VVV-Venlo presents ‘USA Youth Partner’
VVV-Venlo Jeugd makes history! The youngest division of VVV-Venlo has concluded a partnership with Desert Foothills Soccer Club from Arizona. This signifies a unique occasion for VVV-Venlo. Desert Foothills Soccer Club is the first North American partner to collaborate with the youth division of VVV-Venlo. This partnership will build a bridge between the two clubs and gives players within the clubs the best possible chance of reaching their full potential in football.
Desert Foothills Soccer Club
Desert Foothills Soccer Club was founded in the early 1980s, has 1200 players, and is therefore one of the largest clubs in Arizona. The club numbers more than 100 teams of which 33 play in the competitive Desert Elite program. The majority of the teams compete at the highest level in Arizona and regularly win their league matches and major tournaments. They also represent Arizona in the Olympic Development Program. Many former Elite players have continued their playing careers by studying at colleges that offer a soccer scholarship. An added bonus of importance for VVV-Venlo: half of the teams at the club are girls!
VVV-Venlo Jeugd
VVV-Venlo has a world renowned youth academy and is part of a select few Dutch professional clubs that hold the prestigious four star rating awarded by the Royal Dutch Football Association (KNHB) for their youth development programme. Other teams with this award include top calibre teams such as Ajax and PSV. "At VVV-Venlo we have a lot of confidence in our youth players and want to give them to chance to progress to play in the first team. Attracting expensive players every year is impossible. We have to be very creative, forward looking and professional to motivate new, talented players”, says Roger Bongaerts, technical coordinator and trainer of C1 VVV-Venlo.
Partnership
This partnership will build a bridge between the two clubs and gives players within the clubs the best possible chance of reaching their full potential in football. The partnership is based on both clubs opening their doors to an exchange of training and coaching philosophies. This can include exchange programmes for promising top talents and organising an annual tournament. Roger Bongaerts is excited with the interest and the partnership with Desert Foothills Soccer Club. “The club is a well organised association, with a highly skilled Director of Coaching, fellow Dutchman Rick Tilmans. VVV-Venlo Jeugd will offer its support in increasing the levels of professionalism at the club, and hopefully both clubs will be able to reap the benefits of cooperation.”
Enthusiasm
Rick Tilmans, captain of Fortuna Sittard from 1986-1991, is the driving force behind this project, together with Roger Bongaerts. “Our club is amazingly enthusiastic about this partnership. We announced the news during our try-outs and everyone is really proud and waiting impatiently to see the first results of the partnership'. Our more ambitious and talented players in particularly were incredibly excited when they learnt about the chance of gaining playing experience in the Netherlands. Our coaching staff, with 15 members, is particularly looking forward to receiving advanced training in Dutch football methods, certainly from a club with a renowned youth academy like VVV-Venlo.”
Trip
Desert Foothills Soccer Club recently formed a strategic partnership with North Valley SC and Anthem SC, but this is their first venture with a professional European club. There is a vast geographical distance between Arizona and VVV-Venlo, just like with Coritiba Foot Ball Club, which the club also formed a partnership with last year. Rick Tilmans sees this as a challenge. “A visit to Venlo is definitely on the cards. We have to save to fund the trip, but hopefully you can expect us next summer in 2012. We’ve been busy for some years trying to find a partner club, and approached clubs including PSV, MVV, and even my old club Fortuna, but to no avail. Last year at Christmas I left my business card at VVV-Venlo and I was thrilled when Roger Bongaerts contacted me by e-mail. After that the ball quickly got rolling.”
For more information, visit www.desertelitesoccer.comand www.dutchsoccerinstitute.com
