Dublin related schoolboys query.
Folks, would appreciate any advice here. My boy is 8 in December (unluckily for him) therefore I believe he would be under 9's this season in Ireland.
Physically he is small, but he is exceptionally strong on the football, and for his age his reading of football is quite good. He is football mad, and has been for as long as he has been speaking. I've had him involved in the FAI/County Council coaching courses, and last year he played for a team down the country in the small sided games. He was quite good, but the club was archaic in it's training. We moved to England from the end of last season, and joined a local club that had a good reputation for their coaching. He has come on another bit, and despite being much smaller than his peers, has excelled in their smaller (again) sided games. He was invited to the academy of a local Championship side, but we've declined for a couple of reasons, most of all because we're not going to be in the area for long and he's had plenty of upheaval the past couple of years as it is.
The point of the above is not to say how great I think my son is! It is to give the basis for my query. We're coming back to Ireland around Christmas and relocating to Dublin on the southside. I want him to go to the club that has the best coaching. I am from Dublin so I know of the big clubs, and I played for a couple of them, so I know what schoolboy football is all about in Dublin.
I don't necessarily want him to go to Kevin's or the Farm or wherever etc, just because they are the big clubs; I want him to go to the best coaching club, where his skills and development (as well as the other kids obviously) will be improved, or at least tried to improve. I think with the right coaching he will do well for himself. I say this having coached kids previously and trying to be as objective as possible.
Football has come on leaps and bounds since I was a schoolboy. I know that the historically weaker clubs such as Templeogue, Rangers, Verona, all have good academies, but I have no experience in this area anyway recently, and have no friends either involved or with kids.
I had thought of going to one of the Dublin LOI schoolboy sections, thinking long-term I suppose, but I've been warned off three by fans/admins of the respective clubs.
I would appreciate any decent advice.
