PSA

WARNING
If you are 18+ and still chasing the dream !!!!
We invite you to post your Bio and a highlighted video here.
We want to expose skilled players and give them an opportunity to be seen. (we are not Agents).

HOW TO CHOOSE THE BEST FOOTBALL ⚽ ACADEMY:
WEEK 4

COACHES AND SUPPORT STAFF:
In my opinion this is one of the must delicate topics within the “finding the right academy” process. We've been in different countries, clubs and teams, and something in common is that “you get told what you want to hear not really what is happening”. Don't be afraid to ask the Club/Academy directors everything you need to know, in this case about COACHES (Other Staff)
Things to think about:
What ages are the coaches?
Where do they come from?
What kind of training, license, and experience as players do they have?
How long have they been with the academy?
Do the Coaches offer mental health support and physical health services? Or is there other staff that offer this?
What is their methodologies and how do they evaluate players?
What languages do they speak and conduct training in?
Do they have other duties with the academy? Or is there staff that drive, cook, clean, supervise studies and down time.
Are the directors there and how involved are they?
It is very important to know who is going to be in charge of the player. You must be a 100% confident that these coaches will be able to help the player achieve his/her goals and as a parent you must be confident of receiving the right value for your money. So don't be afraid to ask. You have all the right to do so.
In Europe coaches are awarded licenses of different levels. These are often referred to as “coaching badges”.
The full system of licenses in the UEFA system (European football) is as follows:
Level 1⭐ – coaching children at the very early stages. The training course takes only a few weeks.
Level 2 ⭐⭐– training at the level of amateur football and amateur leagues. To obtain a license it is required to undergo a training course for about 6 months.
Level 3⭐⭐⭐ (B license) is the minimum compulsory license for training at football academies in Europe. It takes 12-18 months to complete the course.
Level 4 ⭐⭐⭐⭐((“А” license) – allows the holder to train professional teams and academies. A 2-year course is required.
Level 5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐((“Pro” license) – allows the holder to manage and coach teams of top division level in European leagues. An A license is a prerequisite and it takes a further 12 months to complete this course.

HOW TO CHOOSE THE BEST FOOTBALL ⚽ ACADEMY:
WEEK 2:

TYPES OF ACADEMIES AND WHO CAN ATTEND
As we mentioned last week, this is a series of posts that will help you in the process of picking the right international soccer academy. Today we will tackle the various types of academies and the programs that you may find in your search for the next step.
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First of all – just to be clear-- we are talking about a residential program where the player goes to stay in a foreign country to train and play soccer abroad. There are some programs that offer a “camp” format for one or two weeks, but we believe that you need a couple of months to really get the most out of a program.
As we mentioned last week, a short term program, less than 3 months means that you don't have to worry about the visa to travel to that country. Most European countries allow Americans to visit on a tourist visa which you just declare at the airport, there is no actual visa process. Once you have visited for 3 months you must leave the EU or face a penalty. ✈
Long term programs last 4 to 10 months usually and will include some sort of academic program to provide the player with the student visa. This academic option is something that you really need to consider, so we will address it in it's own post next week.
So what is the advantage of sending a player to an academy? They get soccer 24/7. ⚽🥅 Well almost. The idea is that they are there for one purpose and that is to make it pro. ⭐ The day to day focuses on the game, the performance of the player, team work, communication, and overall growth of skills and abilities while being surrounded by like minded players. ▶ So ask the program what is their screening process? How do they determine if the players are focused? What are the requirements for players to be “on the team”?
The academy is also building young adults. Most offer their programs to boys aged 14 to 24 (based on local federation guidelines). So there should be some type of targeted skill set of building a good human. What are the expectations of the players? Will they be catered like at a resort where laundry, food, and cleaning responsibility falls to someone else or will they have duties and responsibilities to learn how to become an adult.
You have to look for a program that will address your players needs and drive them to excel in soccer above all else. Each will offer its own methodologies and coaching style and of course the academic angle. We will get into those next week.
For now figure out which things are the most important things to you and your player? What are you expecting from this experience? What do you want in the end?

The best programs will include:
football skills development
gym training
theory classes with video analysis of matches
friendly and competitive games
classes and workouts on diet and nutrition
recovery sessions
injury prevention
sports psychology

How do you find out if these things are included? ASK. Ask for an example, ask for schedules, ask for resumes and referrals to get the true feel of what the academy is offering and what it can provide.
In theory anyone can attend a residential academy if you can afford it. However they aren't for everyone, SKILLS are the key, but BEHAVIOR, COMMITMENT, willingness to learn and adapt are some other things the player really needs to be a good fit. ♥ Like any other team, club, academy etc. if you don't fit this description you probably will play less or none at all, so why waste your money? In this case 💲 is not everything you need to make it to the academy. Be honest with yourself because must academies will take your money. You have to have a plan and be clear with your goals. Is this trip to have fun, to learn about other cultures, to get a better soccer level, to prepare for college or to become pro-soccer player? What ever your reason there is probably an academy fit for you.

BOYS AND GIRLS 18+. . . .❤️⚽️
If you think you have what it takes, hurry up the Pre-season in Alicante Spain starts in July.

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