Solomon Futsal duo receive offer for trial in Spain

Two young Solomon Islanders Elliot Ragomo Lilo and Jack Whetney have been offered a 4-month trial with a Spanish club - Bulls Playas De Castellon.

The duo with Australian Tobias Seeto were identified during a 5-week tour to Italy and Spain in June/July of this year by a team from the Dural Sports and Leisure Centre in Sydney. Lilo and Whetney are on a scholarship programme with DSLC and have been included in the tour.

Dural's Futsal Coach Tony Chan says the offer from Playas de Castellon presents a remarkable opportunity for futsal players from Oceania-more so for the two Solomon Islanders. He says at present, there is only one Australian player who plays professional Futsal in Europe (Greg Giovenali, another former APF Dural player, now playing with Lazio C/5 in Italy), and these three boys will have the change to become Oceania's first professional players in Spain, which, in the Liga Nacional de Futbol Sala, boasts the best league in the world.

The offer to the three players will see all three arrive in the Valencian town of Castellon on the 6th August, and stay until the 18th December. They will be training for 4 hours per day, 5 days each week, with the Playas de Castellon first grade team. The club will take care of all expenses for the trial, including airfares, accommodation and food. Of course, the programme will be both difficult and yet exciting for the boys. However, if they manage to demonstrate the requisite technical-tactical ability, as well as the potential to adapt to the Spanish culture and language, then the players will have the opportunity to pursue a professional career in Spain with Playas de Castellon. `I know that all three players are extremely excited at the opportunity and the experience that is on offer', said Tony Chan, Futsal Development at APF Dural. `They will be trialling for 4 months with one of the best teams in the world, and for me, the best club in the world. Honestly, having visited the club in the past months, I truly believe that as a club, with its professionalism, vision, community ties and emphasis on youth development, Playas de Castellon is the greatest club in the world'.

For APF Dural (the Futsal development arm of Dural Sport and Leisure Centre), the offer of Playas de Castellon solidifies the career pathway which APF Dural can offer through its elite development programme. Centre Manager Brian Codrington said, `Our mission is to use sport to see lives transformed, and to make the difference ... physically, relationally, emotionally and spiritually'.

`We're extremely happy with the hospitality which Playas de Castellon have accorded to us, and their strong concerns with the welfare of our three players; which matches well with our desire to continue to ensure that Tobias, Elliot and Jack have their relational, emotional and spiritual needs satisfied, either as long-term trialists or hopefully, as professional Futsal players'.

Both Playas de Castellon and APF Dural are hopeful of further strengthening the relationship between the clubs in future years, with APF Dural to continue with an annual tour to Castellon to participate in the Campus Internacional de Futbol Sala. With some luck, Tobias, Elliot and Jack will be able to function as the central axis of this relationship for many years to come.

Source: SIFF