Millwall Community Trust’s Football and Sports Development Officer, Patricio Fenick-Sanchez, gives an update on the Player Performance Pathway.

“The Player Performance Pathway is currently going from strength to strength. We have been arranging fixtures against local grassroots teams as well as matches with professional academies for the last few months. Over the Summer we are attending a tournament at Tottenham's new training ground which will be a great opportunity for our players to express themselves and show what they have learnt.

“The Player Performance Pathway currently runs on Tuesdays for 7–11-year-olds and Fridays for 12–16-year-olds. Both sessions take place at St Paul’s Sports Ground, which is a fantastic facility, and run from 4:30pm – 6pm. We are also creating an advanced centre for players who are excelling and where we can stretch them more. The pathway has been specifically designed to identify local talent for the academy and so we can create opportunities for young people who aspire to be professional footballers.

“In the next few months, we will be having fixtures with the main Millwall academy, with the hope of getting some of our talented players signed. By doing this, we’re creating a real pathway for these young people and helping them reach their potential.

“All of our current coaches hold a minimum of a Level 2 qualification, with most having achieved UEFA status and experience of working in professional academies. Therefore the children are getting quality sessions which fully the Millwall Academy curriculum. We also deliver specific goalkeeper training which allows the young players to focus on their handling skills, but we also give them the opportunity to play out on the pitch as well to improve their footwork.

“I’m delighted with how the Player Performance Pathway is developing and we now have lots of players attending both Tuesday and Friday’s.

“From 7th August we will be launching the Advanced Player Performance Pathway (which is invite only) and will be based at Harris Academy, Bermondsey."

If you are interested in getting involved in the Millwall Player Performance Pathway, contact Patricio for more information: [email protected]