A group of 60 young Colombians traveled to soccer-crazed England on Wednesday in pursuit of their dream of becoming professional soccer players.
The ‘Grand Skills Final’ competition, organized by English club Bolton, will give the opportunity to these young players, among others, to showcase their talent in front of coaches from European leagues.
Players are aged between 8 and 18 and were chosen from more than 600 participants through soccer camps conducted in December and June 2011 in a variety of Colombian cities.
The competition will take place in the northern city of Bolton during November and offers a great chance to young men, many of whom hail from underprivileged backgrounds, to be picked up by coaches and scouts from European soccer clubs.
Edwin Ibarguen is one player who hopes the trip to the soccer-crazed country will go some way to achieving his dream of playing in the English Premier League and leading his family into a more prosperous life.
Ibarguen, who was displaced by guerrillas from a town in the Antioquia department, said. “This is a tremendous opportunity to showcase my talents as a soccer player.”
Other players from various other countries including the U.S will participate in the event which is a product of the Alset soccer youth camp in Colombia.
Participants have also been invited to attend next year’s event which will begin in December this year in Bogota, Bucaramanga and Cali.