NMIFA to start fall season of elite academy

Youth players, seen here chasing the ball during a local league, are invited to try out for one of the eight teams in the National Elite Academy. (Roselyn B. Monroyo)

Northern Mariana Islands Football Association will kick off the fall season of the National Elite Academy with a series of tryouts, beginning on Monday at the various school fields on Saipan.

NEA is a talent-identification program of NMIFA and focuses on male and female students in the elementary division (fourth and fifth graders) of both public and private schools in the CNMI. Players selected to join the academy undergo a specialized training program under NMIFA technical director Kiyoshi Sekiguchi and his staff and have a chance to join the Commonwealth’s youth national teams.

For its first stop, NMIFA will be at the Garapan Elementary School for the Sept. 16 tryout that will run from 2:45pm to 3:30pm. At the tryout at the GTC pitch, NMIFA’s coaching staff will evaluate student-players’ skills and introduce drills to test the participants.

Up next is the tryout for William S. Reyes Elementary Schools students and it will be held on Sept. 27 at the Kingfishers’ turf from 3:15pm to 4pm. On Sept. 28, Sekiguchi and Jershwin Angeles will head to Oleai Elementary School for the 2:45pm to 3:30pm trial at the Turtles field.

For the fourth tryout on Sept. 28, Sekiguchi and company will head up north at the Gregorio T. Camacho Elementary School. The trial will run from 2:45pm to 3:30pm.

On Sept. 29, NMIFA will conduct tryouts both at the southern and northern sides of the islands. The trial at the Koblerville Elementary School will take place from 3pm to 3:45pm, while Kagman Elementary School’s session will be held from 2:15pm to 3pm.

For its last tryout for public schools, NMIFA will go to San Vicente Elementary School on Sept. 30 and will have the trial from 2:45pm to 3:30pm.

Sept. 30 is also the date of the tryout for private school students and it will be held at the Oleai Sports Complex from 3:15pm to 4pm.

NMIFA will select 10 to 12 players from each public school and 12 players from the combined private schools and at the end of the program, the eight squads will play in a tournament. Chosen players will also have a chance to train under visiting Japanese coaches and student-players from Saipan Football Business Academy, according to Angeles.

A coach from SFBA arrived on Saipan yesterday to prepare for the training session with the selected players and one more will visit the island along with three students.