Maltese football club Balzan Youths FC will be hosting three young players from the Milan Academy in Sydney for training in December and January under the watchful eye of experienced Milan youth coach Elio Garavaglia.

Garavaglia will travel from Milan where he has been based and working with the likes of Fabio Capello and Franco Baresi, for these last 20 years. At present, Garavaglia is the assistant to another Milan great, Filippo Galli, who is in charge of Milan’s U-18 “primavera” squad.

During his stay in Malta, Garavaglia, a former Italian professional player, who came through the Milan youth system, will assess the three teenagers from the Australia Academy, one of whom is of Maltese origin, and will also take charge of all the Balzan Youths FC and St Lucia FC teams before returning to the Milan fold in late January.

One of these three boys will fly to Milan for two weeks and train at Milan’s youth centre with the Milan under 13 squad.

Australia-based Anton Tagliaferro was the one who put together the Milan - Balzan Youths FC link. He is the Milan Academy director in Australia and a former Balzan Youths FC player himself . He is currently Honorary President of the First Division club.

Tagliaferro will accompany the boys to Malta after receiving the go-ahead from Milan’s youth head of coaching Filippo Galli. They will be arriving in Malta on Saturday.

“Thanks to the close connections that I have enjoyed with Milan over the last decade, I am hoping to be able to do many more things like this in Malta in future between my two favourite clubs  - Balzan Youths FC and Milan,” said Tagliaferro

Balzan Youths FC will soon inaugurate their new facilities, complete with a new synthetic turf pitch, at their club.

Those interested in joining the clubs’ youth sector may obtain more details by phoning nursery officials Frank Monreal (Balzan Youths FC) on 7961-7721 or Paul Sammut (St Lucia FC) on 79730023.