Another International Call Up!

Here at Edukick England, whilst we have one player, Mohamed Hany, currently at his international training camp we are celebrating a further call up from the team.

Ramsay Boly has been called to the National pool squad in March, to train in Florida for the USA under 18's.

What a great achievement from the player who has only been here with us for 12 weeks now.

Well done Ramsay.

November Player Of The Month

This month Fredrik Hoie has been given the player of the month for his outstanding work both on and off the pitch, and his fantastic performances in the past two fixtures. Freddy, a Norwegian lad, first came to Bolton in Summer 2008 for the fun summer camp. Since then he has worked hard and trained hard, following the exploits of the year long players until finally he came to join us here this season. And we are very pleased he did. Freddy brings a great attitude, and fantastic energy to the programme. This month he has earned the captains arm band for his work on the pitch and in training.

Well Dane

Edukick England News - Week 10

Pitchside Parade

Today at the Bolton Wanderers V Blackpool fixture on the Reebok stadium the team were given a warm reception by the 25000 fans inside the Reebok at half time.

The Edukick England team were paraded round the pitch at half time with the skills challenge trophy following the victory against the skills team earlier in the term, and also to celebrate there efforts over the term.

What a great experience for the lads and one they will never forget. The videos will soon be on the youtube site

www.youtube/EdukickEngland

Look Who it is!

The Orange Man is Zac Cameron!

Only question is why does he have that orange outfit? maybe he'll be the next one to be interviewed on Edukick England news to find out!

Check out Edukick England news on the YouTube site

www.youtube.com/EdukickEngland

Building a Team

Yesterday the lads took to the Anderton centre, in Rivington, for a team building day in the woods. Tasks included problem solving, absailing, tug of wars and much much more.

A great day was had by all, but still - who's our Orange Man?

Look Who's Hiding!

Everybody wants to join the Guess Who today, look who doesn't want to be in the photos at pitch side this afternoon!

Guess Who?

Yesterday saw the lads away day, which was a trip to the Anderton centre for a team building session in the country. James & Stuart took the lads to the centre where they participated in various challenges ans team building games in the woods.

Lot's of pictures are available on the online album, but here is one to get you guessing. Guess Who turned up wearing his all in one to keep warm, and not just a desecrate all in one, a bright Orange one!

Find out later today!!!!

International Call up for Two Edukick Players

What a great week here in Bolton, the lads have worked hard in training and had a fantastic game at Chadderton FC, but Two players have been called to represent their national sides in the up and coming tournament in Africa.

Miguel has been called up to represent Namibia, this will be the second time and he'll be playing in the U 18's squad this December

Mohamed has been called up to play for Egypt U17's, at only 15.

Well done to both the lads and we will keep a track on the progress over the next few weeks.

Final Scores

Chadderton 1 - 2 Edukick England

A fantastically fought second half saw Edukick England back four and team as a whole soak up the pressure to end with a well deserved victory in Manchester.

Freddy stood out in the centre of midfield, Haedan Turner came on in the second half and showed what a great engine he has, Christian took on board what James had worked on regarding the pressure up front

All in All a great team performance and a great result for the team

Well Done Lads.

Half Time Scores

Chadderton Town 1 - 2 Edukick England

The Edukick England team are performing well and are on top of the game, trying to gain control in the centre of the park, yet struggling with the bobble of the ball. The pitch isn't a pitch they can play their usual passing game. At that back there has been a few shaky moments, with the Chadderton team finding space a few times down the right hand side and being able to get the crosses in, however on loan keeper Jonny has kept us in front.

Edukick England went two up, firstly with a 30 yard strike from Freddy, then a goal from Christian after some fantastic pressure on the keeper. Just before the break Chadderton found the space again down the right and managed to get a cross in, after a penalty area scramble they managed to get a foot to the ball to poke it over the line.

Both Michael and Miguel have come close at the other end, and the Edukick lads are slowly settling to the pace of the game and the physical element.

Edukick England Ready to Kick Off

It's a cold evening in Manchester, and Edukick England have travelled to North Manchester to take on Chadderton Town U 18's under floodlights. This will be a great test for the lads. It will be a tough and possibly physical game on a very large, but uneven pitch. A massive contrast to the conditions of last weeks fixture at the academy.

Both sides have been out to conduct their warm ups and both teams look fired up for the game.

Edukick England are fielding a similar starting line up to the team that took on Bolton last week, with Seb Blades Sam Teame, Seb Farr and George Daka all sidelined for this one with injuries and various reasons.

5 minutes to go to kick off, what was great to see was the lads had brought their own motivational DVD following the lectures on positive mental attitude.

Good Luck lads.

Edukick England V Bolton Wanderers

The Edukick England team got a great boost yesterday by being invited to the Bolton Wanderers Academy to take on one of their teams. The game, played on a fantastic show pitch at the front of the academy, was a great contest with two very strong teams showing some great skill. On a cold and very windy day in the exposed area of lostock where the ground is situated, the Edukick England team played what James Ward called, their best football yet on the course. The lads went into the break level at 0-0. The second 30 minutes saw the team take the lead with a goal from Centre Half, William Cunningham. Finishing the second 30 minutes in the lead, spirits were high and the standard of play from all was fantastic. They took the field for the final 30 minutes, and although kept up the fine performance, came in at the end 2-1 down, with two goals that came due to the pressure of not only the BWFC team, but battling against the strong winds for so long. Towards the end Christian came close to leveling the tie, as did Joao, however unfortunately didn't manage to level it.

The opportunity and performance showed how far the lads have come in the time they have been here, and to what a high standard they are and can perform at.

From this now they can push on to compete better when playing the colleges and local teams, in preparation for the next big target game.

EduKick England take on the Wanderers

Today the lads were due to have a fixture at the arena, however due to a down pour overnight the fixture had to be cancelled, BUT from the disappointment of that came a fantastic opportunity with Bolton Wanderers Academy asking for a fixture against our lads. So tomorrow (Tuesday) the team will take on the full BWFC academy at Lostock, the BWFC Academy ground.

It's a great opportunity for those selected to show off their talent and gauge the level at that top flight of football.

This is a target game, so the team are looking at earning a place in the squad for this fixture.

Good luck lads

Keep an eye on the Blog for the reports later tomorrow!

Edukick England News!

Along with the blog, Facebook and YouTube sites, Edukick England are launching a new website to keep everyone updated of the day to day progress and information from the course here in Bolton England, watch the progress as we build at:-

http://www.edukickengland.co.uk/

Don't forget to keep a look out here on the blog too, and the YouTube site - look for our channel EdukickEngland

Edukick England - it's all happening here!

Edukick England V Manchester Tech College

Yesterday the Edukick England team travelled to the centre of Manchester to take on the technology college team. In a very wet and cold afternoon in Manchester the team struggled a little to maintain the pace and tempo of the previous games. As it was a development game, Coach James Ward had tried to change and adapt the way the lads played with a 4,3,3 formation, however it was soon clear that they were unsure with this formation so the reverted back to the 4,4,2 formation they were used to which showed with a change in performance.
the team came out 2-1 down of the game with George Daka scoring our only goal after converting very well ad bit of excellent play.
Fredrik put in a fantastic performance in the game earning him the man of the match title for the fixture.
plenty to work on, its helped to get the lads used to playing in the cold and driving rain here in England.
onto next week where conditions permitting we have already a very busy line up of fixtures, with a possible 3 games in a week.

Year Long Football Studies Programme 2010/2011 - Week commencing 25th October, Week 6

Check out the week 6 pictures!

Joao Get Player of the Month

Joao Pereira has been voted the Player of the Month for October by the BWFC coaches for his work both on and off the pitch. Joao, a Portuguese player arrived this year having had experience playing in Europe and the UK and has fitted very well into the team and the daily routine of the training. Joao has produced some very consistent performances in training and games which has earned him this months player of the month.

Well done Joao!

Edukick England 1 V Grand Skills Final 0

Edukick England have had a test this morning against the Grand Skills final players selected by Bolton Wanderers from around the world. This target game was a fixture that the lads went out to win and perform in.

In a tough fought game Edukick England dominated a large percentage of the play, however were struggling to take the chances up front, coming close on three occasions, but not getting on the score sheet.

Late in the second half, after several opportunities went a stray, Coach James Ward, move Jorgo Nika, the ID talent winner who is here for only a week, from the back up front, and within a minute Jorgo broke through the strong GSF back four to get the winner, with 3 minutes on the clock.

A great team performance by all, but a great finish from Jorgo who has fitted into the team well.

Winner of the Toronto Talent ID Camp Comes To Bolton

Jorgo Nika, the winner of the Toronto Talent ID Camp has arrived for his prise in Bolton of a week on the football Studies programme. Jorgo will follow the programme with the 20 strong team from Thursday this week until next Wednesday, taking in what it's all about and the tough training the lads go through. Along with this he gets the Chance to watch Bolton Wanderers V Liverpool at the Reebok stadium on Sunday, what a great experience.

Welcome Jorgo and enjoy your stay, Well Done!

Evening Meal With the Host Family

As part of Joey's trip to see the course, Joey Bilotta and Mick Brennan (EduKick England Director) made a visit to one of the host families, and the home of the welfare officer to meet three of the students, Meni, Fredrik and Samuel in their home stay environment. Whilst there we were able to see them relaxed having their evening meal and catching up with Stuart about their day of fitness with coach James Ward at the arena.

Joey Billota Visits Bolton

EduKick Inc VP, Joey Bilotta has made the trip from Canada to meet the boys, get some snap shots and see how things are going here in Bolton. Joey arrived here in Bolton on Wednesday evening heading straight to the hotel where he's secured a room with a view (of the Reebok pitch) fantastic for a football fanatic.

Thursday saw a day of meeting the lads and taking the time to chat to them, and a brief visit to a host family to get a feel for how things work this year.

So far it's been a great trip and Joey is looking forward to a double dose of premiership football with Blackburn V Chelsea on Saturday then Bolton V Liverpool on Sunday, however the EduKick England V the Grand Skill team on Sunday morning still is the most exciting prospect.

The Lads Work Hard in The Gym

Now to work hard on the fitness side of the course the coaches have the lads in the gym studio for various sessions including a demanding circuit training session. Here the lads are working constantly for a minute then moving on quick to develop not only stamina, but strength, endurance and core stability.

Along with this they have a run in the country on some Thursday mornings, with a tough print up the Rivington pike steps!

Edukick England V FC United

The lads had their first target game on Monday evening under the floodlights at Bolton Arena.

In a cold and very wet first half the lads got off to a bright start in the game, looking the better footballing team. Although they were on top the lads soon found themselves 2 down with 2 lapses of concentration.

The attitude of the team was excellent once again and heads didn't drop, just on the stroke of half time Miguel converted a well executed corner to get them back in the game, and give Miguel 3 goals in 3 games.

The second half was very competitive with both teams playing at a fast tempo right up to the final whistle. With the lads pushing hard for an equalizer they were caught out at the back right on the final whistle to concede a third.

Overall a great learning curve for the team and they can be pleased of the performance against a well established team, who are part of the break away club from Manchester United when the Glazers took over the club. Along with this a team that have been together for a few seasons and trained from early August.

Two premier League scouts were watching on and had some very positive feedback for James and the coaches, and have indicated they will be returning to future fixtures.

Another excellent performance from Miguel, and a 3rd goal earned him the Man of the Match award.

Settling in Well!

Moving into week 5 of the programme and the lads are settling in very well with the English lifestyle, and getting comfy, sometimes too comfy it looks like, with the host families.

Being in an English host family whilst on the course gives the players not only a safe and caring place to live, but exposes them to the English language and culture much more than any other experience. This is where we find that many of the players who have low levels of English can improve and come out of themselves with just interacting with the family.

Here you can see Steven Fong has settled in very well to the family life!

Year Long Football Studies Programme 2010 - 2011, Week 4

Check out the pictures from week 4 of the lads course by clicking on this picture.

Miguel Gets first Player of the Month for the Season

Miguel has scooped the first player of the month award for the 2010-2011 season here on the year long football studies programme. Following a dedicated effort in all the build up fitness work and some fantastic displays in training and matches Miguel was unanimously voted by staff as the first to receive the player of the month.

Well done Miguel

Four Selected For Local team

Following a great performance yesterday in the fixture against Salford College, four of the Edukick England/BWFC international Academy players have been selected to train with a local semi professional team St. Helens this evening. This will give the lads the chance to show the manager and coaches of the team their talent, and could be the first step on the ladder to progressing in the game.

Well done to Miguel, William, Michael and Joao who all impressed in the fixture yesterday and will be going along to St. Helens tonight. Good Luck lads.

Edukick England V Salford College

A great start to week four here in England with the team getting to winning ways in a fantastic performance against Salford College in Manchester. Played in the glorious October sun, at the Manchester FA head quarters the team had a development game with Salford College, who are currently top of their college league.

The focus this week was possession, keeping the ball, keeping it simple and making play effective. And the lads did just that.

Coming out 3- 2 winners, with Miguel, Michael, and Sebastian Blades all on the score sheet they showed they are coming together well as a team and developing quickly as players.

Well Done

Week Three Completed

As week three of the year long football studies programme comes to a close, and the lads look forward to a well earned weekend rest it's great to see that all the team are continuing to keep up the great effort and pace throughout the course.

Currently working hard in the classroom, many of the lads are already well into the first assignment for the BTEC, working on the Body in Sport module with the tutors which will help them in understanding how their body works and responds to the training and matches whilst here on the programme, hopefully helping them to avoid or minimise injuries.

All are on course for great results in the academic side of the programme, so well done to you all.

Edukick England V Manchester College

On Wednesday the team played in their second fixture of the course, a development game against Manchester College.

The lads showed themselves to be far the better side in the first half, taking the lead with a well taken header from Miguel. On the whole the lads showed great attitude and had plenty of opportunity to show their talent to the BWFC coaches and staff eagerly watching from the sidelines.

There were lots of positives from the fixture, with plenty to work on. This was a great opportunity for those new players to see the standard and physical fitness needed even at the college level here in the UK. The fitness of the the team showed towards the end of the game, however the lads represented themselves fantastically.

Week Two Training Kicks Off

Following a hard week of fitness and testing the lads got out on the pitch this week to start the training Programme with James Ward, course Leader and BWFC coach.

All the team were in good spirits and were please to get out with a ball to show their skills.

A fantastic team spirit has already developed with the group, which is key to their individual and group development over the duration of the course.

Well done lads!

Bolton V Manchester United

All the team on the edukick England Year long football studies programme got to see their first live premiership game at the Reebok Stadium, Bolton. And what a great start to watch Manchester United visit the Reebok. it was a great game with Bolton taking the lead early in the game and Manchester United just holding on for a 2 - 2 draw in the game.

this was a great result for Bolton who are now gaining momentum in the Premier league, meaning it will be a great season for the lads to follow the team.

All the team attending in the Edukick/BWFC tracksuits and looked smart as they were accompanied into the stadium by Stuart our welfare officer.

Lets hope Bolton can keep these results up.

A good Start to the Fixtures

Thursday saw the debut game for our Edukick England/BWFC international academy. On a very wet afternoon in Bolton the team hosted a touring team from Sydney, Australia as their first development game.

This was for the most of the group the first time they had actually played football in the UK, as previously this week it has been testing and fitness to prepare them for the season ahead.

it was also a chance to show Dave, international soccer schools manager, how they can play.

The aim of the development games s to put into practice the work in training and work on individual and team development, whatever the result. Dave had focused in the build up on quick one and two touch football, tempo of the players and attitude.

A all the lads showed a great understanding of this and performed well in this first test, finishing with a 1 - 1 draw, Ramsay getting our first goal of the season, and receiving praise from the opposing team who could not believe they had only met each other 3 days prior.

Well done lads, keep this up through the season.

A full match report will be published during next week to follow the progress of the team.

Meni Gets another chance with Preston.

Meni, one of our students returning from the 2009 - 2010 season, has been given further opportunities to perform and showcase himself at the highest level. During the final term of last year Meni, along with 4 other players, were invited to train with Championship club Preston North End. During the time these lads impressed the coaches, however after returning for the final part of his time with us Meni has been asked to continue training, and this week has had the chance to train with the Preston youth team, with the head of youth development watching on.

It's a great achievement and fantastic experience for Meni and any player, and lets hope Meni can impress. He will return to training again this evening and continue this over the coming week.

During closed season Meni had a busy time trialing with a few semi professional clubs in the Uk, Welling & Wimbledon, and being offered places at both, however Meni made the decision to return up North to Bolton and give it a shot at a northwest club.

Well done Meni!

Day One 2010/2011

It's day one here in Bolton on the Edukick England & BWFC year long football studies programme. 14 of our new arrivals have started this morning on the induction week, with a further 4 or 6 to join in the coming weeks.

It's been a great day so far, we have a fantastic group of young people and are set for a good year.

Today the start of the full induction week has taken place, with the course information, kit, rules and guidance all being distributed.

Following what was long morning session in the Reebok stadium, the lads have had the first taste of the fitness required to play at a high level in England with their first fitness testing sessions on the track with Dave and Matt.

It's going to be a hard, but rewarding year for them all.

4 Weeks To Go!

With Only 4 weeks to go to the start of the new Edukick England 2010 - 2011 season it's time for all the players and students to start to prepare for the year ahead. We have an excellent programme planned for the coming year that will challenge, entertain and develop the players and students fantastically both on and off the pitch.

Through the new few weeks in the build up to the course the players will receive information and newsletters to introduce and prepare them for the year ahead.

Edukick England would like to welcome along all the new players and the parents of the players to the coming season and follow the progress here on our blog.

Week one will be a full induction and testing week, based in the Reebok stadium and the Bolton Arena.

Bring on the start of the season!

Showcase Fixture 2010

Last night saw the 2010 showcase fixture where scouts and agents were invited to watch the lads in a game to show the talent. Host families also came down to support the lads and Shaun will go through the game with the lads on the DVD tomorrow afternoon.

All the team were kitted out in the BWFC home and away kits and the fixture was staged at the Niel Rouke stadium, home of non-league Woodley Sports FC.

The game was played in good spirits and was a great experience not only for the lads, but also the coaches.

Well done to everyone and thanks to BWFC for the kits and Woodley sports for hosting the fixture.