Sheffield Wednesday starlets handed ‘wonderful opportunity’ in Spain

While Xisco and his troops headed out to the Costa Blanca for a week-long warm weather camp last month, the youngsters have gone further south and are being put through their paces in sunny Granada in Andalusia.

It was made possible after Wednesday were selected as one of three English Football League to take part in the overseas trip, a trip that has been funded by the League Football Education and the Turing Scheme - a UK Government programme aimed at ‘providing funding for international opportunities in education and training across the world’.

“This is another wonderful opportunity for the lads,” Academy chief, Steven Haslam, said. “We have a new group so to get this time with everyone together will stand them in good stead for the season.

“The programme while we’re over there will be varied, they will be training and playing games but also there will be a lot of gym work, education, culture, learning the language and so on… We have an excellent relationship with the LFE and are delighted to be one of the club’s selected to take part.”

Wednesday youngsters will face Granada and Sante Fe in friendly games as they continue their preparations for the season ahead, before returning to Yorkshire this coming Sunday, and the club say that it will ‘provide the opportunity for the players to fully integrate with their hosts whilst gaining a valuable insight into life within a European club’.