It represents an opportunity that often isn’t available
to sides who struggle to find a high level of competition
in their leagues but often find themselves out of their
depth when playing sides from areas where competition is
fiercer, a fate that actually befell Milngavie this season as
they fell prey to Hamilton Academicals in a match where
they struggled to match the pace of opponents from a
different division. Nevertheless it sets a benchmark across
the board at a certain age group and offers a window onto
what is possible for those who wish to push themselves
further whilst allowing strongorganisations to compete
regularly against quality sides and can only be seen as an
advantage for all those who are allowed to compete.
Those in charge are determined that the attitude will
remain the same at the Wanderers for the foreseeable
future and aim to imbue in their charges ideals of
technique, intelligence, speed of thought and movement
both on and off the ball. It is an an ethos that the club
endeavours to ensure their players understand from the
moment they join the organisation.
In their own words it is about the values they are trying
to promote with a view of what they hope to create.
Obviously there are established clubs across the land that
have systems in place that have served them well and
allowed them to become recognised over generations but
every new club has to start somewhere.
Everything from training to their media management
is on different level to other clubs in their division and
anyone that comes in is able to notice that; players are
aware then when they turn up to practice twice a week
that they won’t be spending an hour and a half running
from cone to cone. The coaches are aware that there is
only a limited time they have to develop those who are
with them and the emphasis is much more clearly on the
qualities mentioned before rather than building a team
that is physically capable whilst being technically flawed.
There is even a winter program for times when outdoor
work may not be an option where sessions will be geared
to educate on such things as nutrition, tactical awareness
and teambuilding. Not a radical departure from the norm
but a recognition that there is so much more to being a
footballer than what happens when Saturday comes, an
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