A coaching team from Bundesliga club 1.FSV Mainz 05 visited Pretoria last Sunday. More than 40 kids had the opportunity to experience a session with coaches from the 05er Soccer School and interact with influencers like Cellular Maake or Uganda goalkeeper coach David Ribeiro.
Former Mainz 05 player and academy coach Joerg Conrad, along with his team, engaged and inspired over 40 young players. Boys and girls aged 8 to 16 enjoyed a variety of competitive games and developed technical skills in a dynamic, play-based environment.
"It was a fantastic experience and truly enjoyable to train with so many kids in Pretoria. The event was fantastically organized and it was a lot of fun working with the kids", said Jörg Conrad, coach of the Mainz 05 football school.
"It's great to see different initiatives that helps our youth getting better. We always want to learn from the best and the Academy of Mainz has a very good reputation, producing many players for the Bundesliga. It was great to see how the kids enjoyed it," said former Bafana Bafana legend Philip Evans, who was also around and enjoyed the entertaining session.
Mainz 05 is well-regarded for its player development, having fostered renowned coaches like Jurgen Klopp, Thomas Tuchel or Marco Rose and players such as World Cup winner André Schürrle and current captain Jonathan Burkhardt.
Through the CEO David Ribeiro, there will be many more activities planned in future.
