The Football West Academy enjoyed its first overseas trip last week as the Boys U14s team were invited to play in the Mina Cup in Dubai.
The Academy side performed creditably, reaching the semi-finals after winning their opening two group matches.
In the first game, they defeated Irish Dubai 3-0 with goals from Davi Silva Borges, Ji Hu Jeong and Tomas Jesus.
And they began day two with a 2-0 victory over London Academy. Daouda Diaw got the opener and Joshua Panashe the second following a neat through ball by Mitchell Mills.
Despite losing their next two matches, the WA team reached the last four before being edged out by the Al Jazira Academy.
Football West Head of Academy Gareth Naven welcomed the challenges the tournament provided.
“The experience was a positive step in the ongoing development of our players and coaches,” he said.
“Our participation in the Mina Cup provided an invaluable opportunity for our players and staff to test themselves against quality international opposition in a demanding tournament setting.
“The tournament schedule, heat and match demands offered a real test of our players’ psychological resilience and game management, such as the ability to make decisions under fatigue and show discipline in maintaining our football way under pressure.
“Competing against teams with different attributes and strengths reaffirmed that we must constantly look at how we evolve our current development pathway as we continue to raise the standards of youth football in Western Australia.”
The Mina Cup had five age categories from U12s to U16s, with Academies representing Manchester City, Barcelona, Glasgow Rangers, Corinthians, Norwich City and Melbourne City all involved.
The opportunity to take a team to the United Arab Emirates came through Football West's partnership with the Council for Australian-Arab Relations, which seeks to enhance Australia's bilateral ties with UAE, Saudi Arabia and Qatar through a shared passion for football.
Football West Chief Operating Officer Perry Ielati said: “We’re always looking for meaningful opportunities like this to extend the development of our Academy players beyond local competition.
“The Mina Cup provided a high-quality, well-organised tournament that challenged our group in all the right ways. Huge thanks must go to tournament founder Chris Brown and his team for the invitation and the warm hospitality — it’s an experience our players and staff will carry with them for years to come.”
