Young footballers experience first-rate training session at Sport Institute

The event saw more than 200 enthusiastic young football fans fill the sidelines of the newly upgraded pitch to watch one of the powerhouse teams put through their paces. The Spanish team chose the Sport Institute to be their Team Base Camp last year and thousands of applications came in from young football players across the region for the chance to watch the team practice.

After a 70-minute session, the team made their way around the pitch to sign autographs and flags and be photographed with eager fans.

The majority of the crowd were made up of young footballers who play for various community and school clubs and reported they learned lots from the session. There was a lot of admiration for the Spanish team’s confidence, communication and accuracy in their play, with many fans saying how impressed they were by how quick the team moved and saying they were inspired to improve their own practice as a result.

Sport Advancement Manager Jacob Oram, who is currently contracted with FIFA as the Venue Coordinator while the Spanish team are based at the Sport Institute, says it was a fantastic community event.

“It was great to have the opportunity to invite the public along to check out all the upgrades we’ve made to the Institute and have the chance to see the world-class facilities in action. The night really helped build that excitement ahead of the tournament starting later this week and it was awesome to see so many keen young footballers have a chance to get amongst it.”

Spain play their first game against Costa Rica at the Wellington Regional Stadium at 7:30pm on Friday 21 July.