Photos (Top to Bottom): Ken Morton and Victoria Woods with the touring players at Hobart Airport this morning; Some of the parents with the touring party [PlessPix]
Ken Morton and a touring party of 11 youngsters aged between 13 and 15 years, together with a handful of parents of the boys, left Hobart this morning to train at Manchester United’s youth academy facility in England.
The touring part will be away for two weeks and they will also take in the Manchester United versus West Bromwich Albion match at Old Trafford.
“We’ll be training with Manchester United’s coaching staff,” Morton said. “There’ll be training at The Cliff and at Carrington.
“In the 10 days, we have three friendly matches as well, so it’s a tight schedule, but it’s a football schedule and everything is built around the training and the playing and learning how to do that the Manchester United way.”
Morton said he hoped to pick up new directions in coaching and he hoped the players would learn what it takes to become a professional soccer player and what is required both on and off the field.
“Manchester United staff will look after them day and night,” Morton said. “They’re in their control.
“We’re just hoping that they will learn and understand that they have to be disciplined and lead the right life off the field as well and prepare for training just like you prepare for games.
“They have to give themselves the best possible chance of making the grade at a higher level.”
Morton will also hold a meeting with Newcastle United officials during the trip.
“I got a phone call out of the blue the other Friday and they’d heard about the soccer school and are looking for ways, I think, more than anything, to push Newcastle United out there into the public,” Morton said.
“They want to meet us with the aim of setting up some soccer schools or clinics in Australia and, especially, in Tasmania and Melbourne.
“We have a meeting with Craig Dean when we get there and we hope something comes from that.”
Morton said the boys would also watch the Manchester United Academy side play at Carrington. They are an under-18 team and play teams of the same age group from the other English Premier League clubs.
He said the boys would be given a tour of Old Trafford, including the home team’s dressing rooms, but that they were unlikely to meet many of the Manchester United stars.
Most would be away on international duty for their countries this week, but that still leaves players such as Gary Neville, Ryan Giggs and Dimitar Berbatov about, as well as some injured players such as Anderson, and they may well get to meet them.
“We have requested to meet some of the players, especially when we’ve come so far, and that may be possible in the second week,” Morton said.
“That’ll make it a highlight for us.
“We’re staying at the Premier Inn, which is just a 50-yard walk to Old Trafford.”
12 comments:
All the best to the boys ken and Vicky. A dream come true im sure for many of them.
walter do you know how much the costs are for each boy to go across?
I heard $5,000 per boy.
does that include airfares?
What do you reckon 5000 on food?
No doubt Wayne Rooney will be giving a chat to the lads on how to conduct themselves OFF the field, being the shining becon of decorum that he is. hahaha (it's just a joke)
What do you reckon 5000 on food?
October 7, 2010 10:25 PM
no, cobba, i reckon a fair chunk into ken's pocket, thus the question. He and man utd aren't doing ths out of the goodness of their hearts.
Anon 2.05pm, Morton is the only guy (apart from FFT people) making a full-time living from the game in Tassie, so don't knock him. If parents are willing to fork out that kind of dough for access to ManU's training staff and facilities, then that's their choice. It's not a representative squad or anything. No one is forced to go. Morton can provide the links, so good on him, and he's entitled to make a bit from it, if, in fact, he does.
great experience for the kids!
Fantastic opportunity and well done Ken, One of the only people doing something for development of the game.
Corey Smith said...
Fantastic opportunity and well done Ken, One of the only people doing something for development of the game.
October 9, 2010 9:18 PM
not exactly for the development of the game corey, this is a money making venture. Much like vikings.
anon 9.23 if you honestly think that this is not developing the game than you are better off with your head in the sand. Vikings money making not-for-profit organisation? Is that actually possible. Think mate.... think!!!
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