Even if a player is under the age of 15, from the moment they join Maziya's senior team, they are not viewed as mere youngsters; instead, the club works by treating them as fully professional athletes, according to the club's coach, Tomáš Trucha.
Maziya has a relatively young squad this season. The senior players consist of captain Samooh Ali, Ibrahim Mahdhee Hussain (Feydhoo Ibbe), Ibrahim Aisham (Tony), goalkeeper Hussain Shareef, and midfielder Ahmed Aiham (Fatho).
The rest of the standout players in the team are youngsters.
No matter how young the squad's age percentage was, that youthfulness did not show in their pursuit of trophies. Those young players defeated New Radiant and took home both trophies in the season's opening two challenges.
Young players led the way in securing the FAM Charity Shield and the Cup Winners Cup for Maziya. The Charity Shield match was won without any contribution from foreign players.
Regarding the caliber of the young players in Maziya's squad and the team's balance, Trucha stated that four under-18 players and three under-21 players played in the match against New Radiant. He also mentioned that two under-15 academy players are currently training with the senior team to round out squad numbers.
The Czechia (Czech Republic) coach stated that he does not look at a player's age when handing out opportunities.
"I work with those players seeing them as fully professional players. I don't look at them just as young players," he said today while speaking at the Dhivehi Premier League's opening pre-match press conference.
"I don't make decisions about players based on their age. Nor do I look at whether they are a foreign player or a Maldivian player. Every player has an opportunity."
He stated that every player has shortcomings and strengths. Trucha noted that it is his responsibility to help improve those shortcomings, adding that senior players also play a role in doing so.
"Every player has shortcomings and strengths. It is my responsibility as a coach to help improve the things that are lacking in those players," he said.
"Young players have strong energy. They are willing to learn and work. There are still many experienced players in the team."
"In addition to Captain Shamu [Samooh Ali], having players like Aiham [Fatho], Aisham, Ibe [Feydhoo Ibbe], and goalkeeper Hussain is a very good combination," Trucha said with satisfaction.
In Maziya's opening match of the Dhivehi Premier League, the team will face Odi Sports tomorrow evening.
During the period when the national team traveled to Myanmar to compete in the AFC U-20 Qualifiers, Maziya missed 10 players.
He stated that the break received when there were no club tournament matches during that juncture was a great opportunity to reorganize the team.
He stated that pausing the league for national team matches and other events with advance notice is not a problem.
According to him, in some countries, even the dates of league matches are unknown. However, he noted that there are conveniences in knowing the schedule of Maldivian tournaments well in advance.
