Sandrine trains with boys focused on getting the fighting and competing edge she needs to get back to her best, four years after she left DRC’s TP Mazembe.
Oliver Ochieng, Marabou News Agency
Ivorian footballer Kouadio Adjan Sandrine has taken a path that is not popular among women footballers – training with boys at the Royal United Academy in Abidjan to remain fit as she looks at joining a football club in the coming months.
The 30-year-old former TP Mazembe Women’s football team player was derailed by an injury that kept her out of football action for two years, before deciding to train with boys in her home country.
The training is conducted on a reduced pitch, approximately 25 to 40 metres long and around 30 metres wide, generally played with ten players, often five-a-side or six-a-side popularly known as Petit Poteau in Ivory Coast.
Sandrine trains hard with hopes of securing new opportunities, noting that training with boys is giving her the fighting and competing edge she needs to get back to her best, four years after she left DRC’s TP Mazembe.
“I have been part of this club for four years. During the holidays, I come here to train. But this year, I am dedicating more time and effort to training, hoping to find a professional club or an organisation that will allow me to continue my career and move on to new opportunities,” she said.
“This is also a good training centre. I cannot deny that. The coaches are excellent and teach us valuable things. Whenever we do not understand something, we can ask them questions, and they take the time to explain it to us. When we encounter difficulties, we can also ask them for individual support. They can even arrange one-on-one training sessions to help us improve. I would therefore encourage parents to enrol their children here. It is an excellent football training centre. Do not judge it by the appearance of the pitch or its sandy surface. Instead, focus on the quality of the training and the work the coaches do.”
Royal United Academy coach, Ballo Bi Laurent said Petit Poteau offers many benefits to players, including helping develop their technical skills and learn to play quickly, offering a great platform to Sandrine as she works on regaining her fitness.
“From a technical perspective, Petit Poteau offers many benefits to players. It helps them develop their technical skills and learn to play quickly. Because the playing area is small, they have to make quick passes and combine rapidly,” said the coach.
“It also teaches them how to maintain possession of the ball more effectively. Petit Poteau can therefore help strengthen players’ technical abilities and improve their overall game. The main difference lies in the reduced playing area on which this form of football is played. A player who develops their skills through Petit Poteau can go on to join a national team or play for a European club, as illustrated by the career of Babi la Magie.”
As Sandrine embraces Petit Poteaus, she encourages budding footballers to look beyond the appearance of training facilities, and focus on the quality of instruction.
Marabou News Agency
Stringer: Eric Biantuadi
Editor: George Mutero
