Today we had to be up by 10am as this was the outlined time to check out of our rooms. Once all of us were out of our rooms, Patsy told us that he was going to do a full inspection as he wanted the rooms left as we found them when we arrived. Once all this was done we had the to go and relax, as our taxi was coming at 12pm. Then when we arrived at the airport we had loads of time before we had to check in our bags. Once we checked in our bags we went through security where we had to wait until the plane departed. We are all so grateful for this opportunity and are thankful to Leargas, Erasmus+ and GTI for selecting us for this placement.
-Michael
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Today we began by Patsy giving as a talk before we got on the bus about keeping our apartments clean before we head to the airport and discussed how we were getting home. We got on the bus and headed to Broadwood where we immediately started to fill in our daily diaries. Soon after we headed to the gym where we met Todd before we started our match against the college team.
Unfortunately the game didn't go well scoreline wise but I noticed how this trip has really transferred us into not only friends but more like a family because some of our team has never played soccer before but we were all able to work together and do well at certain parts of the game against a team who play soccer as they are studying in college at new college Lanarkshire after we had lunch with David Hayes, Patsy and Todd. Todd then took us for a short presentation and we all went home after that. We came on this trip only knowing a couple of people going but we were able to bond quickly and easily that it doesn't feel as if we are friends but as if we are one big family and it makes me so happy to see everyone getting along and helping each other out. -Dean Today we visited Partick Thistle to watch their senior squad training on the University of Glasgow sports campus. To have the opportunity to watch them train and see the standards all of the players and coaches maintain, was a great experience to be part of. That along with all that I've learned over these past two weeks. On reflection, during this placement I have learned how to maintain my living space with two roommates. During this time I have learnt how to keep the apartment clean, to wash my clothes and also to get myself ready for the placement in the morning etc.
I feel I have benefitted greatly from this experience here in Glasgow and also feel I can apply many of the training methods that I have learned, in the gym and on the pitch, along with all of the communication and team work skills I've developed with people I now call good friends. In the beginning, barely any of us knew each other and now we're all spending time together as if we've always been friends. That's something that never would have happened if not for this trip, and for this I am grateful. In the afternoon, we had training at Broadwood to conclude a great day. -Gary Today once we were up and ready, we all met downstairs at 9.20am as we were getting the bus at 9.30am to Clyde. When we arrived we went to the gym and did a 40 minute core workout, we used resistance bands and followed the instructors that were on a big screen TV. All of the students found this tough but we enjoyed it and learned new techniques and approaches to some exercises that we would have done before. We then made our way to the canteen where we ate lunch as a team. Afterwards we went back to the gym, this time we did a flexibility session, where we started off with standing stretches and used a variety of muscle groups. When it was over, we had ten minutes to lie down and close our eyes just to breath and try relax. We found this to be very beneficial and felt much better afterwards. It was good to take part in these exercise training drills, and to see the approach to such drills here in Scotland.
-Brian Today was the most excited day for me and I believe for most of the rest of the group as well, because it was the day that we got to go on a trip to Celtic Football Club. It's a club with a great football history and they have achieved so much during their history.
First we went to one of the small training centres of the club, a little bit away from the main stadium. We watched the youth under 18s team training. We had the opportunity to witness how different techniques and methods are used during these training sessions and these will prove very useful for us. I was very grateful to have this opportunity as it made us aware that football has a lot to offer. After the training, we finally arrived at Celtic Football Club. We toured the magnificent structure of the club, and we also saw the club's beautiful history along the corridors before arriving at the players' locker room. The pitch looked like it wasn't real, it's amazing, very well maintained. At 1:15 p.m. we had our lunch with the members of the club, and thirty minutes later we had an interesting meeting at the press room of the club in regards to the science of the sport where we also talked about the different systems of play. Overall it was a great day, I particularly loved it and everyone was so happy. Although everything has to come to an end, we came back to the apartment delighted. It made me aware that we are always open to learning new things. -Matheus Today we arrived at the New College Lanarkshire campus at 9:30am. We got changed into our sports gear and went through a resistance circuit class with the NCL students. We learned a lot during this session. We were shown different teaching and coaching techniques, the proper form to use, and also the health and safety aspects to that should be taken into consideration during each movement. All of these skills will prove useful to us all in our training and for those interested in coaching and physio. We then headed down stairs, where we put on our boots, ran outside and got warmed up. We played a match with teams mixed between our college and theirs and it was a lot of fun.
After heading back inside for a lunch break we went straight back into the field for more football. This time we took part in drills on kicking and passing in a controlled manner. I feel that this really helped me as I'm definitely not the strongest football player. The drills were slow and controlled, helping to improve our concentration skills and awareness, and my teammates were also there to help me through. Finally the day came to a close with four separate matches played across the large astroturf pitch. My team came second place out of four teams. I felt today to be really beneficial in developing my football skills and I had a genuinely good time and look forward to another busy day tomorrow. -Ethan After a long hard week of learning about coaching techniques, gym work, football and exploring the city of Glasgow it was time for a day of rest and reflection. My favourite moment so far on this trip has to have been the tour of the Rangers academy. We got to see world class facilities and training methods, and how these methods could be of use to us when we return home. We even bumped into Scott Arfield, who plays as a striker for Rangers. That day will stick long in my memory for years to come.
We have all now settled into our apartments well and we are all getting along really well together. Living with my two roommates, Jerry and Ethan has been great as they are not fussy about certain things and they keep the place nice and clean. Today we decided to go down to the local Irish bar- “Molly Malone’s” to watch the Celtic v Hearts match. While we were at home watching the match, Anthony was lucky enough to get a ticket to go watch the match in person. There was a great atmosphere, you could really tell how passionate they are about football over here. Celtic won the game 3-0 and every time Celtic scored the place erupted in applause. After the game we decided to head back home to rest as we have a busy week ahead of us. I’m really enjoying the placement and also living in Glasgow. The people are very welcoming and I’m enjoying living away from home, and look forward to the week ahead. -Cathal After an amazing first week on our Erasmus+ placement here in Glasgow, learning about coaching, playing football and training hard, we finally got to sleep in. Over the last week we have all got to know each other on and off the pitch and experienced many new things. This last week has given us all new challenges but as a group I feel we have all worked together to overcome them. However, seeing as today was our first day off we didn't have too many challenges and it was a good opportunity to take time out to reflect on our experience and to rest up for the new week ahead. Myself and one of the other lads went exploring Glasgow for the day. We walked around the city and did some sight seeing and we both concluded that Glasgow is a really beautiful city. We visited George square, crossed the Clyde and also walked around St. Enoch's. They were all extremely stunning sites and I look forward to seeing them again. After recuperating today I am ready for the week ahead and I am excited to return to our work experience placement. -Jerry Today we had two outdoor coaching sessions. We first met Todd in the morning as he gave us a presentation on the Mo Farrah test (The endurance test we did on Monday), it showed the results of how we did in the test and the finishing time for each person. This was then graded and Todd also explained the aims of the programme and gave us an insight on how the next fitness test would be setup for us today. I thought this was a good idea as it gave me a better understanding on how the test helped me to improve my overall endurance, which I can take into account while doing my course in GTI.
After the presentation our group took part in another test, similar to the mo Farrah test but it was shorter in distance. After Lunch, Todd then took us for training with the level 6 students This was easily the best part of the day as we all enjoyed the simple 6 vs 6 match in a confined space . Afterwards the session was ended with a volley competition. Overall the day was a very productive and useful day, and we learned about our performance and approaches to training. -Jason Today we tried something a little bit different, we visited the football school at Braidhurst High School in Motherwell, located around half an hour from Glasgow. The school runs a full-time football programme for their students. The football school is also part of New Lanarkshire College as well as running the Motherwell F.C. Academy, after school hours.
We watched parts of a training session with an elite group of young footballers at the school, before being a bit more involved in the next coaching session. I witnessed them doing different types of passing drills and shooting drills that involved quick interchanging of the play. This was something that will be useful for when we return to GTI. At 12.30pm we left the school and departed for Broadwood Stadium to get some lunch, and afterwards we headed to Stirling University, where the Rangers F.C. U19s were playing Spartak Moscow in a friendly match that finished 2-2. After the match, we returned to Glasgow on the bus, and at around 4.30p.m. I went for a walk down Sauchiehall Street, with Jerry, Ethan, Brian and Cathal to see Glasgow City in the evening and we also got to witness a special match day atmosphere as Rangers Senior Team were playing at home against Spartak Moscow in the Uefa Europa League. We then went home via St. George's Square and came across scenes being filmed for the famous Fast & Furious films, before watching Celtic vs Red Bull Leipzig on a TV. Overall today I got a greater vision of Glasgow and their culture here, and witnessed a special atmosphere in the city, as well as learning some new coaching skills, different demonstrations and drills that can have a major impact when coaching young people. -Anthony |