Sydney FC’s esteemed Academy has celebrated five years of existence this month, with the Sky Blues’ youth setup now boasting a raft of titles and player success stories.
Established by Sydney FC Technical Director – Youth, Kelly Cross in 2015, the Academy has adhered to the three key principles of ‘clear philosophy’, ‘good people’ and ‘learning environment’ to become one of the premier youth academies in the country.
Cross said he was delighted with where the Academy currently stands, whilst setting his sights on even bigger and better objectives in the years to come.
NEWS: Sydney FC’s Academy Success Stories
“I’m very pleased with how the Academy is progressing,” Cross said.
“We’ve evolved how we do things over the last five years and are constantly looking for ways to improve.
“We have a team of passionate and committed staff at Sydney FC, and everyone here has the same principles at heart – basically, the player’s individual development and overall wellbeing come first.”
“Last month we used an external body to survey all the players and the overwhelming conclusion was that the staff focus on supporting each player’s own development and having a good relationship with him.”
#OnThisDay in 2015 👀
The Sydney FC Youth Academy was established! Check out this shot from our first ever night of team building…recognise anyone? 🤔 #SydneyIsSkyBlue #Premi4rs #Champion5 pic.twitter.com/9VhEOKywhG
— Sydney FC (@SydneyFC) October 25, 2020
Reflecting on the Academy’s establishment five years ago, Cross said he set out to create one cohesive unit, and the Sky Blues’ Technical Director – Youth, believes he’s achieved that.
“The first thing I set out to do in 2015 was to create a team of coaches who collaborate to make the whole Academy better, rather than a group of individual coaches with their own agendas and separate team units,” he said.
“This has been very successful. We also spoke about our beliefs and began to grow a culture and a way of working that comes from within and is not based on what others might do.”
“The exciting thing here is that we continue to ask questions and look for ways to improve what we do and I have a real feeling that things can only get better.”
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.
