tour report :

My name is Harvey Welch, I attend Holcombe grammar sixth form. I am an APD scholar, this means I train throughout the school day or after school and on Wednesdays I play games against other schools in a league. This October half term I went on tour with the APD elite squad to the midlands to play against different pro teams including, Burton Albion at St Georges Park, MK Dons, Nottingham forest and Notts county. On the tour we stayed at a hotel that had been hired out just for us which was really good as it allowed us all to build friendships and socialise well throughout the week, as well as staying within a football environment. The coaches would arrange times in the day where we would have meetings before and after games, to discuss line-ups and tactics as well as reviewing our performances after the games. This gave the boys and I a really good experience and kept our focus on why we were there. Overall, the time we spent in the hotel had a really good atmosphere and was very enjoyable throughout the whole time we were there.

Out of the four games we played we managed to win two of them, beating MK Dons and Nottingham forest. The stand out game for me was against MK Dons where we won 4-0. To play against a pro team was very exciting and an amazing experience, especially as a team we played really well and to get a result like that was a proud moment. Playing against Burton Albion at St Georges Park was unreal and a once in a life time opportunity and I am so grateful for APD as I may never have got to play there if it was not for the tour. Three of the boys got offered trials whilst we were there and many more got noticed. Everything about the tour was really enjoyable and was an amazing experience that I do not think I will have anything like again. APD has also given me so many opportunities, not including the tour such as playing against Brighton a month or two before the tour and has helped me to improve as a player on and off the pitch. I would recommend APD to anyone who enjoys playing football and wants to improve and maybe even have a career playing football as you will not get opportunities like this anywhere else.