Two Giallorosse in Pescara. Part one: the visit to the Academy

Starting a collaboration between The Pescara Calcio Academy and Il Romanista, we've visited their facilities to give a closer look on how the Academy project works. So we spent a couple of days in Abruzzo and here is what we’ve seen

Pescara Calcio Academy project was started by Marco Arcese and Angelo Londrillo with the purpose of scouting young football players from all over Italy who have the potential to join the Primavera team. During the tryout week, coaches critically observe the recruits’ skills, and on the last day, a select number of them will be chosen from a group of 80 players to make their debut with the Pescara team in September. Of course, this is not the only way of recruiting for the first team; during the regular season the first team invites other players from all over as well, not just during the summer.

Coach Daniele Stante has been working for this project since December 2021. He is the technical coordinator of the team, organizing everything that happens on the field and welcomes players of all ages from all over Italy and foreign countries. For example, this year Stante brought in recruits from Egypt, Tunisia, Canada and America.

''For me, this job is very important because, first of all, I am a Pescara fan,” Stante said. “Coaching these boys here is a great opportunity to take Pescara soccer around the world, as there are many foreign boys. This work gives me an indescribable emotion.” Stante also talked about how the routine for their youngest players is very hard. They get up at 8 o'clock in the hotel where they are staying, the Ekk Hotel and they go immediately to breakfast which is chosen by a specialized nutritionist. Once Breakfast is done, the boys make their way to the sports center to train for an hour and a half. Afterwards, they return to the hotel for lunch, again chosen by the nutritionists and then they rest for a few hours before returning to the field with more fuel in their system to face more hours of training. When the physical training part of the day is finished, the players travel back to the hotel where dinner is waiting for them and then they gather in the conference room to meet with the coaches to discuss the team's progress, watch footage, and to meet with two players from the first team.

One of the core values that Pescara Calcio Academy works to instill in these young athletes is respect. In the hotel and on the field there are strict rules to follow because the Pescara Calcio Academy wants to train diligent boys on and off the field. For example, telephones are forbidden at the table so they can interact with each other with no distractions, everyone makes their own plate and when they are finished, they must dispose of their waste in the appropriate bins. In short, the goal is to teach these youngsters to live in harmony within a community and respectfully co-exist with one another while honing their football skills.

Another important aspect of the Academy's values is teaching the players to not lose heart after having a bad experience on the field. The athletes must know that everyone can have ''bad'' days or even longer periods of time and it happens even at the highest levels in this sport, Stante said. From this, the Academy aims to help these aspiring professional football players understand that they are young, and that this is just the beginning of their football journey. "They must never give up", Stante said.

While these values are slowly being instilled in the athletes, some real talents have already emerged in just a few days, but it is not yet known exactly who and how many will advance to the Primavera because it is difficult to tell who the star players are in such a short amount of time. A player needs time to bring out the best in himself and must be comfortable in the situation before they can really shine, Stante said.
When all is said and done, the coaches working for this project require responsibility, diligence on and off the field, good values, respect, and of course technical skills from their mentees. Teamwork, the desire to win, accepting constructive criticism and having respect for referees and opponents during play is also a must.