YOUNGSTER TO SAMPLE LIFE AT ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE ACADEMY
A Clifton Park under-14 soccer player is heading to the UK to see first-hand life at an English Premier League academy.
Ari George, 13, will be visiting the training headquarters of Everton Football Club 18 March through 23 March thanks to Clifton Park Soccer Club's (CPSC) affiliate link-up with the nine-times English champions.
The association allows for development opportunities for coaches and players to visit Everton, and Ari, who is part of Clifton Park's Evolution programme, will be granted the chance to work with the club’s International Academy coaches and tour their facilities.
The trip will also give Ari and coaches at CPSC a privileged opportunity to see the work that goes on behind-the-scenes at a Premier League academy and to take away ideas and learnings that will benefit both the player and Clifton Park’s own youth programme.
Ari, who will travel with parents Annie and Marcus, is the first player from CPSC to make the trip across the Atlantic, following previous coach visits to the Merseyside-based club.
He said: “The opportunity to go to Everton’s training ground and see how Premier League players and academy players train is just fantastic.”
“I can’t wait to train with the International Academy coaches there and soak up everything they can
teach me. It’s a great opportunity and I know I'm going to enjoy and just try to learn every second I'm there.”
Patrick Rabideau, Under-14 boys Evolution head coach at Clifton Park, said: “We've been part of Everton's international affiliate programme for two years now and it's been an eye-opening opportunity for us to work with such a prestigious club in the English game and to learn from coaches who are training potential Premier League stars of the future, day-in and day-out.”
“That access to the knowledge and coaching methodology that Everton has…has helped us to
develop our own programme here at CPSC, and this opportunity for one of our players to travel over
is just another example of why the partnership is so beneficial to us as an organization.”
Paddy Byrne, International Technical Manager at Everton, said: “We work really closely with Clifton
Park to develop their academy programme, by sharing best practice from our own academy but also
through offering tailored support and training visits for both coaches and players to our training
complex.”
"We know from speaking to our other affiliate clubs across North America and beyond that these visits are really valuable in terms of strengthening our relationships with affiliates but also the learnings fromseeing a Premier League environment up close.”
“We’re looking forward to welcoming Ari and his family to Finch Farm for a week with the hope that he will be inspired to keep working hard and keep loving his soccer.”
