High hopes for High Performance program
Emanuele Piombarolo, Technical Director of the High Performance program at Club Roma. Photo: BILL POTRECZ
Emanuele Piombarolo believes the High Performance program at Club Roma is the prefect vehicle to train and develop young players.
The 34-year-old native of Italy joined Roma as Technical Director of the HP program last month after an impressive background coaching with the U15 and U17 national teams in Rome.
“We are proud to have this program in place because we are starting to figure out a way to see our players stay with the club and train properly with a good curriculum and involve the coaching staff,” Piombarolo said. “With the League1 coaching staff, the players can see movement. It works very well because it does not feel like we just have a group of teams, we have a program in place.”
Roma’s Technical Director of soccer Davide Massafra loves the concept as well.
“It will allow our club to develop players internally to play League1,” Massafra said. “They can stay here at Roma to get the best training and the best facility and develop properly for the next step.
“Our goal as a club is to have HP as a tool to allow Club Roma to be the centre of development for soccer players from this region.”
Massafra said Piombarolo’s interaction with the coaches of all six HP teams is crucial.
“Emanuele is a big piece of this plan because he created a curriculum for the head coaches,” Massafra said. “They work twice with their own team and then once a week they work with Emanuele, myself and League1 staff on the same topic so the players know there is a pathway for them moving from one stage to the next one.”
The HP program began with two teams and is now up to six — two boys teams and four girls teams ranging from U13-U18.
“We started it a couple years ago to develop the player and try to grow the youth of our club in order to bring our players to the League1 program,” Massafra said. “Through this pathway and with our work we’re sure a lot of them can play at a high level like League1.”
Piombarolo is grateful for the co-operation he has received from the coaching staff at Roma.
“Since I have arrived I felt their trust and support. Our program couldn’t work without their desire to transfer our players’ knowledge and experiences we share together during our meetings,” he said.
Paul Bain (U13 Boys HP Imodel), Lee Burrows (U13 Girls HP Imodel), Walter Camelino (U16 Girls HP), Martin Beswick (U17 Girls HP), Skendar Nika (U17 Boys HP) and Mark Bolton (U18 Girls HP) will be the coaches.
“I think Roma has been famous in the past to be a strong men’s program and our intention as a club is to grow as many female players as we can in the future,” Massafra said. “There are a lot of opportunities in the States with scholarships so we want to make sure they are prepared and get exposure with HP and be ready for League1 as well.”
Piombarolo is also assisting head coach Federico Turriziani with the men’s League 1 team this season.
“It’s perfect for me because as director of HP we are on the field every week and not just desk work and as an assistant coach for League1 I am on the field too. It’s perfect for me because I’m staying inside soccer every day,” Piombarolo said.
Piombarolo is also looking at his new position as a life experience.
“It’s not just soccer and when Davide called and selected me I was very happy because I can have an experience abroad by the soccer,” he said. “Soccer can be a vehicle to learn proper English and get to know a new culture and people from everywhere.”
Piombarolo is enjoying Canadian culture but has been surprised by the mild winter.
“Everybody told me I’m lucky because it’s the warmest winter,” he smiled.
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