Last summer, Austin Welch earned a chance to train at one of the best academies in Europe. The youngster from Kentucky was selected for a camp run by the Feyenoord coaches in Kentucky. He was the only player from the camp invited to go to Netherlands and train with the club’s academy.

Austin Welch

In November, Welch made the trip and spent some timing training with Feyenoord.

“The part I enjoyed most about training with Feyenoord was how high-class and skilled the players and the facility was,” Welch told TopDrawerSoccer. “Every player was fast and had control with the ball.”

Welch also spoke about the outstanding training facilities that he played on while practicing with the academy.

“The facility was amazing because first, your team had their own room that they would change in,” Welch said. “Then, they had multiple fields that were taken care of very well for different teams to train on.”

While Welch was there, he was trained with the club’s U12 and U13 teams.

“I played in some small scrimmages with the U13s,” Welch said. “In these, the goals were only 30 feet apart and you were supposed to get your shot off quick. Also, they U12s had a scrimmage focusing on your position and switching the fields.”

Welch made the most of his time with the U13s and said it was his favorite part of the trip.

“My favorite memory from the trip was the last practice I had there,” Welch said. “That was when I performed best with the U13s. We were doing the scrimmage and passing drills. In one of the drills, we were put in a spot where our playing position was (for me, it was on the wing) and my job was to play a cross for the striker to finish. This was also the most fun practice.”

Adjusting to the level of play in the Netherlands took some time. Welch pointed out some of the differences from what he is used to in Kentucky.

“The most difficult part of training was when you had to get the ball off your foot quick,” Welch said. “This is because they put pressure on you the second you get the ball. I’m not too used to this because kids here wait until you dribble toward them.”

After his stint with the club, the coaches gave Welch feedback on what he did well and what he needs to improve on moving forward.

“When the training ended, the coaches talked about my strengths and weaknesses. Some of the strengths were: quick footwork and I know how to move with and without the ball,” Welch said. “Some of the weaknesses were: I need to use my body more in 1v1 and to improve my left foot. They also said they would like for me to come back sometime.”

Welch’s future plans are still undecided. He said he wants to go back to Netherlands and train with Feyenoord again if he has the chance. There are also some opportunities in the States with academy teams. 

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