Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan’s vision to nurture and develop football for the youth of Pakistan under the umbrella of Kamyab Jawan Sports Drive Program, managed by Special Assistant to Prime Minister, Usman Dar, can now be realized by an exciting partnership between GSV and the Irish Premier Division club, St Patrick’s Athletic FC.
St Patrick’s Athletic UEFA Pro licensed coaching staff will kick off the nationwide coaching and Kamyab Jawan Football talent hunt program in Pakistan under the watchful eye of Michael Owen. The road trip begins with a train-the-trainer master-class delivered by St Pat’s UEFA Pro license staff. The sessions are designed to up-skill and transfer football coaching knowledge to Pakistan’s coaching staff.
Initially, the team will explore talent in 10 cities of Pakistan including Islamabad, Muzaffarabad, Peshawar, Lahore, Multan, Sialkot, Faisalabad, Quetta, Sukkur, and Karachi. This will conclude with up to 20 players being given the opportunity of traveling to Dublin, Ireland to train and play with the Academy and potentially First Team of St Patrick’s Athletic.
From 17th January to 5th February 2022, the opportunity to rise and shine in football will be available all over Pakistan.
UEFA pro licensed coaching staff Karel Fraeye (Belgium), Sandro Gianisella (Italy), and Dennis Ricardo Baino (Belgium) under the St Patrick’s Athletic banner will arrive in Islamabad to kick off the national trials. The nation will witness the first-ever structured international football player development program designed to create a regular feeder system into Europe through the UK & Ireland. The master plan provides a soft landing for Pakistani players into Europe where they will be nurtured and developed to meet European playing conditions.
St Patrick’s have been crowned League Champions 9 times and have competed in 58 UEFA Champions League and Europa League games. The Irish club has a well-renowned reputation for developing talented young football players, with many having hugely successful careers in European football. Irish football icon Paul McGrath transferred from ‘The Saints’ to Manchester United FC and went to have a hugely successful career there, as well as star in two World Cups for Ireland.
The Dublin club’s youth academy offers a springboard for players into top-flight English Premier League clubs and beyond. Liverpool’s goalkeeping sensation Vitezslav Jaros (20) is a prime example of how St Pat’s has youth career development expertise, with Jurgen Klopp hailing the Czech Republic youth international after a brilliant loan spell at St Patrick’s.
Garrett Kelleher, Chairman of St Pat’s said: “The Prime Minister’s ambition to further develop football across the 5th most populous nation in the World is exciting. If St Patrick’s Athletic can in some way be a platform for this to happen and enable talented young footballers to achieve their dreams, it very much aligns with the club’s domestic aspiration. St Pat’s is privileged to have been retained by Pakistan to design a program with Red Strike and GSV in England to develop players further and potentially explore pro-contract opportunities.”
Brian Kerr, former Republic of Ireland and Faroe Islands senior international manager, and manager of Ireland’s U16 and U18 European champions in 1998 said: “When I first heard about this project through St Pat’s I was excited and eager to be involved. I have no doubt that there is a lot of untapped talent in Pakistan and we are hoping to find, nurture and develop that talent with a view to benefitting the players and ultimately the footballing nation of Pakistan.”
Michael Owen said: “It is a great privilege to be working with Pakistani talent and offering a professional talent ID program in Pakistan for the very first time. This will be the first-ever national talent hunt program meeting UEFA player evaluation standards which offers a gateway into Europe. I look forward to seeing you in Ireland”.
Karel Fraeye, UEFA licensed coach said: “Pakistan is a tremendous nation with a huge talent for football. We are excited to be working with Brian Kerr and Ger O’Brien of St Pat’s. It’s a matter of discovering raw talent and adapting them to new playing conditions and becoming physically stronger athletes to meet the demands of the modern game of football”.
