Anyone who is scouted as part of the holiday or coaching course models offered by the BVB Evonik Football Academy and shows during a trial training session that they have skills with the ball can train intensively on special performance-based courses.

The Talent Day, which now takes place at several of BVB's partner clubs, also brings through many young talents that are developed in the academy. BVB is now working with a total of five partner clubs at different locations. The latest additions to the BVB family are Brilon and Wülfrath! The aim of these collaborations is to offer children outside Dortmund the opportunity to take part in performance-oriented football courses, and then perhaps even to allow them to jump into the academy.

Different locations, different teams, different levels of performance? To find out, a tournament was held last Friday at the BVB Evonik Football Academy in Dortmund – the centrepiece of all the sites. The organisers of the benchmark competition between the partner clubs, Dennis Horschig and Timo Achenbach, looked at all the young talent scouted born in 2011 in a direct comparison. Moers, Bochholt, Münster and Dortmund – four teams with passionate young players.

In ten minute games, the kids battled hard, constantly playing at full throttle on the artificial pitch, and showcased their ability impressively. The parents of the talented children in the crowd liked what they saw as they watched the exciting games of their young players intently. The occasional call-in did not irritate the BVB coaches on the day, as the focus was solely on the players and their actions on the pitch!

When asked how performance-oriented training impacts the development of young players, the response of the accompanying parents was unanimous: "The kids accept and internalise the rules set by the coaches, on and off the pitch! They are motivated to train and grow together as a team more and more." The academy team in Dortmund, which is headed by coach Lotfi Ferjani, have now been on the pitch together for about two years and have grown together as a unit. That impression was also felt on the pitch, when the Dortmund outfit were the only team to field a girl in Mia – a top class player. It was no problem for her fellow players – Mia gets stuck in and is fully accepted by the boys on the course. Everyone here knows: Mia is a star! The team spirit of the scouted team was evident. After the final whistle, all the coaches were more than satisfied with their protégées. Although the Münster team, coached by Timo Achenbach, was able to record the most victories in the end, one thing is certain: the games on the artificial pitch of the BVB Evonik Football Academy were played with 1909% passion. All the teams were clearly on a similar level. The vigour and assertiveness of all the players and coaches was clearly felt.

The bottom line: it is well worth doing again!