Camden Elite’s Under-9s are enjoying an eye-catching debut season in the Camden & Islington Youth League, playing matches at Market Road

THE motivational buzzwords might change, but the goal for one youth football club always remains the same: prepare players to tackle the professional game.

This week started with an important new mantra: “Confidence. Control. Creativity.”

It’s the latest in a series of catchy slogans, like “every ball counts” and “leadership starts before the first whistle”.

But for coaches from Camden Elite, it’s about more than just words. And it’s about more than just money, too.

While it’s common for some youth football clubs to cater for as many age groups as possible, and to take as many youngsters as they can – a move that certainly doesn’t hurt their bank accounts – Elite prefer to keep their small operation somewhat more intimate.

Club founder Sebastian Eurico has been known to turn away players if they already have “too many bad habits”, while in the summer Elite released two of their age groups.

“We don’t want to take someone’s money just for the sake of it,” explained Sebastian. “Of course, we could earn a lot more by taking in as many young players as we can, but that has never been our goal. We’re about quality over quantity.”

Sebastian, who played for both Fulham and Nottingham Forest in his academy days, runs a busy schedule.

Elite currently has teams fulfilling weekly fixtures across the capital, including in the Regent’s Park Youth League, the Camden Youth League at Coram’s Fields in Bloomsbury and the Camden & Islington Youth League at Market Road.

Arthur Kearney, who is known as ‘a real character’ in Elite’s Under-9s squad

Offering an insight into the club’s recent reshuffle, Sebastian said: “We dropped two of our age groups in the summer, so that’s about 30 players. Some of the boys were struggling with other commitments on matchdays, so we decided it was for the best to help them find new clubs.

“We obviously wish all the players the very best in the future and hope they’ll go on to enjoy unrivalled success.”

With children as young as seven right up to the age of 12 on Elite’s books, Sebastian added: “It’s really good working with younger players. They’re hungry and itching to learn, and they haven’t picked up as many bad habits, which means it’s easier to teach them good habits from the start.”

Among Elite’s new recruits is their Under-9s side who play at Market Road in Caledonian. While league tables and results are not recorded in that age group, the debutants are catching the eye with their tremendous teamwork and energy.

Jordan Lawal, who coaches the squad, has urged parents to help “keep up the momentum” by getting the players to put in extra work away from the pitch.

He said: “I just wanted to say how proud I am of how much the boys have developed over this short period of time.

“The progress in their understanding, teamwork and technical ability has been really noticeable – it’s a credit to their effort and your [the parents] continued support.

“Please keep encouraging them to stay consistent and do that little bit extra at home. Two hours a week isn’t quite enough at this stage if we want them to keep pushing on – even 10-15 minutes a few times a week makes a big difference.”
• Anyone interested in finding out more can search for Camden Elite Football Academy on Instagram.