Blumgart’s London calling
FOR years, North Caulfield Maccabi junior football star Alon Blumgart was told he was too small to play representative football.
FOR years, North Caulfield Maccabi junior football star Alon Blumgart was told he was too small to play representative football.
Despite making several squads and even training with the Victorian Institute of Sport, the 18-year-old was consistently snubbed by selectors of representative teams because of his diminutive stature.
“I’ve played in some of the schoolboy state teams but never actually made it to the normal state teams, because I used to be quite small,” Blumgart told The AJN.
“I would get through to the last 30, but it was always said that I was too small — they just denied me.”
But all that is about to change.
In January, Blumgart will be flown to London to take part in football trials, which will comprise 100 of the finest young football players from around the world.
Of the hand-picked players, the top eight will win a spot in the Nike Academy, which is run in association with several English Premier League (EPL) clubs.
The contestants who make it through will train alongside top-flight players and have access to elite-level coaching staff and facilities. The profile of the competition will ensure the young finalists are thrust into the spotlight, where they will be scrutinised by scouts from across England. At the end of it all, they will have a genuine chance to claim the coveted prize — a contract with an EPL club such as Manchester United or Chelsea.
For the first time, the competition is open to contestants from around the world after previously being available only to players from the UK.
“It’s been my dream to play professional football ever since I started playing, which was at about four [years old],” Blumgart said. “When they told me I was through, I was just so excited, I couldn’t believe it.”
But the centre-midfielder is quick to add that the selection is the culmination of years of hard work and a single-minded determination.
“This has been something I’ve been working towards for years. Ultimately, I’ve been training to go over to Europe for a long time.”
Born in South Africa, Blumgart’s parents moved to New Zealand when he was just 18 months old. When he was nine, his family uprooted again, this time moving to Australia, where they have been ever since.
Blumgart received a letter from Football Federation Victoria asking him to participate in the state trials.  He made it through to the Pacific trials in Canberra, which included 27 footballers from the region. After three days of intensive trials, Blumgart was named one of four representatives from the Pacific region.
To prepare for the London trials in January, Blumgart may¬† train with A-League club Melbourne Heart or Melbourne Victory’s youth side.
ADAM KAMIEN
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