Adelaide United has been busy back in the community in September.
Here is a recap of the main things we got up to over the past few weeks.
Local training session – Port Adelaide Pirates
On Friday, 10 September we held our first open training session of our preseason and decided to hold it at State League side Port Adelaide Pirates’ facility at Taperoo. It was a wonderful occasion with a lot of kids getting to meet and train with their heroes. A non-training group which included the likes of Stefan Mauk, Kusini Yengi, Craig Goodwin and Isaías got to interact with Pirates juniors in some small sided games, while the rest of the squad had a light session training on the main pitch. Pirates juniors Cormac, Conor and Luca also got to experience being a part of the main session and join in with the team. Following the session, players signed autographs and stopped for photos.
Adelaide United School Holiday Clinics
Our football clinics run by Marcelo Carrusca returned during the recent Term 3 school holidays. The clinics ran for three days and were held at two locations. The first clinic took place at Modbury Vista’s Newspot Stadium, while the second occurred at Vipers FC’s St Clair Oval. Participants between the ages of 6 and 15 were placed in similar age groups and got to learn new skills and techniques from Carrusca and his knowledgeable coaching team, while completing drills and playing games.
Registrants received a 3-Game membership for the upcoming 2021/22 season and a special Adelaide United UCAN holiday training kit. Reds players Isaías and George Blackwood also stopped for a visit at Modbury Vista, signing autographs and took part in some of the sessions. Meanwhile, at St Clair Oval Kusini Yengi, Jacob Tratt and Bernardo all dropped by.
2021 Country Championships – South Australian Junior Soccer Associations (SAJSA)
The 2021 Country Championships were held in Port Pirie across the weekend of September 25 and 26. Organised by SAJSA, the event had seven separate divisions from under 12s to under 16s. Adelaide United A-League Women midfielder and Port Pirie local, Emily Condon, was also present to sign autographs and meet fans. Well done to all participating teams and congratulations to the winners, who topped their respective groups.
Under 12D – Fleurieu
Under 12 – Adelaide Hills
Under 13 – Port Pirie
Under 13 girls – Whyalla
Under 14 – Port Pirie
Under 16 – Port Pirie
Under 16 girls – Adelaide Hills
Club visits/Miniroos sessions
Throughout the past month members of our A-League squad visited local clubs. Some were lucky enough to go back to where it all started and return to their junior clubs. The boys participated in training sessions and helped offer advice and tips, answering questions and signing autographs.
List of club visits
Croydon Kings – Al Hassan and Mohamed Toure
West Torrens Birkalla – Louis D’Arrigo and George Timotheou
Marcelo Carrusca Academy – Javi López and Juande
Adelaide Comets – Kusini Yengi and Joe Caletti
Adelaide City – Stefan Mauk and James Delianov
Fulham United – Kusini Yengi and Joe Gauci
Western Strikers – Josh Cavallo and Nick Ansell
School visits
When the boys were not training, some players managed to visit a couple of schools with students getting the chance to meet their Adelaide United idols. They discussed life as a professional footballer, their time with Adelaide United and career as a whole, while imparting some of their knowledge around having a strong work ethic to achieve their goals.
List of school visits
St Joseph’s Payneham – Ben Halloran and Michael Jakobsen
St Peter’s College – Stefan Mauk
Kidman Park Primary – Yaya Dukuly and Alexandar Popović
