AFC Bournemouth
AFC Bournemouth’s Jaidon Anthony, Jordan Zemura and Gavin Kilkenny spent time with the under-18s squad last week and answered questions about their experiences in academy football.
The trio returned to their former training ground at Canford to meet up with the current crop of young players and talked about their time in the club's academy set-up.
Anthony, Zemura and Kilkenny have been enjoying a breakthrough season in the first team and have made a combined total of 102 first team appearances.
Under-18s coach Alan Connell was delighted to have the players dedicate time to speak to his players, telling afcb.co.uk:
“I think it’s so powerful having these three lads, who have obviously come through the academy at different stages, to speak to the current under-18s because all my boys can relate.
“I think it was a real powerful message for them to hear all three’s experiences, ups and downs, not just being a scholar but also being a professional footballer.
“On the same day, two of our injured boys and Lewis Cook and Junior Stanislas spent time talking to them. That wasn’t pre-arranged, that was by chance but those two players taking the time to speak to our injured players shows the togetherness of the club.
“The fact that Jaidon, Jordan and Gav were so happy to come to Canford – where they’d spent so much time in the past – goes to show that there was nothing in it for them other than sharing their experiences and I think it shows how humble they remain and how they haven’t forgotten where they come from.”
Staff and players asked questions throughout, touching on their difficult moments when coming through the academy and the physical and mental standards needed to play in the Championship.
Connell was able to bring up some of his own memories of the trio when coming through the academy and admitted the players encapsulate the principles they try to foster in AFC Bournemouth academy graduates.
He commented: “We try to instil those values in the players ever day, that culture is something we’re proud we’ve got here.
“When our players get to the first team, we want them to be humble but at the same time, the players who go on to other clubs or take a different path in life, we want them to look on their experiences in our academy as a positive one.”
