Episode 04 - Kerwin Marc Jean-Pierre

Kerwin Marc Jean-Pierre took 17 boys — some as young as 14 — from Queensland to a small city in Spain and put them in a full-time football environment for 10 months. Daily training, Spanish classes, online school, Federation competitions, and trials at clubs like Real Zaragoza and Alaves. No tourists. No showcases. The real thing. Here's how he did it and what it cost him to make it happen.

Guest bio

Kerwin Marc Jean-Pierre is a football coach and youth developer based in Queensland, with over a decade of experience in the NPL system. He founded Football Centre of Development and runs a full-time academy pathway program in Huesca, Spain, giving Australian and New Zealand players the chance to compete in Spanish Federation competitions and earn trials with top academies.

What the conversation covers

• How Kerwin researched and vetted the program over several years — including a face-to-face meeting in Madrid — to make sure it was the real deal before taking any players across

• What a full week in the program looks like, from gym activations and position-specific sessions to Spanish classes, video analysis, and online schooling

• How the boys handled 10 months away from home, and how Kerwin managed everything from homesickness and diet to curfews and the occasional hard conversation

• The real outcomes — a striker who scored 32 goals in 34 games and trialled with Alaves, two 17-year-olds training with a professional squad, and a squad that drew 2-2 with Atletico Madrid's academy

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