Deano impressed by ‘real talent’ of FURD youth team as weeks of action begin

Former Blades hero Brian Deane was impressed with the quality of the FURD Positive Futures youth team squad at the Kick It Out ‘Dream Manager’ competition in Sheffield last night. ‘Deano’ was training youngsters from the FURD project, based in Sharrow. The group won the one-off session as part of Kick it Out’s One Game, One Community weeks of action.

The players represented a melting pot of nationalities including <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com🏢smarttags" />Chile, Somalia, Zimbabwe, Georgia, Uzbekistan and Poland, many of whom are looking to develop their own fledgling football careers. After being put through their paces by Deano, they also had the opportunity to get some tips on succeeding in the modern game.

“I’d urge youngsters looking to get into the game, particularly those around the 18 year old mark, to keep focussed.  The game operates on a vast scale compared to when I played and, as a consequence, scouts are everywhere,” said Deane, who now coaches the Leeds University team in his spare time.

“It’s not just about ability either. There are two sides to a player’s game, talent and application. Both are equally as important but one often doesn’t work without the other. You could have all the ability in the world but managers and coaches will look at the mental side of a player and think, ‘can I rely on him’? based on how he responds to certain situations.

“One of the things I regret most about my career was taking it for granted when it was in full flow. But, ironically, I grafted to get there in the first place. I remember vividly being a 10 year old in Leeds, getting up at 7am on a Saturday morning and travelling on buses to parts of the city I’d never even heard of. But I did it because I had a dream and a desire to make it. But this can be applied to things outside football, like going for a job or doing an exam.

“There was some real talent on show tonight and I hope it can be unearthed.”

FURD full-time V volunteer and team captain Sandro Vashakidze was inspired by the session. "Brian encouraged us to apply ourselves as if we were professional players, showing self-discipline and learning good habits that will help us in other aspects of our lives outside of football. Most of all Brian has helped me to keep believing that I can achieve my ambitions".

For further information on the One Game, One Community weeks of action visit www.kickitout.org