The 2024 season is just around the corner for our Academy squads, with our Junior Boys first to get underway this Sunday against Oakleigh Cannons.
Our senior teams will then kick off their VPL1 season next Saturday against Caroline Springs George Cross FC.
The Player Development Pathway is clearly seen in this year’s Under 14’s, with all but one player in the squad having come through the Melbourne City Football School program.
Senior Manager of the Academy, Simon Zappia, was highly complimentary of the pathway.
“The talent coming through the Melbourne City Football School over the last couple of seasons has been at a really high level,” Zappia said.
“The coaching and environment within the program really allows the players to come into the Academy with a stronger understanding of our technical expectations and general game model.”
After the Club’s move to Casey Fields in 2021, the Academy has been a big beneficiary, able to bring in a number of quality players from the area.
“What’s also been pleasing is the number of players based on our doorstep in the Casey region,” Zappia said, “There is so much talent in Melbourne’s South East and we’re starting to see that filter into the Academy.”
Preparations for the season have been ticking along nicely for our Junior Boys squads, who took part in the Diamond League tournament last month.
It was a successful three days for our Under 14’s and Under 18’s in particular, both winning their respective age groups.
Despite a busy period coming up for our Academy squads, Zappia said they couldn’t be prepared any better.
“It’s been an excellent pre-season and our squads are well prepared both individually and collectively for the challenges ahead.
“We have 3 international trips coming up to Italy, Dubai and Singapore, so we’ve been trying our best to prepare players for that along with the start of the NPL season.”
With the City Football Academy complex almost complete, the Academy is set to play all home games this season across both juniors and seniors at our home base.
STAY UP TO DATE
| TEAM | SQUAD | Head Coach | Assistant Coach | Fixture |
| U14 | U14s Squad | Peter Kofinas | Sakaria Hersi | U14s Fixture |
| U15 | U15s Squad | Matthew Conversano | Sakaria Hersi | U15s Fixture |
| U16 | U16s Squad | Leroy Almenara | Luke Johnson | U16s Fixture |
| U18 | U18s Squad | Frankie Barilla | Luke Johnson | U18s Fixture |
| U21 | U21s Squad | Lewis Potter | Frankie Barilla | U21s Fixture |
| U23 | U23s Squad | Alessandro Diamanti | Stuart McDonald | U23s Fixture |
Simon Zappia remains the City Academy Technical Director and Ben Morella the City Academy Goalkeeper Coach.
