Camps will have positive impact on players – Mills

… as 4 Guyanese set to represent at Barcelona and Atletico camps

Four athletes are slated to display their abilities when they represent Guyana on the global stage at the Barcelona and Atletico Madrid Experiences 2025. This will provide them with a platform to get exposure abroad and develop their skills.
The talented Zion Hickerson will be the only Guyanese participant in the Atletico Madrid camp, while Macaulay Defreitas, Chase Hudge, and Bradley Gabriel will showcase at the Barcelona camp, which is renowned for its capacity to nurture new talents.
In an exclusive interview with Guyana Times Sport, Vurlon Mills, the founder of Vurlon Mills Football Academy (VMFA), shared his sentiments on the selection process and the qualities the coaches would be seeking in candidates.
“You know, and for us it’s how we can harness natural talent. You know, so maybe we’re proud of these kids being selected and we know from our experience and what we’ve been observing is that we have more kids who can also have this opportunity – for these kids to be selected. However, I must mention this, it was an initial investment by the parents to take them to a Barcelona camp or the Real Madrid camp or the Atletico Madrid camp.

“But of course, once they get there, the coaches, you know, have certain attributes that they might be looking for in a particular player and these players coming from our academy demonstrate some of those attributes, you know. We’re fortunate they were, you know, to be selected or to be seen by these academy coaches, right? For me, these are players to look forward to in the future, right? Some of them have tremendous ability and just with a few more years, right, and nurturing, they can be some of the best players that we will see play for Guyana. So, for me, it does it,” Mills said.
He went on to divulge on the positive impact this experience would have on their improvement.
Mills shared, “So, they have a couple of years before they actually get onto one of Guyana’s youth teams and eventually onto the same team. But for me, this experience will have a really good impact. It will be an experience of a lifetime.
“What happens at this camp, just let me explain a bit, these players will be given the full experience of the Barcelona and the Atletico academies, and how they operate. They will have two weeks to live in, to eat like a professional, to train like a professional. They will be given the full experience of being in meetings, just like how a professional operates.
“You know, one of the key areas that these coaches and scouts look out for in this camp is how these players behave off the field, how they socialise, how they interact with teammates. I think that’s one of the attributes that these players demonstrate well. This is going to be a really good impact for them, sharing this experience with other teammates when they come back to Guyana.
“Last week, I heard one of the players – we have two new players who came in – who was like, hey, if that kid went to Barcelona, so imagine you coming in, playing against one of the same age group, but one of the child in the group had an experience of Barcelona, so you want to play with him if you’re happy to be part of the same session that he’s part of, if you’re happy to compete against him. That in itself brings out the competition and helps all the other kids to want to improve and to be there and to, you know, get the same experience.”
Barça Academy Camps focus on training young footballers. They are run by the management of the Barça School Barcelona, ??who provide the coaches, the work programme, as well as setting the guidelines to be followed at these events.
For one week, the Barça Academy Camps focus on improving the sporting qualities of athletes from nearly 40 countries around the world. During the camp, the five values ??of FC Barcelona are shared: humility, effort, ambition, respect, and teamwork. (Omar McKenzie)