For two weeks the youngsters, accompanied by AS Tefana technical director Laurent Heinis, club CEO Bernard Crolas and Tahiti’s national goalkeeper and teacher Mikael Roche, are being integrated into the US school system their peers follow.
Classes are accompanied by cultural activities and sporting events and int he first week of their trip the students took part in an inter-school tournament with teams from Texas, New York and Mexico taking part.
The exchange between the two schools begain in March 2014 when a delegation from Awty went on a two-week linguistic trip to French Polynesia.
AS Tefana already have a strong partnership with French Ligue 1 side Saint Etienne, and the trip is an opportunity to investigate a similar partnership with MLS side Houston Dynamo. The intention being to offer developing players an opportunity to experience the professional environment the club can offer.
During their second week in the USA, the team will be joining the Houston Dynamo’s U-18 squad’s training sessions, with each of them hoping to do enough to be spotted by a scout.
Travelling with the group is just one female – Kaiani Wong – with the 14-year-old set to join in with the women’s trainings.
If all goes well, she could be winging her way back to Texas in March for a trial.
For more on Tahiti football go to www.ftf.pf

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