Taking Training To A Whole New Level
One. Soccer School’s high level youth soccer program rewards the effort and focus necessary to become an elite player with the training required to make a difference on the field. Their program has now expanded to include training abroad through a partnership with GFL Soccer.
Soccer News: This summer, one. Soccer Schools will coach over 3,000 youth soccer players in 12 different states, ages 6-18 years old. One. Soccer Schools’ signature programs are their two residential camps, which they run at Cal State Channel Islands in Camarillo CA, and Lake Forest Academy in Lake Forest, IL.
Related Article: One. Soccer Schools 2016 Summer Camps
To broaden their program, one. Soccer Schools has announced a partnership with GFL Soccer.
“Until now we have only focused on training the player and have never offered anything outside of our camp,” said Jeff Johnson, one. Soccer Schools Director. “It has always been about giving the player extra individual attention in the summer months allowing them to go back to their respective clubs ready to take on the new season. GFL Soccer offers a new dimension. A chance for a talented young player to experience what it is like to train and play with some of the best youth academy systems in the world.”
Johnson is an experienced coach and soccer player. After playing collegiate soccer at the University of North Carolina and UC Santa Barbara, he trained with the Dallas Burn and Anaheim Splash and played with the Sacramento Knights. Johnson and Lloyd Biggs created one.Soccer Schools together nearly two decades ago.
The partnership will provide elite players attending a one. Soccer Schools camp, the opportunity to be identified, selected and invited on a trip of a lifetime, as part of a US GFL Select Team.
Players are offered a 14-day experience to train alongside and play against, some of the best Bundesliga youth academies in Duisburg, Germany. Since 2012, GFL Soccer has chosen high level players to train and play against German professional academy teams, such as FC Bayern Munich, TSV Munich 1860, Borussia Dortmund, Fortuna Dusseldorf, FC Cologne, Borussia Moechen Glad Bach, MSV Duisburg and Fortuna Koln among many others.
This is an exceptional experience in which elite players are challenged to sharpen their skills, creative game play and expand perspective in the game, on an international level. GFL opens international doors for players to be noticed and invited for tryouts or even signed as a professional player by Bundesliga scouts.
GFL Soccer select teams will compete between August 1st – 14th, 2016. The trip is open to following ages:
Boys:
U11 – born 2006/05
U13 – born 2004/03
U15 – born 2002/01
U17 – born 2000/99
Girls:
U13 – born 2004/03
U15 – born 2002/01
GFL Select teams will also participate in sightseeing trips to enhance their cultural perception. Trips will include the city of Cologne and Dusseldorf and visits to multiple arenas.
“The overall experience for the player is incredible, they train and play against some of the best young talent in Germany as well as enjoy state of the art facilities the Bundesliga has to offer,” said Eddie Loewen, CEO of GFL Soccer. “Over the last three years over 30 U.S. youth players have been selected to try out with Bundesliga clubs such as FC Bayern Munich, TSG Hoffenheim, TSV 1860 Munich, FC Ingolstadt, MSV Duisburg and FC Magdeburg.”
“Currently U.S. Homegrown player Stevie Rudderham with the FC Tampa Rangers is playing for 3rd Division side FC Magdeburg, and Coby Atkinson from the Boca United is on trial with Bundesliga Club TSG Hoffenheim — anticipating to move to Germany in the summer of 2016,” said Loewen. “We are excited to give players from one. Soccer Schools the same opportunity.”
SoccerToday spoke with Loewen to learn more about the partnership:
Diane Scavuzzo: How did the partnership start?
Eddie Loewen: I was introduced to Jeff and Lloyd Biggs (Co-Founder) with one. Soccer Schools thru a common friend and colleague Chris Lemay 3 years ago. Lemay is the Associate Head Women’s Coach at Cal and the founder of Soccer in the Sand. After meeting Jeff and Lloyd, we all realized we could create a perfect partnership. One Soccer Schools is able to offer their top elite players the opportunity to be part of this experience and GFL is able to select from a highly talented pool of dedicated players.
Diane Scavuzzo: What do you believe American youth soccer players can learn from experiencing soccer outside of the USA?
Eddie Loewen: American youth players grow up in a very different soccer culture than their counterparts abroad. They can see firsthand how the top players in Germany approach the game in practice and games — the attitude, intensity, attention to detail, respect, work rate, speed of play, all crucial aspects of the game. The take away experience these players gain, can be life changing. It positively impacts their approach to the game going forward and, as a bonus, establishes lasting bonds of friendship with new teammates.
Diane Scavuzzo: Germany’s National Team are the World Cup Champs and the US is the top of the food chain for women’s soccer – can boys learn more than girls from this trip?
Eddie Loewen: No, I think that the girls can gain as much from this experience as their counterparts. The soccer culture in the U.S. is beginning to emerge, however we must continue towards growth and development whether we look at boys or girls soccer. There is still much work to be done and change for the better in our American soccer culture, but the good is that we are at least starting.
For example, the German Woman’s Bundesliga is one of the most competitive Professional Women’s League in the World and therefore, there is much opportunity for coaches and players to experience growth and development by sharing an international exchange.
Diane Scavuzzo: Why Germany?
Eddie Loewen: GFL has chosen Germany as the location for this program given the consistency of world-wide success in the realm of soccer both in the women’s and men’s division. Everyone can benefit from studying the game and seeing how Germany pursues the sport and supports it.
Diane Scavuzzo: How do the different ages benefit from the international youth soccer experience?
Eddie Loewen: For younger players, it is more about inspiration and exposure to the German culture. The focus is geared to falling deeper in love with the beauty of the game.
For the older players, the emphasis is on being able to measure alongside and against same age elite youth players in the US and Germany. It is setting realistic goals for their soccer future in college, or on a professional level.
All the players who have traveled with us dream of becoming a professional player. However, many fail to realize the amount of time, training, dedication, and character a player must have and invest in order to achieve their dream.
In Germany, they are able to see their peers of a different country and realize how many have the same goal. It brings it into perspective and sheds light on the competitive nature of the sport. Many players forge lasting friendships with German players and even consider immersing in the German culture with host families for several weeks.
We even set up Q&A’s for the whole group to meet with Academy Directors. Last year, we meet with the Head of Academy from FC Cologne and MSV Duisburg as well as with their youth players. Parents were permitted to ask important questions to further understand how soccer development works in a Pro Club/ Academy in Germany.
Diane Scavuzzo: What is the overall goal of the program?
Eddie Loewen: The goal is to inspire, to motivate and guide players by immersing them into one of the best soccer development systems in the world. For a few outstanding talented players, we open up the doors for try outs with German Pro Clubs and for a very select few, the dream to play in Germany for a Professional Club becomes reality.
The choice of immersing players in the German Soccer culture has rendered positive results. We’ve seen players return to their clubs focused, aggressive and hungry for the challenge. They change the culture within their team (how to approach the game in training and games, especially the older ones, who come back fired up and motivated to make a difference in their small soccer circles).
Step by step we work to raise the competitive level evermore higher, improve the soccer culture in the US and seek elite players with passion, dedication and grit for the game, helping facilitate their dreams.
One. Soccer Schools is one of the ways GFL scouts, identifies and recruits players for their international teams. Loewen also said, “We scout players at the GFL Camps and ID Clinics – the dates can be found on our website and our GFL Scouts attend specific youth soccer showcases — selected soccer tournaments, league games and State Cups to identify highly talented players.”
Related Article: Lloyd Biggs: The Benefits of Winning Ugly and Jeff Johnson – Leader in Dynamic Soccer Training
