After the assistant coach finished explaining everyone's profiles and the reasons they were selected, Coach Connor took over.
"I believe that, with our assistant coach's explanations, any questions you had about why you were chosen should now be mostly cleared up. Does anyone have any questions?" he asked.
Mark raised his hand and looked at Coach Connor.
"Since we've just joined the club, when will we be able to take part in official matches?" he asked.
Because we hadn't learned much about the club's licensing procedures yet, we didn't know when we would be eligible to play in matches. In fact, I had heard from Caleb and Evan that club trials were usually held around the time licenses were being processed. That was why I assumed our participation in matches would depend on our performance and how quickly we adapted to the club. Still, Coach Connor's answer was the most reliable source.
Coach Connor looked at all of us and spoke.
"Tomorrow, our club has a match against another amateur team. However, since you've only just joined, you won't be involved in that match. Once all of your license procedures are completed this week, you may be included in the squad for next week's match. That said, whether you make the squad or not will depend on your situation and performance."
Since none of us expected to be called up so early anyway, we weren't particularly surprised by this answer.
Coach Connor then continued.
"To help you get a feel for the club environment and to see the U16 team you'll be playing alongside from now on, the club will take you to the match as spectators."
Hearing that made me feel a surge of excitement. When I glanced around, everyone except Liam looked visibly enthusiastic. Liam seemed curious as well, but he had probably experienced situations like this at other clubs before.
After a few more questions were directed at Coach Connor, he concluded.
"Since there are no more questions, I'll be leaving for today and I'll be placing you in the care of our assistant coach, Hailey Spencer. From now on, she'll guide you on what you need to do. Listen carefully—her words carry the same weight as mine."
With that, he left us.
Assistant Coach Hailey then continued.
"First of all, I'll brief you on what you'll be doing at the club and which days you're expected to come in," she said.
She handed each of us a sheet of paper that contained a schedule divided by days and hours.
"The papers I've given you include your weekly training and match schedule at the club. This program shows your plan for the upcoming week. From now on, you'll come to the club according to this schedule. Take a quick look, and let me know if you have any questions."
We all started examining the schedules in our hands.
The program clearly detailed what we were expected to do each day. Monday began with full rest following a match. Tuesday was labeled as technical training with a light tempo. Beneath that were time-specific details: the session started with warm-up and mobility work from 6:00 to 6:10 p.m. and ended with cool-down and stretching from 7:20 to 7:30 p.m. In between were ball control and passing drills, small-sided games, and shooting and finishing exercises.
Wednesday was dedicated to strength and endurance training, lasting about an hour and a half. During this session, we would focus on strength exercises such as squats, planks, push-ups, and core training.
Thursday also featured a one-and-a-half-hour session, labeled as tactical and game training. We would begin with positional drills, then split into different teams and play a thirty-minute internal match. The remaining time would be spent working on set pieces that required coordination, such as free kicks, corners, and throw-ins.
Friday was devoted to agility training. As usual, we would start with a warm-up, followed by ladder and agility drills, then sprint work, one-on-one attack and defense exercises, and finally stretching to end the day.
Saturday was designated as a pre-match rest and recovery day, with notes outlining what we needed to focus on.
Sunday had only one label:
Match Day.