This weekend a teenager from Kent and a product of Soccer Elite, will fly to Armenia to represent Ireland’s Under 17’s side.

Alex Mulrooney-Skinner from Maidstone will fly out as part of an eighteen man squad to face Gibralter, Armenia and England in Group 7 of the European Championships.

Given time off by his school to attend the tournament, Mulrooney-Skinner started at the outset of Soccer Elite at Senacre School and then Oldborough Manor and it was Soccer Elite that nurtured and developed his undoubted potential, shaping his future.

Scouted by Charlton Athletic into their Development Squad and then onto Millwall, Mulrooney-Skinner was spotted by Republic of Ireland coaches/scouts on a Millwall tour and invited out to play a friendly with the national squad in Ireland.

For Mulrooney-Skinner, the next few weeks represent a massive opportunity to impress and he can’t wait to get out there:

“I’m buzzing! It’s a great opportunity for me and my family. To play international football is a dream come true.”

“It’s going to be such a great experience and I can’t wait to put the Ireland shirt on with my number on it.”

“My education is really important to me and I’m grateful to my school for letting me go, but it’s a once in a lifetime opportunity and I’ve got to take it.”

The sixteen year old puts down a lot of his success from the grounding he was given by Soccer Elite:

“You have so many opportunities with Soccer Elite and everything I know now has come from them.”

“They’ve taught me so much over the years and it’s always nice to come back and see everyone. They taught me the basic skills and I’ve taken that and with Millwall I’ve had such a great football education.”

Given Republic of Ireland citizenship to take part in the tournament, Mulrooney-Skinner will go with the blessing of his family, with both his mum and dad having cried at the news of his call-up and father Chris is thrilled to see Alex go away and play at an international level:

“I’m extremely proud of him. He’s had a bit of a rough time with some clubs and it’s nice that he’s getting the recognition of what he can actually do.”

“At Soccer Elite he got some of the best training he’s ever had. He really enjoyed it there and both Tony (Browne) and Lee (Spiller) have been fantastic.”

“With Soccer Elite he was given the opportunity to play against big clubs and that was great for him.”