ARSENAL-trained coach Jamie Monteith is ready to teach Brimbank’s young soccer enthusiasts the tricks of the trade.
Having recently moved to Melbourne, the renowned coach will focus his attention on western suburbs youth after securing a position at Cairnlea Football Club.
Monteith previously led a program in England called Arsenal Kickz, teaching youth about mateship, soccer, life and communication skills. He’s now bringing the program to Australian shores.
As part of his role with Cairnlea, Monteith will use the game to encourage some of Melbourne’s most vulnerable and culturally diverse children.
“I believe soccer is a universal language between people that breaks down barriers of religious beliefs and different cultures,” he says. “When you are on the soccer field it doesn’t matter where you’ve come from.”
From mid-February, Monteith will stage weekly training sessions for children under 12 in Cairnlea and surrounding suburbs on Wednesday and Friday nights. He says he can’t recall a time when his foot wasn’t attached to a soccer ball. “I have loved the game and everything about it for as long as I can remember, since I was a baby.”
Cairnlea president Beige Hussein hopes Monteith’s presence will help the club produce technically gifted players.
“There is a great demand for soccer training in Melbourne’s west and every year it is growing,” he says.
“This year we already have more than 60 children wanting to take up the sport, and we’ve had to create another five teams to cater for the growth.”
An information session will be held at Cairnlea Football Club on Furlong Road, Cairnlea, from 10am-2pm on February 3. More details: 0412 240 961
