Jack Kirkwood is about to take a big step up in his football education.
Kirkwood (18), a member of the Green Island premiership team for the past four seasons, has been selected for the Burnley Australasian Academy team, which is playing six games in the north of England inside 17 days starting at the weekend. He will leave Dunedin today to make the long trip to Burnley.
Kirkwood is the only player going from the Dunedin branch of the Burnley academy although there are four players going from the club's academy in Christchurch. The other players come from Australia.
The Aoraki Polytechnic film and television student said he was really excited about the trip which would be a chance to live and breathe the sport for a period.
''It's a great chance, really. Just to show them what I can do and what I have got. There are going to be a lot of good players there and it will be pretty tough,'' he said.
Kirkwood, who has been playing since he was 5, joined the Burnley academy based at Sunnyvale midway through last year and went for trials earlier this year to Perth, where the competition and the weather was hot.
''It was really, really hot. I think in one of the games it was something like 38degC and most of the games were in that sort of heat. I thought I did all right over there. There were a lot of good players there and they didn't let up.''
Kirkwood had to pay $6000 for the trip to Burnley but it is a chance to get into the English system.
His side will play against other academies from clubs in northern England such as Leeds United, Barnsley, Hull City and Blackburn Rovers.
''I think I have improved since I came here [Burnley academy]. Over the last six months just my technical skills have got a lot better and I have learnt more about the game.''
He trains five times during the week as well as playing for Green Island on Saturdays.
Burnley and Green Island coach Malcolm Fleming said the trip was Kirkwood's big chance and he would be playing in front of a plenty of club scouts.
Former Mosgiel striker Cameron Howieson is on Burnley's books. The club is sitting second in the Championship.
