Virtue, Blygen proud of Ballaz success in Florida
Published:Tuesday | December 20, 2022 | 1:16 AMDaniel Wheeler/Staff Reporter
For Ballaz Academy founder and director Andre Virtue and under-12 coach Michael Blygen, their performance at the recently concluded Springs Holiday Cup Tournament in Florida not only showed the growth of their youth but has put the spotlight on their programme which impressed those who watched them in the United States.
The contingent, which comprised the under-10 to under-13 teams, returned yesterday after a weekend that saw success and titles won. The under-10 and under-12 teams won their respective divisions, both finishing unbeaten while the under-11 team finished second. The under-13 team was not so lucky, missing out on the final.
But the bigger picture was not lost on Blygen who was coaching in his first major youth tournament and said that he was pleased with how the players applied themselves in a different environment and performed.
“The players were focused. I spoke to them a lot about my main objective for the team. It’s not about just winning at this age, we think about developing players. The main objective was to give as much playing time as possible to every single player. It means a lot to see that we are putting in some good work with the young players,” Blygen said. “And we just have to continue and to give these youngsters exposure.”
According to Virtue, it was not just about the success on the field but the growth from it not only in how they prepared, but also in how the players showed character well beyond their years, especially the under-10 team who rallied back to win the final, the first time the team trailed in the tournament.
“For them to equalise and have the game-winner with the last shot of the game, they are just full of character. Nine- and 10-year-olds going through that you just look and say if you get that kind of experience now, can you imagine what the maturity level of that group will be going forward? So I am happy for the adjustments that we made,” Virtue said.
It was an effort that Virtue said could not have been done without coaching staff and the parents and chaperones who made the trip. Their performances were not only impressing the staff but also those in Florida, some of whom were Jamaicans.
“Many parents in the United States came to me and said, ‘Coach I don’t know what you are doing with those boys but they are playing beautiful football’.”
Virtue plans to use the momentum gained to seek more success next year with all its players available after the end of the schoolboy football, prep and primary school competitions. There are plans for another international tour and a focus on the older age groups.
“We are looking to January to continue to build. The 14- to 17-year-old group, we have to look at what happens for them. We have six months of work and the work has to now extend beyond the borders of Jamaica for us to expose our players,” Virtue said.