Former Dundalk FC midfielder Stephen McDonnell will manage the new European Elite Soccer (EES) Academy which opens in town with trial sessions on Friday, April 26th and Friday, May 10th.
EES, which caters for boys and girls born between 2005 and 2011, compliments the work that players do with their respective clubs with the aim of educating and developing them into better footballers.
Established in 2014, EES’ flagship centre is in Coolock, Dublin where over 50 players from the capital’s biggest clubs attend on a weekly basis.
The academy works off an annual curriculum and is based around individual tactics, with players working in small groups to maximise their individual development.
McDonnell, who took charge of Danske Bank Irish Premiership side Warrenpoint Town just over a year ago, has been delivering the programme for the past 18 months and will be assisted by Dundalk FC U15 manager, Tiarnan Mulvenna, a former Oriel Park team-mate.
“We are really excited to take the EES coaching model to a football town like Dundalk,” said McDonnell. “The coaches who will oversee the academy all have a wealth of playing and coaching experience in the domestic game.
“The reason why EES is so different is that the practices are designed and implemented to mirror scenarios faced in a real game,” he added.
“Everything is designed with a training objective which in return gives players a greater understanding of what the session focus is about and helps them to understand the game better.
“This will benefit young players within the Dundalk area because it will expose them to a different method of coaching from an earlier age.
“The initial aim is to create a really strong and successful academy at junior and senior level,” said McDonnell, a current holder of the UEFA A Licence.
“Once we manage that, our next aim would be to develop an advanced player programme which includes a double pitch session and classroom-based sessions with education from nutritionists and analysts.”
The academy will kick off with two trial sessions which will take place at Dundalk Sports Centre on Friday, April 26th and Friday, May 10th.
The trial for junior players, born between 2009 and 2011, will take place from 4.30pm to 6pm. The senior players trial, for those born between 2005 and 2008, takes place from 6.15pm-7.45pm.
For more details, you can visit the European Elite Soccer website at or check out the .
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