The Guernsey Football Association is delighted that the agreement with Louvre Fund Services to support the GFA Development Academy has been extended for a another year.

The GFA Academy has been established to provide an appropriate pathway for the island’s most talented young footballers and aims to provide opportunities for those players to be challenged within a coaching environment that supports each individual with positive development as both a player and person. Those players in the Louvre Development Academy will again be afforded a variety of opportunities and initiatives to be challenged throughout the season and with an appropriate level of competition that supports individual and group development.

In what will be the fifth season of the partnership, Kevin Gilligan, Managing Director of Louvre Fund Services, said:

‘Last season we saw the introduction of several exciting initiatives, all of which are back for this year. It’s exciting to see this whole set up grow year-on-year, and having a helping hand in that growth is something that we are very proud of.’

Guernsey FA’s Chief Executive Officer, Gary Roberts,  reflected on the partnership with Louvre and commented that;

‘The GFA greatly appreciates the on-going support that Louvre provides to the Development Academy, because without this partnership we would not be in a position to provide the players with the various opportunities that we currently do each season. Over the course of the previous four seasons, the partnership has helped deliver some fantastic moments and memories including various trips and tours to Madrid, Benidorm, France, England and Jersey. The benefit of these opportunities for the players that have been involved cannot be underestimated because it provides a different challenge to what young players experience on a weekly basis in Guernsey. We are currently in the process of planning off-island trips for the Louvre Academy age groups this season and have already confirmed attendance at a tournament in France.

‘Once again, the players in the Louvre Academy are fortunate in that they will again be coached and supported in their development by Guernsey’s most well regarded and respected coaches, including those involved with the GFA Senior Representative team, Guernsey FC and the GFA U18 Representative team, which serves as testament to the quality of coaching that the Development Academy players are receiving.’

This season has seen another increase in the number of players involved in the GFA Louvre Development Academy, with 74 players currently registered between the Under 12 through to Under 14 age group and Tony Vance, Development Academy Director, looked forward to the season ahead when commenting;

‘We have had a positive start to the season so far and the commitment and work ethic of the players has been impressive as they have bought into the coaching philosophy we have established for these age groups. The programme for the year ahead will again include the Louvre League of Nations, which provide the players with an opportunity to put into practice much of what they have been learning and also to learn and develop different facets of the game. The League of Nations has proven to be popular with the players as they enjoy regular competition and thrive off opportunities to develop new skills.

‘As always, regular competitive elements to the programme and off-island trips and tours remain an exciting prospect for young players looking to improve their match play against different opposition whist also enjoying the more sociable aspects of sport. This season we are keen to see the Louvre Development Academy programme evolve and have identified new opportunities and challenges we can provide the players, including inter-Academy fixtures and also a weekly Goalkeeper Academy programme.

‘Overall it is evident that the Louvre Development Academy continues to go from strength to strength and remains aspirational for Guernsey’s most talented young players.’