Soccer News:Former EPL Champions Kick Off Inaugural Youth Soccer Tournament
Tournament marks the official start of a youth soccer development partnership between Manchester City FC and San Diego based Surf Cup Sports. So popular already, the new youth soccer tournament received more applications than it wanted to accept and had to turn away 73 youth soccer teams!
One of the world’s most successful professional soccer teams, Manchester City FC, will kick off the inaugural Manchester City Americas Cup presented by Surf Cup Sports on Memorial Day weekend, May 23-25, 2015, at the So-Cal Sports Complex in Oceanside, CA.
The tournament marks the official start of a recently announced partnership between Manchester City FC and San Diego based Surf Cup Sports, one of the most influential youth soccer programs and sport event organizers in the United States. To celebrate the inaugural tournament, Manchester City FC coaches and personnel will be flying out from England to witness the event.
The new youth soccer tournament promises to be a first-class event and will host 238 teams and approximately 4,000 players and their families attending from around the country. Several San Diego-based youth club teams will also be participating. The tournament features USYSA, US Club Soccer, Super Y League and FIFA affiliated teams under-9 to under-17.
“The Manchester City Americas Cup is a great opportunity for youth teams from all over the world to come and compete in front of Manchester City coaches, staff and personnel,” said Mike Connerley, President and Tournament Director of Surf Cup Sports. “We are excited to host this new annual event that will put San Diego on the world map as a true soccer city.”
“We are excited to commence the partnership with Surf Cup Sports with this tournament,” said Gavin Rhodes, Head of Manchester City Football Schools. “The partnership will help support our efforts to promote and profile our club brand across the United States, and we look forward to starting that in San Diego.”
Mark Allen, the director of the Manchester City Academy has flown over with the Academy’s U18 coach Jason Wilcox to help celebrate this kick off and scout local talent.
In addition to the inaugural tournament, the unique partnership will allow the two organizations to deliver an exclusive youth camp that will be managed under the supervision of Manchester City coaches, teaching young players the same philosophies and training techniques used by Manchester City’s championship first team.
These programs will be an excellent opportunity for players from Southern California to showcase their talents. Manchester City will also deliver coach education clinics that will train Surf coaches in the methods and techniques currently implemented within their programs.
Furthermore, top San Diego youth soccer players will have the opportunity to visit and train at the City Football Academy, the Club’s new headquarters in Manchester. Both organizations also plan to send teams to each other’s home fields for exhibition and showcase purposes in the coming years that will serve to develop the partnership in the near future.
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