This board seems to be the de facto youth development site on BS, so I'm posting this here. No doubt this is at least somewhat commercial, but do you think this will attract some attention? ************************************* Cugini Affiliates with AC Perugia Italian Soccer School A first for an American soccer school Great Falls, VA - September 30, 2002 - Fabio Diletti, President & Founder of Cugini Soccer Club & School, Inc., a Northern Virginia-based nonprofit youth soccer school, announced that Cugini has signed an agreement with Italian Serie A professional club AC Perugia to affiliate with Perugia's Scuola Calcio (youth soccer school). Diletti commented that the affiliation with a professional Italian soccer club, the first of its kind for an American soccer school, will not only strengthen Cugini's program to develop players for the Italian soccer system but for the American system as well. "By combining forces with AC Perugia, Cugini will have access to Italian training resources previously unavailable to any American soccer school or club. Our intent is to grow our program with the best soccer development tools to benefit American players, whether they seek to play in the United States or in Italy." According to Antonio Saviano, AC Perugia USA & North America Scuola Calcio Coordinator, there are specific reasons for an Italian professional club to work closely with an American soccer school. Saviano explained that "AC Perugia Scuola Calcio is looking into the U.S. because of the success of American players like Clint Mathis. I am very impressed with Cugini Soccer Club's program, which is developing talent for the future similar to the methods/philosophy of AC Perugia Scuola Calcio. This affiliation is a major step not only for Cugini Soccer but for AC Perugia Scuola Calcio as well. I am convinced that our collaboration with Cugini Soccer will result in the formulation of new talent." Diletti stated, "Having grown up with Italian soccer training, I believe all American players can benefit from experiencing the uniqueness of Italian youth soccer development, whether they are recreational players or dream of playing at the college level or professionally one day. Perugia has offered Cugini the perfect opportunity to enhance our programs for players in the Washington Metro area and beyond". Diletti, who played semiprofessional soccer in his native Italy, will travel to Perugia in December to attend training sessions at Perugia's Scuola Calcio and meet with the school's Director General, Dottore Alessandro Dominici. Commenting on the affiliation, Dominici said, "AC Perugia's policy has always been aimed at seeking out and developing young talent to be launched into the Italian arena. The purpose is to enhance the quality of the associated organizations' programming and to offer players the opportunity to train in a highly professional environment before entering the AC Perugia youth sector. In order to achieve this goal, AC Perugia has arranged an "Association Program" which will improve the structure of those amateur organizations working closely with the AC Perugia's skilled and experienced professional staff." Benefits for Cugini Coaches & Players As part of the affiliation, Cugini Soccer will be given the rare privilege of wearing AC Perugia official uniforms. Beginning in August 2003, Cugini will conduct summer training camps in Northern Virginia with professional trainers and scouts from Perugia. AC Perugia will be looking closely at all participants as candidates for Perugia's youth soccer program in Italy which feeds into its professional team. AC Perugia will also issue membership cards for all Cugini players, trainers, and coaches; supply Cugini with educational resources on the development of players in each age bracket; and invite Cugini coaches to attend educational courses in Italy where coaches will receive Certificates of Participation upon the completion of the course. Additionally, Perugia will invite selected Cugini players to attend the AC Perugia soccer school tryouts at the school facility in Italy and invite Cugini players to participate in the annual AC Perugia-Galex Cup International Tournament in Italy attended by European scouts. Cugini officials will take part in annual meetings in Italy with Perugia soccer school directors. About Cugini Soccer Club Cugini Soccer Club & School, one of the few Italian style soccer schools in the United States, was founded in 2000 by Italian native Fabio Diletti. Diletti, a former semiproplayer in Italy who possesess a D coaching license and USSF Referee Certification, has been coaching children for nearly 15 years. Cugini currently has a recreational house league for young players, ages 6-8, as well as recreational and travel teams for older players. Most of the club's members hail from the Northern Virginia communities of Great Falls, Herndon, Mclean, Reston, and Sterling. Each summer, the Club takes players and their families to Italy to experience the Italian culture while playing soccer in Italian youth tournaments as part of Cugini's "Soccer in Italy" program. Cugini Soccer is a member of USSF, USYSA, VYSA. Company Website: http://www.cuginisoccer.com About AC Perugia Founded in 1905, AC Perugia, is a professional soccer club in the Umbria region of central Italy. Perugia plays in the Serie A Italian League, the highest division in professional Italian soccer. All Italian national players come from Serie A clubs. Its formal youth soccer school was founded in 1997 and has facilities in Perugia and Assisi. More details about the Perugia porgram are available on the Perugia website (in Italian) and on the Cugini Soccer website (in English).
related note, check out this thread re a possible new threat to ODP. https://www.bigsoccer.com/forum/showthread.php?postid=333997#post333997
That's pretty cool. I remember reading somewhere that Lazio (I think) was setting up some sort of youth scouting/developement set-up in the KC area a while ago, but I don't know if this ever came about.
Well, until we start quaking in our boots when we come up against Cugini teams, I won't make too much of it. But really, do you know how well their teams fare? I'm aware of the club, but don't know how successful they've been. And, does success in the local leagues necessarily imply success of the program?
My understanding is that the top teams in Virginia are Beach FC, Herndon, Reston, and I guess now the Richmond Kickers youth teams. nancy?? Anyway, this is an interesting development.
i think the challenge is if this kind of thing is seen as being a superior alternative for developing players. If so, parents will want to send their kids THERE instead of where they've been sending them. In truth, I have no idea about the competitiveness of their teams in youth play. But this reminds me of the question whether the championship-winning youth teams are developing great players. Karl - Beach - which is now becoming Virginia Rush (affiliated with Colorado Rush - more of a significant development than this, IMHO), Roanoke Star, Kickers and Team America have had some of the top boys programs in recent years. Other clubs might have a strong team here or there, like Herndon, Reston, Annandale, Braddock Road, McLean and a few others in No. Virginia.
Italian Development The U.S. suburban soccer market represents $$ to be harvested by good marketers. Parma has some kind of program that sounds great but ends up being a young assistant coach who gets to spend his summers in the States, while the club collects some fees. The Fire has an impressive sounding development program that ends up being a combination of Fire community marketing + revenue enhancement. If this program is 25% as good as it sounds, I'd be surprised.
I wonder if this certificate will be as impressive as the certificates I used to mass produce for my word processing students. Benefits for Cugini Coaches & Players As part of the affiliation, Cugini Soccer will be given the rare privilege of wearing AC Perugia official uniforms. Beginning in August 2003, Cugini will conduct summer training camps in Northern Virginia with professional trainers and scouts from Perugia. AC Perugia will be looking closely at all participants as candidates for Perugia's youth soccer program in Italy which feeds into its professional team. Ah! and how much additional does this rare privilege cost? Beginning in August 2003, Cugini will conduct summer training camps in Northern Virginia with professional trainers and scouts from Perugia. AC Perugia will be looking closely at all participants as candidates for Perugia's youth soccer program in Italy which feeds into its professional team. This could mean something.
Obvoiusly Europeans are starting to get the fact that there are vast numbers of potential players here. I don't expect to see the same kind of slave trade situations that exist with Brazilian and African youngsters, but there are certainly a rapidly increasing number of kids here getting offers to go abroad, and not just big names either. On the US side, you get a Euro club to make your school seem more advanced. On the Euro side, you get $ for nothing, and maybe players too. Bascially they are just setting up an easy way to scout. "The best players will be invited to try out fo the academy team" or whatever. And the potential players will be paying Perugia, not the other way around. I just doubt that many serious players will participate outside of the usual local group. This does seem like kind of a good idea, but at what point do we decide that American soccer is good enough, especially when you are learning it from Italians. Essentially my problem is, would English coaches let an Italian club come in and steal their best players? I guess at this point, the training available in the US outside of Bradenton falls short of most European professional top-bottom systems, so really our players would be gaining an advantage, but only those that make the academy team. The rest will benefit no more than regular kids with foreign coaches. In Milwaukee, most of the coaches are foreign. Adlard, Bennett, Boro, as well as many HS and club coaches. Lots of Brits, Germans and Yugos(Serbs/Croats)... The Milwaukee Rampage has been trying to field developmental teams down to youth levels for a while. They have not been that successful, but there are some players on that team that played with the Elm Grove Rampage, who were a club team coached by Boro from maybe U-13 on. Many of his players played on Brookfield East High School, the #1 ranked team nationally in 1996. If you are a good enough player in Milwaukee, there are plenty of good contacts to clubs abroad that do not involve paying money to one specific team to get a tryout there.
While I'm a huge supporter of the Bradenton concept (assuring soccer and academic training while instilling nationalism), even I have to admit that it's too small. It's very difficult to identify stars at the age of 16. Having European clubs look at the guys who are not in the Bradenton group is a benefit. John O'Brien wasn't really highly regarded by the USSF until after Ajax wanted him. He was thought of as a good player, but not a great prospect. Obviously he's become a great player and is very well respected now. -Tron
Unlike some others that have posted here, I'm not quite as cynical and think we should take as many of these alliances as become available. That way we get more quality -- in quantities. For example, why are teams from Northern Virginia so good? Because they've been playing at a high level for so long -- all the players have had to step it up a notch just to make the team. They have more experienced coaching staffs and their methods are better than other areas. More power to them! I was on an Annandale select team in the 70's (between living abroad) and the quality of the coaching I got (Coach Larry Paul) was very good. No doubt it has even improved significantly since then. The more of these *pockets* we have, the more the entire country will benefit from improved soccer from the grassroots on up ...
Cynicism Wait until you see the Fire Youth Academy. Motives - Fire - Raise revenues, sell tickets Elite Clubs - Prestige through association with the professional club Kids - It's cool to be there Parents - Ditto The bulk of the program is populated by the same (suburban) kids who are at the elite clubs are who are now -- or will be -- in ODP. I suppose it's good that strong players have what amounts to an extra practice a week but there certainly are more logical, cost-effective methods of achieving that goal.
i believe that the Perugia gig is less about scouting american prospects, and more about the new owner trying to establish his new soccer clothing business- Galex. For that agreement (most likely- because I have seen a contract from them), the club in NoVa must fully outfit (though at a discount) their kids in Galex gear at some point. The coaches that come over must be paid for by the NoVa club as well (expenses). But still, if done properly, the partnerships established by Perugia with american youth clubs could help raise the quality of coaching (and play) at that level. Exposure to the Italian game and its philosophy of player development can be a benefit to many soccer organizations- and if it makes Alex a richer man with his Galex kits and boots, or brings a few kids over to italy to experience a professional development system- great for everyone (hopefully). Here is hoping for benevolent success to them both. As far as the Fire Academy, i think it is more of 2 day a week extra training for kids.. more money from mom and dad's shrinking portfolios to fund another, additional, extra piece of a kid's most likely, already vastly fragmented development experience (outside of bradenton anway). Until the MLS has the money to bring kids into some sort of residency program, the Fire Academy will probably remain a nice, but relatively ineffective, supporting piece of the puzzle. hope that works also