Sydney FC star Joel King believes he wouldn’t be where he is today without his experiences in the Sky Blues’ Academy.
Sydney FC star Joel King believes he wouldn’t be where he is today without his experiences in the Sky Blues’ Academy.
The 19-year old Premiership and Championship winner joined the club’s youth setup in 2017 and has become a regular feature in the A-League side, claiming two Championships, a Premiership and featuring in two AFC Champions League campaigns.
“I enjoyed every minute of training and playing in the Sydney FC Academy,” King said.
“Playing nearly all year round with the Foxtel Youth League in the summer and NPL NSW Men’s competition in the winter I believe really helped me develop as a player.
NEWS: Sydney FC Celebrate 5 Years Of The Academy
“The structure and basics we were taught in the Academy are identical to the playing style in the first team, so making that step to the first team was made so much easier.”
King is one of the club’s youngest first team members, and joins Harry Van der Saag and Luke Ivanovic as current Academy graduates in the squad, and the left back said he was proud of his pathway to professional football.
“It’s special to now be a graduate from the Academy in the A-League squad,” he said.
“I believe in the next two or three years we will begin to see a lot more graduates from the Academy.
“Players that have had five plus years of Academy coaching under their belt are only going to enter the A-League environment more confident and experienced.”
Sydney FC will be celebrating the Academy’s five year anniversary this week – keep an eye on the club’s social media accounts for daily content.
