For the Player Internship, 57 applications were submitted, which led the SJPF to select a first group of 25 athletes
The Union of Professional Football Players (SJPF) started this Tuesday, in Odivelas, the 21st edition of the Player Internship, an initiative aimed at footballers currently without a club and looking for a new position.
The first training session of the internship took place at Campus do Jogo, at Complexo Desportivo do Porto Pinheiro, in Odivelas, and the objective is to prepare the return to competition of the registered athletes with the help of experienced professionals, as underlined by the coordinator of this initiative, the former soccer player José Carlos.
“It’s essential to have people connected to this project who have that experience and know-how of what it’s like to be on the field. I also had a phase, a short time, but when I left Belenenses and ended my career due to a spinal injury, I also went through a difficult phase. I understand what it’s like to be in this situation,” says the former footballer.
For the Player Internship, 57 applications were submitted, which led the SJPF to select a first group of 25 athletes.
Among them are footballers such as striker Abel Camará, who represented Belenenses and Beira-Mar in the I Liga, or defender Vítor Carvalho, who was already part of the Covilhã squad, in the II Liga, and in 2022/2023 represented the Albanians of Oriku.
José Carlos identified the importance of working with a limited number of athletes for training sessions with better performance and quality.
“Registrations are still open, we have more than 50 players and it is impossible to work with so many players. Let’s start with this group of 25 players, the ideal number for the coach to work with and the group is not closed and I have already made them feel that, that we are going to observe them, not all at the same time”, he envisioned.
In charge of this squad, which will undergo changes over the next few days, will be Paulo Mendes, who last season guided BSAD, in the II Liga, and who takes advantage of the experience to remain active.
“To be honest, all the situations that appeared to me were abroad and did not materialize. I first had an invitation from José Carlos and then from all the management and it is also a way for me to prepare for the future, when we stop for some time the restart is never the same,” recognized the coach, motivated.
In the previous twenty editions, of the 1,169 participants, 716 athletes were placed, which corresponds to 61% of the players involved in the internship. In this sense, the expectation of the SJPF to contribute to a solution for the careers of athletes is high.
As a novelty for this year’s edition, the internship provides a level 0 referee course, following a protocol recently signed between the SJPF and the FPF Arbitration Council.
The 21st Player Internship takes place between July 11th and August 31st, with training sessions taking place from Monday to Friday, between 10:00 am and 12:00 pm, at the Player Campus.
2023-07-11 18:26:00
#Players #union #starts #internship #footballers #club #fundamental..
