Soakai Vea and Hemaloto Polovili got their first experience of Academy life with the Asia Pacific Football Academy when it was based still based in Christchurch last September.
Since partnering up to run the academy set-up for New Zealand’s only professional football club, the Wellington Phoenix, APFA have relocated to Wellington which is where Vea and Polovili joined them take part in the weekly programme.
It’s the duo’s second visit to New Zealand in 2014, after travelling with an 11-strong group from Tonga Football Association to attend a Coerver Performance Academy camp in April, and further proof they are serious about their footballing futures.
Vea says there’s not a lot of difference to what he remembers of academy life from 2013.
“Obviously the location is different so the weather is a bit too. It’s pretty cold!,” he says of his welcome to the capital.
“We’re already learning a lot of new things like opening strikes, the contact with the ball and overlapping runs. We haven’t done these things in Tonga so it’s really important for us to attend the Academy.”
With so many opportunities already, the 16-year-old knows that he is not the only one benefiting which helps drive him.
“This is a chance meet new people and see how they do things, to learn new skills and techniques and take it all back to our island and teach our generation so football keeps going higher and higher,” he says.
“Maybe it’s a weight on my shoulders to help improve the level of football in Tonga, but for me it just feels great to be able to learn new things and try and be like the best players in the world.
“The key is just to come and enjoy it and in my opinion I just have to do my best and meet good players from other countries that can help me become a better player myself.
“I know that I want to become a professional one day and to do that I have to make some sacrifices and work really hard.”
With his eyes on the biggest prize, Vea is certainly on the right path with a good support system behind him, and WPFA head coach Jess Ibrom says he’s already noticed a difference since first encountering the Tongan pair.
“I’ve definitely seen some improvement and they’re also much more comfortable with the expectation levels that are placed upon them here,” Ibrom explains.
“In terms of their day-to-day routine, the transition has been a lot easier coming in this time than it was before.”
With a similar, but more condensed, programme to the one he goes through with the term students, Ibrom says the stay might be short but the players are getting just as much out of their stay.
“I think they can absolutely pick up on what we’re trying to instil in just week. The key for them is the individual performance plan, which is like a report. It gives them, as they go away from this experience, the opportunity to further develop their skills.”
For more about Tonga football go to www.tongafootball.to

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