News
Parents congratulate the ‘dozens’ on winning the final
When Milan Šušak started his football academy four years ago, after the end of his rich playing career, it could be guessed that this football school would be different from many others, but it was hard to imagine that it would be so successful in such a short time.
Manager Sam Sari, Daniel Borovina, Milan Borovina and Milan Susak
But systematic work and a thorough commitment to Šušak’s work have been a priority since day one. Milan patiently looked for partner clubs with which to work together to achieve what it set out to do, which is to develop the youngest players in the community and provide a chance to compete with the best peers across Sydney.
It could be a stronger placement: Dusan Milanko’s breakthrough
Thus, the former Australian national team player, former player of Novi Sad’s Vojvodina and winner of the A-league with Brisbane, finally found a home for his academy in FC Belgrade, in Chisolm Park, in 2020. Belgrade is a club where Šušak himself made his first football steps, so there were not many unknowns.
The club still competes in the amateur competition of the Southern Districts and is still a proud “small” club of the local community. However, with the arrival of Milan’s football school, things changed fundamentally. People in the club, led by Voja Ilić, came out to meet Šušak and, as part of their abilities, gave him the conditions for training and running the academy.
Milan and his associates rolled up their sleeves and in January 2021, the Šušak Academy was admitted to the most elite competition of Sydney football schools – the Premier Sydney Academy. And the results came right away.
Two months of competition
Two teams of this academy, under 10 and under 12, participated in the league, where both teams finished at the head of their groups. And last week, it was the turn of the final competitions in both categories. The scene of this great football event for hundreds of boys from various schools as well as for their football teachers, was Macquarie University.
Talented football players, whose maturity, in addition to Šušak, is taken care of by his assistants Milan and Daniel Borovina and manager Sam Sari, overheard all their opponents in both ranks of the competition and advanced to two finals. The team under the age of ten played 1: 1 with Futbootek in the match for the trophy, and in the end, after the penalty, they triumphed with the result 3: 2.
The U12 team has been losing in the grand final since the beginning of the second half and it looked like they would miss the title. However, two goals in two minutes at the end of the game brought a big turnaround, so this team also celebrated – 2: 1.
It is also a success to participate
Being the best in the competition of 44, ie 41 teams from all parts of Sydney, is not a small thing, especially since other football schools have been participants in this competition for many years, and Šušak brought kids to try out in this company for the first time.
However, the greatest success is just participating at such an elite level, because through matches with equals and better than yourself, you get a chance to improve your skills and progress. And, it is superfluous to talk about whether the young football players have progressed. Especially in the finals, there was something to see. The little football virtuosos masterfully handled the ball, dribbled and delighted the audience. There were situations when the actions were done to perfection, without a bad pass and a lost ball.
Team younger than 12 with a trophy
Also, it was fascinating to watch the kids, some of them only 8-9 years old, absorb the advice of the coaches and change their positions in the team and tactics like old men on the spot during the game.
– As you have seen, the U10 team played the semifinals against Elle Academy and they won 2: 0, and both goals were scored by our captain Dušan Milanko. Although he has just turned 9, in the competition of the slightly older he has dominated every game and he will only be heard about. We won the finals against Futboltec on penalties, and the goal from the game was scored by Xavier Fuentes – says Milan Šušak.
The young football expert also speaks in the superlative about boys up to 12 years of age.
– Some of them have been with me for the fourth year and they are all great children and great talents. It is a pleasure to watch them progress and grow.
What does this success mean for you personally?
– For me and my academy, this is a great success. I knew we had quality kids, but they really pleasantly surprised me with the game at every game. More important than the trophies they won is to continue with quality work and that is why we do not stop, but train seriously and constantly want to play even better – concludes the interlocutor of “Vesti”.
Cooperation with Belgrade is a complete success
It would be said that success does not take much. Shushak Academy has at its disposal Chizolm Park field for training and support of FC Belgrade.
– For me personally, this cooperation is a complete success. I received the support of people from the club to lead my football academy and the younger selections of Belgrade. We have good conditions for training, and through the academy we also raise the quality of Belgrade’s teams, since a lot of children play for the club on Saturdays. On the other hand, Belgrade kids got the opportunity to play in the Premier Academy league through the academy. I have known people from Belgrade for a long time, we have mutual trust and big plans. They say that we are a small club, but in a couple of years we will be the biggest small club – said Šušak.
You’re rushing to the winter league
About the plans for the next period, Šušak says:
– Now the Winter League is starting, which lasts 12 weeks and a total of 24 games are being played. We will try to win that competition as well, and from next year we plan to add a few more teams and have even more options for kids to play and compete. Young players progress the most through matches, training is one thing, but in matches one learns how to play under pressure and in a different environment. I think it’s the games that children in Australia miss the most, and with the Premier Academy league we now have that too.
A community full of talent
There are talented children among all ethnic communities, but in the two finals of the Šušak Academy, we noticed a large number of children of Serbian origin, which is a confirmation of our children’s innate football talent.
– From the day I started coaching, I had the desire to work with our children and try to improve their football as much as I can. That desire does not stop, I have a lot of Serbian children in the academy, and they are very talented. But, in football, work is almost everything and talent without good work does not mean much. At our academy, we are focused on quality and intensive work, and that is what kids here can certainly get – says our interlocutor.
Comments are closed.