Trials for Western United’s Junior Academy teams will begin on Monday October 10 as coaches seek to select the most talented young players in the West to represent the Green and Black.
Four new teams – Under 14’s, Under 15’s, Under 16’s and Under 18’s – will join the Western United family in the 2023 NPL Victoria season, growing the opportunities for high-achieving young footballers to have a pathway to the professional game in the West.
Over 1,000 triallists will compete for 20 places in each team, with trials to take place over the next four weeks before the final selections are made.
The trials will be held at a facility in the heart of the City of Wyndham, giving players the chance to express themselves in front of coaches and assessors.
Prospective players will be assessed over a range of competencies and will be judged by members of the Western United Academy coaching staff, headed by Academy Director Anthony Frost.
Technique and skill on the ball as well as game awareness in match simulation will be the main focus alongside physical and leadership attributes as coaches aim to identify players that will represent the Club’s values to the highest degree.
United’s Academy began in 2021 and has seen great success in its first two years, with the Senior Men’s side earning promotion to NPL 2 Victoria in 2023, while the Under 21’s team reached the Finals for the first time this year under Vaughan Coveny.
The program has so far promoted five players to John Aloisi’s Isuzu UTE A-League Men squad, including midfield duo Adisu Bayew and Rhys Bozinovski who both featured in the Grand Final in May.
The Western United Academy will strive to become a leading developer of talented young footballers in Australia and add to the list of players that have come out of communities in the West.
Training for the teams will begin in the summer once trial periods and selections are finalised.
