Stint with British club an eye-opener for teen

SARAH BROOK/Waikato Times

STRIVING FOR THE TOP: St Paul's Collegiate student Stefan Krystman has been given a taste of what it takes to become a professional soccer player.

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Stefan Krystman's favourite soccer club is AC Milan but all that could be about to change.

While the 14-year-old supports the Italian team, he may yet find himself more interested in English Premier League side West Bromwich Albion, following a three-week stint with their academy.

The St Paul's Collegiate year nine student returned to the country about two weeks ago after an eye-opening opportunity found him mixing it with other talented youngsters.

Earlier this year Krystman attended a skills course in New Zealand and West Brom's player development manager was at that time on a tour of Australasia searching for prospective talent for the club.

Krystman, who has been playing soccer since the age of 7, was the only one selected from the camp and – along with an Aucklander and an Australian – he jetted off to England and put his skills to the test with five hours of training a day.

The 9am-12pm and 2pm-4pm daily sessions were demanding and, although he picked up an injury in the first week, central midfielder Krystman showed enough promise to be invited back to the club for more training, possibly in the early part of next year.

Tearing his hip flexor early in the programme was a major disappointment, and the physios were cautious with it, so Krystman was grateful it didn't halt his progression too much.

"I'm pretty lucky to get another opportunity," he said.

The experience, which included playing a game against Walsall, was a prime chance for him to see how he matched up with others in the under-15 youth team.

"It was just good to compare my skills with their skills, and they weren't too much different," he said.

A major thing Krystman noticed in terms of the practices was the higher work ethic of players at that level.

"It's just the quantity of training they did and just the intensity of it."

The facilities at the club were also something to behold.

"It's just so much different from over here," Krystman said.

"It's a big training centre, they've got those located all around Birmingham."

Krystman began this season playing for the St Paul's Colts side before moving into the 1st XI.

He's following a path identical to that of All Whites striker Chris Wood, also a former St Paul's student and now turning out for West Brom after playing for their academy and reserve teams.

Krystman's main aim was to play professionally and he believed the overseas experience had made him a better player.

On his upcoming schedule he has games for the under-15 Waikato-Bay of Plenty federation team and he said he'd also continue to toil away to make sure he was ready for his next chance at West Brom.

"I've been watching all the drills and things over there and what they're all like.

"So if I just work real hard at the things I've seen over there then next time I go over I should be able to do well."

- © Fairfax NZ News