The Football Academy , just over the road from La Cañada shopping centre on the main A7 in Marbella , is adding three to five day long Football Camps to its usual season-long league commitments especially to keep the little darlings occupied in their holidays.

The Camps, scheduled for February half term, Easter and Summer Holidays, will sharpen the skills of boys and girls between the ages of six and 16, as well as teaching teamwork, tactical awareness and sportsmanship.

AFA coaches are all qualified, varying across the spectrum from UEFA Licences to FA recognised referees and from BScs in Sports & Exercise Science to veterans of household name clubs such as Newcastle United and Middlesbrough FC.

However, the best teacher is football itself and the apprentices will share the passion and spirit of the game and foster an aptitude for winning.

Commercial Director, Craig Mander, comments, “The AFA Football Camps are a small part of a much bigger picture which includes entering teams into international tournaments and an active exchange program with clubs overseas.

In addition the Club is well-placed both as an Academy and as a recognised Spanish League side to expose any stand-out young players to the right audiences and a contract with a UK-league club is not a pipedream for the exceptionally gifted.

The club is also in a unique position to be able to offer scholarships at Loughborough University , widely recognised as one of the top sports Universities in Europe . AFA is not only well established in Spain but also in Monaco , Hungary and the USA and parents would be hard-pushed to find a better facility for learning.”