Could the next Angel di Maria be playing in Easter Ross? European football giants set to host ‘prestigious’ training session in Tain
One of the giants of European football is set to “capture the imagination” of aspiring young footballers in Easter Ross this October, by holding a prestigious training session led by its academy.
Up and coming footballers in Tain are being asked to register their interest in an opportunity to sample a taste of top-level European football training from leading coaches from two-time European Cup winners SL Benfica this October.
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The first-time event has been coordinated by Tain Juniors SC, who run coaching for children from primary school ages up to the age of 14 in Tain and its surrounding areas.
The move came about when Tain Juniors chairman, Gary Ross, reached out to the Lisbon-based club via soccer education firm Coerver Coaching to plan a visit from the club’s academy coaches at Tain Royal Academy Community Complex (TRACC) on October 17, 2025.
“We wanted to host an event or camp that can bring something a bit different to the children, as well as the area,” Ross explains.
“After exploring several different options, we managed to arrange for one of Europe’s leading football academies – SL Benfica – to come to Tain and provide a day’s training for three split-age groups.
“The feat of inviting such a prestigious football academy to the area came about after reaching out to Coerver Coaching, who will also look to assist during the event.
“As a club, we focus on creating the right environment and culture to try and ensure that young players will enjoy the game while experiencing various playing opportunities, both informal and more formal.
“This is a great opportunity for the local kids to see how a top football academy trains and learn different methods and ideas with certificates and other memorabilia for attendance.
“We hope that this will capture the imagination of the local kids who will be familiar with many household names that have come from Benfica Academy.”
Interest in the “one-day clinic” is being invited online using a web form, located here forms.office.com/r/kYDTL5v8Me.
The club say times of sessions and booking information will be made available in due course.
Benfica - Portugal’s most decorated football club - has trained and developed many internationally-renowned footballers throughout its 121-year history, including current players such as Angel di Maria and Arthur Cabral.
Among its most notable is the late Eusebio, a past winner of the Ballon d'Or in 1965 and alongside greats such as Pele and Diego Maradona, a player often recognised as one of the world’s greatest.
During his 15 years with the club, he scored an incredible 473 goals in 440 games.
Most recently, the ‘Eagles’ have continued to produce Portuguese internationals, with the likes of Bernardo Silva and Ruben Dias (both now with Manchester City) and João Cancelo all coming their academy to go on to play at the highest level.
