The main objective of the SIA Academy is to develop the maximum potential of its players. To achieve this, it is necessary to train and compete in the best facilities. For this reason, Soccer Inter-Action has an agreement with Valencia CF to play friendly matches at the Ciudad Deportiva de Paterna.
The SIA Academy international football team took part in another friendly match. On this occasion, their opponents were Ellon Meadows FC. The Scottish club also enjoyed a unique day competing at Valencia CF’s facilities. The younger age of their opponents, together with SIA’s experience at the Ciudad Deportiva de Paterna, helped them to win the match.
Academia SIA – Ellon Meadows FC
SIA Academy – Ellon Meadows FC was a friendly match that served to contrast two types of football. Soccer Inter-Action were true to their philosophy and tried to come out with the ball played. The best way to learn football in Spain is to be associative and get forward with well-tied passes.
On the other hand, Ellon Meadows FC showed their Scottish origins. British football is characterised by direct play and by not going through the midfield. Two clashes of styles ended up favouring SIA Academy. Soccer Inter-Action’s talented international players made the most of their game and the great conditions on the pitch.
How was the match?
The friendly match SIA Academy – Ellon Meadows FC was more dominated by Soccer Inter-Action. The match featured some of the younger players from SIA’s international team. The opponents, many of them cadet age, tried to make an impact on the counter-attack.
In the end, Soccer Inter-Action came out on top thanks to their associative quality. Even so, the result did not matter. It was much more vital to leave the Ciudad Deportiva de Paterna with a good feeling, with the lesson well applied and having shown the talent of each SIA Academy player in front of the eyes of the Valencia CF staff.
Playing at the Valencia CF Sports City
The SIA Academy – Ellon Meadows FC was played on one of the 14 pitches that make up the Valencia CF Ciudad Deportiva. Another factor that favoured Soccer Inter-Action was the natural grass. SIA’s high performance centre has a natural grass pitch where the international academy trains every day.
This is not the first time that SIA Academy has competed at Valencia CF’s facilities. It also did so just a few months ago against another football academy from Argentina. Soccer Inter-Action is a regular at the Ciudad Deportiva de Paterna, where the biggest stars of Spanish football are trained.
What is Ellon Meadows FC?
SIA Academy’s opponent in the match played at Valencia CF’s Ciudad Deportiva was Ellon Meadows FC. The club was founded in 1999 and is primarily involved in grassroots football. It belongs to Aberdeen council in the north-east of Scotland. Specifically, it is located in the town of Ellon, north of the city of Aberdeen itself.
The Scottish club has a strong reputation in their area for quality grassroots football. They were even awarded the Quality Mark Gold Award by the Scottish Football Association in 2018. An award that highlighted the organisation and commitment to quality football education.
Experience in Spain
The Ellon Meadows FC cadet team is currently in Valencia. Scottish grassroots football starts between April and May to take advantage of the best weather conditions. For this reason, they decided to prepare the season in Valencia and continue their training by playing against SIA Academy.
A match that has allowed them to measure their strength against a team full of international quality players. In addition, in some of the elite facilities of European football. They were also able to talk to and greet the British players currently playing for Soccer Inter-Action.
Differences between Scotland and Spain
Football in Scotland is not a mainstream sport. The low level of the Scottish Premiership, with the exception of Celtic and Rangers, together with the great predominance of rugby, means that the world’s game is still very different from the level in Spain. For example, Ellon Meadows FC must continually suspend training sessions due to the poor state of their pitches.
In addition, as there are not many players in the school, they welcome all those footballers who want to participate. Coaches as well. As a result, the level is usually lower than in Spain, where football is well established and very popular. SIA Academy, moreover, is the example of professionalisation and elite teaching, so the comparison is great.
