Last Monday, players and coaches from the National Sport School Malta travelled to Bielsko-Biała, Poland, for a five-day training camp combining competitive football, professional development, and cultural experiences.
The group, made up of over 60 players and 8 coaches across four age groups, born in 2011, 2012, 2013, and 2014, hit the ground running on day one with a visit to the Panattoni Arena, home of the BVB Goczałkowice Academy, where they enjoyed a free-play session and heard from academy coaches about their player-development approach. The evening wrapped up with a technical meeting and a walk around Bielsko-Biała’s city centre.
Tuesday saw the groups split between matches and a trip to Szyndzielnia Mountain in Szczyrk, ascending to 1,257 metres by cable car, with snowball fights inevitably breaking out along the way. All four age groups were in action, with the younger sides winning 6–3 and 5-1 against Rekord Bielsko-Biała, while the older groups drew 1-1 and won 3-1 against BVB Goczałkowice Academy.
Wednesday brought more football, with the 2012 side producing a brilliant comeback from 2-0 down to beat Podbeskidzie 3-2, while the 2011 group narrowly lost 3-2 after trailing 3-0 at half-time. In the afternoon, the groups watched Rekord’s women’s team and a Men’s Futsal Polish Cup semifinal before the younger sides beat BVB Academy 7-1 and 4-3.
On Thursday, the younger groups played on a snow-covered pitch at Młyńska Stadium, winning 4-1 and 6-1 against Podbeskidzie, cheered on by their older teammates. The day ended with the whole group watching Malta face Luxembourg in the UEFA Nations League.
The final day saw the older group come from 3-1 down to beat the Rekord squad 4-3, while the coaches met with the club director to discuss their development philosophy. The group then visited Kraków’s historic square before flying home.
Melvyn Mangion, official from Żurrieq FC Youth Nursery, took care of all the logistics to make the trip run smoothly from start to finish.
