Wolves under-12s are the proud holders of the Robbie Keane Academy Cup, after beating local rivals Aston Villa on penalties in Dublin.
The youngsters in gold and black brought home the silverware to round off a productive couple of trips away in April. After reaching the semi-finals in Porto, Wolves went one better in Ireland and made it all the way to the final, beating Benfica, hosts Crumlin and then Villa on route to becoming champions.
Karl Broadhurst, U11-U12 foundation phase lead coach, has spoken highly of the tours programme within the academy, highlighting how experiences away from home and in a competitive environment are key for the personal development of players, both in the present time and also later down the line. The Dublin tournament was particularly successful for Wolves youngster Nathan Fuala, who not only got his hands on the trophy but also the Player of the Tournament award.
On winning and preparation
“We came away winning the tournament so it’s an overall positive experience. For us as a 2011 group, we had a tournament earlier on in the month in Porto and got to the semi-finals before getting knocked out.
“It was a really good progression for the boys having back-to-back tournaments. We could learn what went well and what didn’t go so well. To then go on and win the tournament in Ireland has been really good.
“I think it’s all to do with the preparation we put into the boys. We’ve been prepping for these tours for at least a month or so.
“Myself and Ashley Lovell, the coaches who took them out there, thought it was really important to make sure all the boys understood our principles and what we were looking for in the tournament.”
Winners of the Robbie Keane Academy Cup 🏆
— Wolves Academy (@WolvesAcademy) May 3, 2023
Congratulations to our under-12s who lifted the trophy in Dublin following a penalty shootout victory over Aston Villa.
🎓🇮🇪 pic.twitter.com/c8LPSD3tb1
On playing in a competitive environment
“I think it’s invaluable because predominantly our programme is about development and it’s not about winning. A lot of work goes into the boys about refining their game, but we go to compete and win at the tours.
“The pressure gets ramped up at tours and you do see the boys in a different light. They’re away from home, they’re away from our natural environment at Compton and sometimes you do forget how young these boys are.”
On the comparison between Porto and Dublin
“They were both high level tournaments with some really good high level opposition. The weather was a factor in Portugal and it was trying to get the boys to eat food they don’t like – that’s part of tours. You have to refuel and make sure the preparation’s right.
“The preparation was slightly better for the Dublin tour in that respect because the food was the same as what we get over here and we stayed in really nice facilities.
“In the semi-finals in Portugal, some of the boys did look a little bit jaded but we went all the way to the final in Dublin and all the boys looked really sharp.”
On beating Aston Villa in the final
“The final was good. We started a bit edgy, as you can imagine, because it’s against our local rivals in a final.
“We found our way into the game and had some really good opportunities in the game, but just couldn’t capitalise so the game finished 0-0.
“It went to penalties and our lads were brilliant. They scored all their penalties and Villa missed one, so that won us the tournament.
“For me, I wanted to play Villa because they’re our local rivals and we play them regularly. There’s a tactical element with the game we played because we both knew how each other would play.
“Our goalkeeper had to make a big save in the last two minutes of the game because Villa were given a penalty and he kept us in the game. That got us to extra-time and penalties and allowed us to bring home the trophy.”
On the benefits of going on tour
“The academy invest quite heavily in the tours programme because it’s a really good experience for the boys. Ultimately, if the boys do make it into the professional game then they’ve had an experience of visiting different countries and cultures.
“If they ever go on loan to a lower level or high level European team, those little moments they’ve had at under-8s, under-9s, under-10s, under-11s will benefit them and it’s not such a massive culture shock for them.
“That’s the long-term aim of the academy in terms of the tours and also it’s refreshing for the boys and coaches to go into different environments and see how other teams play and how they coach their players. We can then bring back some learning points and implement them into our programme.
“The tours programme is a really big thing we pride ourselves on. We give the boys some fantastic experiences and speaking to some of the parents after the final, they said that these boys will remember it for the rest of their life.”
