Jerez Industrial CF are hardly a house hold name in Spain let alone England but the Segunda Division B side have recently hit the headlines thanks to an agreement with the Glenn Hoddle Academy.
Struggling financially and propping up Spain’s third tier Jerez approached Hoddle in January in the hope of loaning a number of the Academy’s players until the end of the season.
“Because the Academy is based in Jerez and the fact that Industrial were in a bit of disarray financially with players not getting paid and some leaving in January as a result someone from the club and a member of the local council got in touch with Glenn,” explained Academy coach and former Chelsea and Liverpool midfielder Nigel Spackman.
“Glenn agreed to negotiate with them about which players they wanted because the coach had actually seen some of the players train over the past year or so.
“The players are all on loan because we are not a club so they are not attached to anybody but they are there until the end of the season to try and help the club out.”
Nick Beasant, Pierre Hall, Michael Noone, Matthew Richards, Nathan Woolfe and Curtley Williams were the lucky six selected with former Academy stars Chris Fagan and David Cowley joining them on loan from Lincoln and Recreativo Huelva respectively.
The eight Brits have certainly had an impact with Jerez, now affectionately dubbed ‘Los Ingleses’, with the club having moved off the bottom of the table and currently sitting just seven points from safety.
“I got told when I came on loan that the club was struggling, they were rock bottom of the league and they weren’t winning games,” highlights 21-year-old Cowley who, following a year training at the Academy signed a two-year deal with Recreativo last summer.
“I was actually close to making my debut with Recreativo and then the manager got the sack. Obviously I have got to show the new manager what I am about and I decided to go on loan to play games in front of big crowds and gain experience of playing competitive games in Spain.
“We have been here for six games and we have won three and lost three. The games which we have lost we were unlucky. We could have been right up there but now we are right amongst it but we still have a fighting chance to make safety.”
Struggling financially and propping up Spain’s third tier Jerez approached Hoddle in January in the hope of loaning a number of the Academy’s players until the end of the season.
“Because the Academy is based in Jerez and the fact that Industrial were in a bit of disarray financially with players not getting paid and some leaving in January as a result someone from the club and a member of the local council got in touch with Glenn,” explained Academy coach and former Chelsea and Liverpool midfielder Nigel Spackman.
“Glenn agreed to negotiate with them about which players they wanted because the coach had actually seen some of the players train over the past year or so.
“The players are all on loan because we are not a club so they are not attached to anybody but they are there until the end of the season to try and help the club out.”
Nick Beasant, Pierre Hall, Michael Noone, Matthew Richards, Nathan Woolfe and Curtley Williams were the lucky six selected with former Academy stars Chris Fagan and David Cowley joining them on loan from Lincoln and Recreativo Huelva respectively.
The eight Brits have certainly had an impact with Jerez, now affectionately dubbed ‘Los Ingleses’, with the club having moved off the bottom of the table and currently sitting just seven points from safety.
“I got told when I came on loan that the club was struggling, they were rock bottom of the league and they weren’t winning games,” highlights 21-year-old Cowley who, following a year training at the Academy signed a two-year deal with Recreativo last summer.
“I was actually close to making my debut with Recreativo and then the manager got the sack. Obviously I have got to show the new manager what I am about and I decided to go on loan to play games in front of big crowds and gain experience of playing competitive games in Spain.
“We have been here for six games and we have won three and lost three. The games which we have lost we were unlucky. We could have been right up there but now we are right amongst it but we still have a fighting chance to make safety.”
Banter
Striker Woolfe, 21, signed for the Academy in October after his release from Bolton last summer and admits that his new Spanish team-mates and the fans have helped all the loanees feel at home.
“I think all the lads are of a good standard and the other players realise that and they have been fine with us. The banter is good, the camaraderie is good, we even have BBQs after training and we have been for meals together so they are all good lads and they have made us feel welcome,” he said.
“As for the fans they actually love us to be fair. They are all good with us and they bring down flags like an English one, a Scottish one and at the last game they brought an Irish one for Fagan so he’s not left out. Overall I think everyone is pleased with all the British lads that are here.”
Despite his club still occupying a perilous position in the drop zone Jerez Chairman Juan Manuel Delgado is delighted with the impact the eight young Brits have had at the Estadio de la Juventud – aptly translated to ‘Stadium of Youth’.
“They are all very good players,” he stated. “We are very grateful to the Glenn Hoddle Academy for the loan of these players as we need good players.
“Now when we play we get more people coming to watch our matches because our supporters like the English players and at all the matches the Union Jack is in our stands.
“Football is a universal language they all play together the Spanish players can’t speak English but they understand each other on the pitch.”
Experience
Even if Jerez do succumb to the drop this term Spackman insists the lessons learned will be invaluable if the Academy stars are to permanently get themselves back into the game.
“They played Granada last week, one of the top sides, which is a 35,000 capacity stadium, they lost 4-1 but they have the experience of playing in front of a big crowd against a team who are second in the league. It can only whet their appetite and make them work harder to want this sort of thing week in week out,” he pointed out.
“I think the lads have all coped well together. It is a growing up process as well. It’s a learning process for the lads at the Academy. Rather than training with us everyday and playing friendly games they are training everyday and competing for a place in the team at the weekend.
“If they stay up then that’s fantastic and you never know the club might want to sign some of the players or they can put themselves in the shop window because all the Spanish clubs will be sending scouts to the games as Sevilla B play in the same league along with Betis B. It can only enhance their reputation and enhance their chances of getting back into the game at an even higher level.”
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