When London-St. Thomas Croatia Soccer Club (LSCSC) formed an affiliation with Dinamo Zagreb in Croatia, they envisioned a partnership where local boys could gain opportunities abroad.

A year after their agreement, it began paying dividends.

Jaden Ngufor, 14, and Anis Chibane, 12, of London, Ont., will travel to the Croatian capital this week for a week-long trial with Dinamo Zagreb’s academy.

“I realized it was once in a lifetime,” says Ngufor who plays the LSCSC striker. “I never thought I would get this opportunity, so it’s a big blessing.”

Chibane, who is a left winger and midfielder, is excited to learn a different style of football at a top European club.

“I can’t wait to see how they play and I want to see if I can change anything when I play with them,” said Chibane.Anis Chibane (L) and Jaden Ngufor train with London St. Thomas Croatia Technical Director Mladen Vugrinicek at the BMO Center in London, Ont. on Sunday February 27, 2022. (Brent Lale/CTV London)

The boys are being paid for their trip by their club and will be accompanied by LSCSC vice-president Joe Ostojic and their technical director Mladen Vugrinicek.

They leave on Friday March 4 and when they get off the plane they are heading straight for a game on Saturday between Dinamo Zagreb and Sibenik.

On Sunday, they will take part in Dinamo’s academy and have an afternoon session ahead of the next busy five days.

“Monday to Friday, every day, they have at least one or maybe even two practices,” says Vugrinicek.

“We will try to adapt them to their age and according to the coach’s suggestion, maybe they will go to a higher age to get that experience. We hope there will be an opportunity during the matches, they will play some matches with these players.

They even got a special welcome video from Dinamo Zagreb star Luka Ivanusec.

“Dinamo Zagreb is happy to give you new opportunities, enjoy and work hard,” Ivanusec said.

“Congratulations to Jaden and Anis, see you soon in Zagreb, we are waiting for you”.

Chibane has big dreams of playing professional football and thinks this opportunity is a good start to improve his skills.

“I just want to see what the difference is from here,” says Chibane.

“Europe is very difficult for football and the competition, so I want to see if I can handle that myself.”

Ngufor believes his strengths are shooting power, passing, dribbling and positioning. He wants to take the brains of Dinamo’s coaches and discuss what he needs to improve.

“I want my name to be a presence in their field,” says Ngufor.

“So I want to make sure I work hard there and make sure they have their eyes on me.”

And the membership has only just begun. This summer, from July 3 to 10, Dinamo coaches will come to London to organize a camp, which will be open to local players.

The sessions will give local players and coaches a chance to learn from European experts.

“From this camp, Dinamo will choose one or two players to send for official trials if they are really good at it,” says Vugrinicek.

The plan is to do these exchanges on an annual basis.

“Next year we want to bring more of our coaches to Zagreb for a week,” says Vugrinicek.

“The coaches can see this environment, but also the players. Kids now have a chance to prove themselves over the course of the year if they deserve to go.”

And they are also about to start working with the Dinamo women’s club, to give the same opportunities to local girls.