As our players prepped for their match against the Braga base club, they were allowed to use the official changing rooms before stepping off onto the pitch. Already fired up from the last match and eager to show what they are capable of, SIA Academy’s G2 and Next Gen Soccer Pro athletes made this an extremely competitive match from the first whistle. Regardless of the final score, the conclusion was that the defensive tactical order and offensive imbalance of our attackers was a big factor in a very close result that could have gone either way.
Day 3
Day 3 started off with a direct visit to the Gil Vicente training center where our players immediately began prepping for their next match. This was going to be their toughest challenge so far, as the team in question from this club was composed of U-23 players, in which there are players who already have experience in the senior team. Our SIA Academy athletes, unwilling to back down from a challenge, kept their composure throughout the 90 minutes and continued to press their opponents looking for ways to create scoring opportunities. Proud of their hard work and exhausted from 3 days of intense back-to-back matches, our athletes and coaching staff had the afternoon off to visit Porto and relax, sightseeing and sampling the famous Portuguese cuisine.
Day 4
The final tour day began with another direct trip to the next club’s training center. This time SIA Academy was facing off against Futebol Clube Famalicão. Having just played 3 straight days of matches; our athletes were already tired but the opportunity to play against another well-known club’s base team was motivation enough for our players to push through and put on another extremely competitive performance. This last match was the best collective performance that was displayed during the entire soccer tour of Portugal.
Conclusion:
Overall, the Portugal soccer tour was a success both in helping our G2 and Next Gen Soccer Pro Athletes to develop their collective abilities and giving each athlete real world understanding of the expectations that awaits them should they wish to go to that next level.
The physical and mental preparation for this Tour was also a big factor in staying highly competitive throughout the games. All players showed an excellent level of recovery, teamwork and discipline to achieve the established objectives.
After having experienced those matches firsthand many of SIA Academy’s international athletes returned home with a new sense of purpose, new expectations of themselves and a newfound hunger to compete at the highest level possible.
