Essex’s Centre of Excellence prospects Abbie Fisher and Georgia Eaton Collins have returned from an England U-15s Training Camp at St George’s Park with plenty of ambitious ideas to improve their game.
After impressing at a Talent ID Camp in Warwick in August, then an Elite Performance Camp (EPC) in Surrey in September, Abbie and Georgia were invited to attend the England camp from Friday 10th to Sunday 12th October at the new complex, one of the best in the world as used by some of the game’s biggest international stars. The aim was to allow players the chance to train and play amongst high level peers.
With guidance and support from FA technical staff, players were also given access to specialist medical and sports science support to further aid their development. When she first attended the Talent ID Camp, Abbie admits she didn’t imagine she’d get this far. She recalled “I didn’t know what to expect. I kept getting invited back again and again, then I realised I might have the potential to one day play for England.”
Players from some of the nation’s top female clubs attended the England camp. Abbie recognised some of the faces from playing against them in Centre of Excellence games, so this gave her the opportunity to get to know them better. She continued:
“All the England training staff ensure you socialise with different players. Every time I have been away I have shared a room with a different player, so I’ve made some good friends.”
“When I went to my first EPC I didn’t believe I was as good as the girls from the so called bigger centres, but at England all the players are treated the same and judged on their ability not the centre they attend, which gave me great confidence. Whatever we did, it was always really high tempo. During one session I received specific advice from the physiotherapist and sport scientist on how to develop my functional movement.”
Georgia was equally excited to have been included in the experience. She explained: “It was always a dream to get this far and, after seeing the competition over the previous seasons from playing against other COE’s, I always knew it was going to be tough. But I’m going to try to bring back what I have learnt from being away at the camps, taking on board all the constructive feedback given and transferring that into my COE football.”
“Apart from Abbie I already knew a lot of the southern-based players at Arsenal, Chelsea and Millwall through playing against them and joining them at previous EPC camps from last season. Other than playing football we all took part in recovery sessions, injury prevention programmes, player meetings and analysis.”
Despite pulling on the Three Lions’ training gear, the duo remain grounded for now and they’re grateful for the individuals who have helped them progress this far along the England Talent Pathway. “The coaches at Ipswich Town, where I started aged seven, and the Essex County FA Centre of Excellence have been excellent,” said Abbie. “Also the England coaches have given me confidence and an insight into what my future could be like if I work hard.”
“My family provide their continued support and commitment, especially my Dad. He’s like a second coach! He’s my biggest motivator to make sure I carry on improving and succeeding in my football. I think more girls should get into football, particularly in Essex and Suffolk. The women’s game has come so far already and, in a few years, it’s going to be even more popular. For me that’s really exciting.”
Georgia added: “The Essex County FA and Colchester United staff have been influential in my progress since joining them three years ago, with great coaching to help me reach my potential. Also, without the constructive football advice and commitment from my parents I wouldn’t be where I am today. I’d like to see more girls playing football. Not just in Essex but in the whole country in general. It would be great to see women’s football really take off in England.”
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