South Auckland Elite visits Olé F.A.

Last week, South Auckland Elite (SAE) made their yearly trip south to Porirua to engage in #TheOléWay. The Auckland Academy has been visiting once a year over the last 5 years for an experience that is valuable for both their players and coaches. “We like working with Olé because Olé are so focused in their work on player development” said Marty Rodwell, director of SAE. The work that is going on here at Olé has been recognised by Marty and his organisation. “We believe in what Olé are doing and we at SAE are always incorporating #TheOléWay into what we do with some South Auckland flavour.”

In recent years, Olé has established a clear player pathway, from grassroots players through to the first team, and the many overseas in professional or university environments. Marty and SAE are consistently working and building to be “the leaders in youth development in Auckland.” SAE are very similar and unique to Olé with their ties to large Pacific Island, Maori and Indian communities, as we also have those connections with many in the Porirua Community. Rodwell stated, “We want way more Pacific Island, Maori, and Indian children to pursue football as their sporting choice, and show them there is a pathway for football.”

For teams and academies like SAE visiting Olé, it is crucial for the players and staff to see the direction they are going in. The coaches and players alike have their eyes opened to a brand of football that is proven successful and can be played in New Zealand, leading them to return to their own academies with renewed energy and ideas.

For the progress that SAE has made in their player development, Rodwell acknowledge that “it took like minded coaches to come down and leave their ego behind and buy into a new way of doing things and fully commit to a similar path.”