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A view of Richmond Park. Ryan Byrne/INPHO
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St Patrick's Athletic open pathway for Pakistani footballers to progress careers in Europe

The project will see Brian Kerr centrally involved and is endorsed by former England striker Michael Owen.

ST PATRICK’S ATHLETIC will create a feeder-club system in Inchicore which will offer Pakistani footballers the chance to play professionally in Ireland and Europe, the club has confirmed.

The Global Soccer Ventures (GSV)-run project will see Brian Kerr centrally involved and has been endorsed by both former England striker Michael Owen.

The three-year deal will see Pat’s coaches, Kerr, and his former Faroe Islands assistant Johnny McDonnell visit Pakistan twice a year to search for talent to join the club’s academy and, eventually, its first team. Twenty players from nine Pakistani cities — aged between 18 and 21 — will consequently be granted the opportunity to travel to Dublin to trial for Pat’s.

St Pat’s said in a statement released today that the project will be Pakistan’s “first ever structured international football player development programme designed to create a regular feeder system into Europe through Ireland and the UK.”

“The master plan provides a soft landing for Pakistani players into Europe where they will be nurtured, developed and climatised to meet European playing conditions,” the statement added.

The project will begin in Islamabad from 17 January to 2 February, when Belgian coach Karel Fraeye and Italian coach Sandro Gianisella, both Uefa-licensed and operating under the Pat’s banner, will oversee the first national trials.

Saints chairman Garrett Kelleher said of the move: “The [Pakistani prime minister, Imran Khan's] ambition to further develop football across the fifth most populous nation in the world is exciting.

“If St Patrick’s Athletic can in some way be a platform for this to happen and enable talented young footballers to achieve their dreams, it very much aligns with the club’s domestic aspiration.

“St Pat’s is privileged to have been retained by Pakistan to design a program with Red Strike and GSV to develop players further and potentially explore pro-contract opportunities.”

Former Republic of Ireland boss Brian Kerr added:

When I first heard about this project through St Pat’s I was excited and eager to be involved. I have no doubt that there is a lot of untapped talent in Pakistan and we are hoping to find, nurture and develop that talent with a view to benefitting the players and ultimately the footballing nation of Pakistan.

Michael Owen, a GSV ambassador for the project, vowed to visit the Pakistani players in Dublin 8.

“It is a great privilege to be working with Pakistani talent and offering a professional talent ID programme in Pakistan for the very first time,” said the former Liverpool and Real Madrid striker. “This will be the first ever national talent hunt programme meeting Uefa player evaluation standards which offers a gateway into Europe. I look forward to seeing you in Ireland.”

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