Award spurs on Joby’s football development

Joby Breslaw, a footballer from Penzance, reveals how the Young & Talented Award has been life changing.

He said: “My short term goal is to be selected for Cornwall at under 16 level which I am on track to succeed with. I then hope to progress to men’s football where I can showcase my talent to a larger audience and succeed in making my way up the leagues towards a professional career.

I applied for this grant to support my football development. I never had top quality football boots or equipment and it felt like it was beginning to limit my game. In order to progress, there were some trips that I wanted to attend which were very expensive.
Being awarded the grant made me feel like I could take the next steps forward in my sport and nothing could hold me back.  It gave me the ability to feel comfortable in my equipment which improved my consistency and skill level. It also gave me a massive confidence boost which was reflected into my gameplay.

Because of the progress I made in the months after receiving the grant, I decided to apply for a sixth form scholarship at Millfield School (one of the top sporting private schools in the country) and was successful.

During my time in Spain, the location of the summer camp I attended, I was completely immersed in the game playing daily whilst also learning lots about the culture. The majority of people that I was surrounded by spoke little to no English and so it was a big learning experience for me.

I was taught by incredible coaches that rapidly developed my knowledge and the way that I played every time I step out onto a pitch. We played in two tournaments as well as having multiple training sessions together. The highlight for me during the tournament was definitely beating Portuguese academy side FC Porto.

I want to say a massive thanks to everyone involved in making it possible for me – it has truly been life changing.”

We wish Joby the best of luck as he continues his football development.