Under 9s taste the big time

By Marc McGowan
SPORT is supposed to be all about fun in your youth, but Doveton Soccer Club under-nines coach Julian Costin is taking his team’s enjoyment levels to a new high.
Costin, who played in the club’s Victorian Premier League glory years in the 1980s, has organised for his side to travel to the Gold Coast in September for the Champions Cup.
The tournament at Carrara Stadium and Sports Complex runs from 27 September to 4 October and doubles as the squad’s annual trip away after playing an event in Warrnambool last year.
“I just wanted to try something different and bring the kids interstate,” he said.
“The boys will go up, have some fun and spend time with their mates mainly.
“We’re okay – there are teams that are better – but that’s irrelevant at this age; we just want to bring them together as one.”
The Champions Cup is in its 12th year and attracts entrants from all over Australia and even some international visitors.
Costin hopes the experience will further entrench his players in the sport.
“This is about their development and making soccer a part of their life,” he said.
“We want to make it not about just turning up on Tuesdays and Thursdays for an hour and then forgetting again.
“We want it to be more a part of things they do every day.”
But Costin is at pains to express that he is not a results-driven mentor.
“This is not about getting up there and winning. If I was coaching a team with kids with no ability, I’d still be looking to do the same thing,” the enthusiastic coach said.
“We really try and bring out the message that we have as much fun as we can as well as still being competitive. But if we get beat, we get beat.”
Costin has guided his team for the last four years and still has five members from his original season in the under-eights.
Dionis Shabani, whose uncle represented Switzerland at the 2006 World Cup, is the star of the side, but Costin said there were several others in the team with just as much talent.
The trip will cost each child up to $750 for flights and accommodation, but the club began fundraising last week.
A chocolate drive has kicked off the money raising efforts, with other ideas being barbecues and possibly a dinner dance with a live band.
If any local businesses are interested in sponsoring the squad’s Gold Coast sojourn, Doveton is holding a barbecue fundraiser that will coincide with games at Waratah Reserve on Frawley Road, Doveton, on 25 May and 8 June.