The Talent Pathway caters for players (boys and girls) aged 9-17 years old as they move through the development stages of Junior and Youth Football. Implementing a clear Talent Pathway is to prepare players for competitive youth football and ultimately developing players for the top Youth ages and filtering into senior Women’s and Men’s teams at Ellerslie Association Football Club.
Our Director of Football, Fred de Jong, oversees the Talent Pathway alongside Ryan Shiffman (Director of Coaching), Ben Fletcher (Football Development Manager Boys) and Hollie Leona (Football Development Manager Girls). The aim is to create an environment where players can thrive with confidence and express skills. As the players transition from Junior to Youth, players will develop how to apply individual skill sets in a team dynamic.
As the club is accredited by New Zealand Football, for having a recognised Talent Development Programme, our Youth teams (Red Teams) will play in the highest leagues for their age groups namely NRFL Youth Leagues (previously Metro Leagues) on Saturdays for Girls and Sundays for Boys. Our Junior teams (Red Teams) will play in the NRF competitions on a Saturday.
