TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR PARTNERS WITH FLORIDA ELITE SOCCER ACADEMY
Jacksonville, Fla. – (April 16, 2018) - Tottenham Hotspur announced a partnership today with the Florida Elite Soccer Academy, one of the largest and most progressive youth soccer organizations in the United States, to support the development of the game at a grassroots level in North America.
The Club has signed an initial three-year agreement to provide a fully-qualified Tottenham Hotspur coach to work alongside Florida Elite’s coaching staff all year round. The partnership will help train multiple elite teams, while overseeing player development using renowned coaching methods developed within the Tottenham Hotspur Academy. The Florida Elite players will also have the chance to visit London and train at the Club’s world-class Training Centre – Hotspur Way.
Florida Elite provides development opportunities for players starting at a young age with a player-centric approach that fosters individual confidence along with team success. These goals are achieved through hard work, dedication and the complete commitment to every level of player from Recreational to Elite. Florida Elite Soccer Academy teaches players a style of soccer emphasizing passing and possession of the ball.
Sean Bubb, Executive Director Florida Elite Soccer Academy “Florida Elite Soccer Academy pledges to be a full-service soccer organization dedicated to the growth and enrichment of its participating members. We are excited to launch this partnership where we feel that we are not just partnering with one of the best soccer organizations in the world, but a Club that we feel has a training philosophy, culture and soccer DNA that is in line with ours. It is an easy decision to partner with a Club that exemplifies outstanding leadership and relentless drive. We have been very impressed with the Club’s staff from our first meetings. Our youth players will benefit from this partnership tremendously.”
John McDermott, Head of Academy Coaching and Development at Tottenham Hotspur said, “Florida Elite has a brilliant track record for growing and developing talent. We are delighted to be working with them to support the great work its Academy does and look forward to welcoming elite players to our Training Centre to sample some of the unique training methods delivered at the Tottenham Hotspur Academy.”
Andy Rogers, Global Coaching Manager at Tottenham Hotspur said, “Tottenham Hotspur’s Global Coaching programme has a proven track record of developing players from grassroots to elite level across the world. We have been impressed with Florida Elite’s infrastructure and the synergies it has to our playing and coaching philosophy. We are delighted to be partnering with such a prominent Academy and look forward to working with them to develop the next generation of Soccer players in America.”
Over the past eight years, Tottenham Hotspur has enjoyed a strong presence in the United States. The Club’s First Team has visited the United States five times, playing 13 matches in 10 cities with 400,000 spectators coming to watch. The Club also has over 66 Official Supporters’ Clubs in the United States – more than any other English Premier League soccer club. Later this year, the First Team will once again visit the United States on its pre-season tour.
In addition, over the last five years, its Global Coaching team has coached over 12,600 players in 18 different US cities including Chicago, San Francisco, New York, Los Angeles and Seattle.
Steven Mail, Florida Elite President stated “Tottenham Hotspur is one of the world's most prestigious soccer clubs. They have a long history of producing outstanding national team players and having tremendous on-field success. They have the distinction of being the club every soccer purist wants to watch. Their creative and visionary leadership means Tottenham will now host the London NFL games in their brand new stadium. To partner with a club of this stature, is recognition of the hard work and vision of our Executive Director, Sean Bubb, our coaches and players. Florida Elite Boys and Girls will now have the opportunity to experience soccer at one of the world's best professional clubs and have an opportunity unlike any youth club in the States.”