A Red Deer soccer player will train with one of Europe’s biggest soccer clubs this summer.
Red Deer Renegades U17 player Kristofer Grobmeier, 17, is one of 16 Canadians who will head to Spain in August for a week-long youth training camp with Real Madrid coaches.
The Grade 11 Notre Dame High School student said he was ecstatic when he found out he was going.
“I was running around the house, very excited and jumping. I couldn’t believe what was happening. I’m just over the moon.
“Real Madrid’s always one of the best clubs in the world,” Grobmeier said. “They’re probably the best team in Spain and they have high-level players from all across the world playing for them.”
Originally from British Columbia, Grobmeier moved to Germany for a few years when he was five. After living in Germany, his family lived in Halifax and then came to Red Deer about three years ago.
He’s played soccer for about eight years.
“I really like the flow of the game. It never really stops, except for a couple seconds on a throw-in or a foul. It keeps moving and it keeps me awake.
“I’d like to go as far as it can take me,” Grobmeier said. “If I can go all the way to playing professional I’d love to go there, but if not that’s OK.”
Grobmeier said he’s excited to learn from Real Madrid’s coaches.
“I’ll be able to learn about what I need to improve on from them. It wouldn’t be as easy to learn what needs improvement without their eyes,” he said.
He said his teammates and family have been very supportive about his trip to Spain.
Gerald Grobmeier, Kristofer’s father and U17 Renegades head coach, said he couldn’t be happier for his son.
“I think I was even more excited than he was. I started running around the house looking for people to tell. I must have called, texted or emailed everyone I knew that he was going,” he said.
Gerald said he’s happy as both a father and a coach.
“He’s going to live an experience you just don’t get here in Canada,” he said. “He puts a lot of effort into the practices and the games – he loves soccer.”
sean.mcintosh@reddeeradvocate.com
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