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A 10-day trip has now become a month-long scholarship opportunity to train and play soccer in Italy for two Niagara Region boys.
Logan Wintrup and Didier Hyman traveled to Italy in October as part of a group of local soccer students who had the opportunity to practice and train with students from the Pescara Calcio Academy.
“Playing in Italy was fun and intense, but most importantly, I think the Italian kids have the best first touch in the world,” added 11-year-old Wintrup, who plays on a team in Niagara Falls, talking about the skill level of the kids he was training with while abroad.
While there, the boys ate, slept and breathed the soccer world, even getting the opportunity to train with professional Italian soccer players.
“We’d go to training, come back, eat lunch, go to training again, eat dinner, go to sleep,” explained 10-year-old Hyman from St. Catharines. “It was fun because I got to play with good players during this experience.”
Students who displayed the highest skill levels had the opportunity to be invited back, with month-long scholarships available for younger students and year-long scholarships available for older students.
“I’m happy. Maybe this could be the start of my career as a professional soccer player,” said Hyman.
While Hyman and Wintrup are still too young for the year-long scholarships, students who receive those often sign to professional soccer clubs while they’re still in school and training.
Didier Hyman’s father and coach, Howard Hyman, says he hopes this is just the beginning of seeing individuals from the Niagara Region being recognized for their soccer talent without having to travel long distances for those opportunities.
“You don’t need to go spend thousands of dollars in Toronto because most of the parents who are chasing that dream, that’s what they do,” he explained. “I think we have talent here in terms of coaching and players, and we can do it here in this region.”
Both boys have lofty aspirations for their future soccer careers, with Wintrup hoping to play in the top league in the world, while Hyman wants to win the World Cup with team Canada.
“I would say to the kids who are just starting soccer to chase their dreams, work hard, and they will make it,” Wintrup said, a sentiment that Hyman echoed.
The boys will leave for their training trip to play soccer in Italy in April. While living in Italy, they will receive tutoring to stay on track with school during their soccer training.
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