Former Golden Jaguar International Vurlon Mills, says that the ongoing Online Training Programme, has provided the ideal platform for footballers to remain active during the current Covid-19 pandemic.
Mills made the disclosure during an exclusive interview with Stabroek Sport yesterday.
According to Mills, the sessions were initiated to provide an avenue for the players to continue to train.
“We are finding ways around the current situation even though it’s been challenging. The kids can still train and practice during this period because of the online sessions. We also try our best to post the training sessions online so that even if some players miss the training, they can still be able to view them and practice so they have the opportunity to remain active during this period,” he said.
Mills, founder of the Vurlon Mills Academy, revealed that several parents have enquired about joining the online sessions, with many open to the idea of being a part of small training groups in the future.
He added, “It has been beneficial to the academy in terms of growth because parents are calling and inquiring about the sessions. Parents also still want to do the small group training sessions, they are excited about that.”
Mills said that the routine was basically the same.
“It’s the same routine, I am doing three sessions a week which is Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays for one hour from 4:30-5:30. We had two new people who joined the classes and I have seen a lot of improvement from the players. We are continuing to do the sessions because we can also focus individually. We are seeing improvements in their creativity and they are learning quickly because of the individual sections. They are learning how to conduct their own sessions at home. I also think we have seen more discipline to practice by themselves because after we are finished with the sessions, we encourage them to remember the drills and practice on their own for improvement in the next sessions.”
He said that the online sessions are geared towards children from the age of eight, adding that small group sessions are expected to be commissioned in the near future for youngsters between the ages of three and six, which is a large pool of players within the academy.
“One of the large age groups which is 3-6, is not currently part of the sessions. It’s mostly for children between 8-10 at the moment but a lot of parents prefer to do the small sessions with the younger age group so going forward we will be staging those sessions,” he said.
Asked how many coaches are part of the training programme, Mills revealed, “At the moment national player Trevon Lythcott assists me. Before, Akel Clarke, who is also a national player, also served as an assistant. Both have been great help to the programme as they understand what needs to be done.”
