Elite football invite.
It has been a long summer of inactivity for many of the region’s young footballers. During July a number of recreational football courses were held. In August, the majority of activities just come to a stop. For a few of the more dedicated, they have been out running, cycling, swimming and spurred on by the likes of Usain Bolt at the Olympics, even taking up sprinting! Unfortunately for the under 13’s, the likes of the municipal football school in Torrevieja do not take football too seriously and some squads don’t even start training or finish their selection process until late September! But there are plenty of players out there that do have talent but might not be noticed or evaluated correctly at such a young age becuase of the design of the school system.There are those that have hopes and aspirations of playing in a first division team. If you have a talented youngster that dreams of reaching the top flight and would you like to live and train like a professional for a week, then there are two campuses at the end of August designed for just that.
The Stage Elite Acatec 2012, is aimed at children aged between eight and thirteen. In August, they will hold both a weekend and weeklong campus at the Campoamor Hotel in Orihuela. It’s an opportunity to learn the main technical and tactical basics and moves that every player must master to succeed in football. The ‘stage’ offers an unforgettable experience where players can live like a real professional soccer player, with training sessions morning and afternoon plus games, video sessions, swimming pool, multi-adventure games and many more surprises!
One of those surprises is the opportunity to be accessed and seen by talent scouts from major La Liga and 2A teams from the Valencian and Murcian Community plus Madrid and Barcelona. Thus the best players will have the opportunity to get noticed at an early age and increase their chances of playing in a first division team. The classes are taught in Spanish but coaches and a few of the older participants are bilingual, so you need not worry if your son or grandson does not speak or understand Spanish. Besides, Football is an International and Universal language and everyone will understand.

Ángel Linares
The ‘stage’ is overseen by Angel Linares and the former director of sports at Hercules and current Professional Scout for Stage Elite Acatec 2012, Francisco “Paquito” Escudero,. For the weekend, There are two prices, €299 for full board and €199, if no overnight stay at the hotel is required. The course is over two full days, from morning to night, with time for relaxation, classroom tuition and meals all included. All participants must be between 8 and 13 years (categories of benjamín, alevín and infantil). For those wishing to experience the full week of life as a professional, the second Edition runs from 27 to August 31 (9.00am to 6.00pm). The price is €400. Acatec 2012 work will focus on three key factors to form the type of player that all first division teams seek: technique, understanding of the game and fitness. The week long campus also caters for those who play at Cadet level.
Stage participants will experience a weekend or week like real pros and the course includes: preparation sessions, training and game analysis, competition matches, video analysis, individual and group therapy, motivational sessions, tactical and strategic depth, group dynamics, fitness and recovery from injuries.
Alongside the group sessions they will work with each player in a personalized way that is not covered within the recreational campuses nor majority of municipal schools, including: offensive and defensive techniques, vision and making quick decisions, reading the game, restoration and conservation of the ball, right choice of attack, imbalance of the defense, ball transitions and intensity, discretion and intelligence, how, when and where to take or not take risks, mastering the periods of play, anticipating the consequences of decisions, knowing how to adapt to the opposition, knowing your limits, play fast and play for the team, one on one, doubling up, pressure on the ball and offensive outnumbered techniques! Phew! And I through football was just about two teams, a ref, and trying to get a ball into the opposition net more often than the other team!
Apart from the technical and tactical sessions, participants will also enjoy other activities such as swimming pool,paddle tennis , tennis, multi-sport activities and other games (WII, PSP, XBOX, etc ). This is the first time that ACATEC have brought their campus south of Alicante and a perfect opportunity for the regions better players to get noticed and for those on the cusp, to improve their game before going back to their municipal, academy or local teams, in September. More information from www.stageacatecelite.com or visit them on Facebook

In Spanish: http://thisisspain.info/costa-blanca/elite/poster