World Football Academy joins US Club Soccer as ‘Players First’ partner
CHARLESTON, S.C. (Via US Club Soccer) – US Club Soccer announced that World Football Academy USA has joined as its newest partner in the Players First platform to improve coaching education and development in American youth soccer.
The World Football Academy / Players First partnership will focus on soccer periodisation and kick off with an introductory webinar on Sept. 30, which will serve as the first of 10 webinars over the next 12 months based on the key principles of periodisation. Raymond Verheijen, founder of the World Football Academy and world-renowned periodisation expert, will lead the first webinar. More information about the Sept. 30 webinar, including a US Club Soccer-specific discount, will be announced soon.
The partnership will also include a series of in-person educational seminars for in depth study and discussion of a wide variety of topics on periodisation and other world-class training methodology. Details on future events will be released in the coming months.
World Football Academy founder Raymond Verheijen said: “We are delighted to support the Players First initiative and to welcome US Club Soccer as a national partner for our Youth Periodisation program. For each and every player to be able reach their full potential, they must be supported by progressive, forward-thinking organizations. We look forward to working with US Club Soccer to raise the bar of soccer in the U.S.”
Christian Lavers, US Club Soccer’s Executive Vice President, pointed to benefits beyond just coaching education and development. “Aligning with the world leaders in soccer periodisation will give our clubs the opportunity to remain at the forefront of revolutionizing soccer in the United States,” Lavers said. “It helps players maximize their potential and performance, while minimizing injury risk as much as possible.”
Raymond Verheijen is widely recognized as the world’s leading expert and educator in soccer periodisation. The World Football Academy is a global soccer education institute founded by Verheijen to “make football better.” Verheijen has a master’s degree in exercise physiology and sport psychology, and has worked with multiple professional teams including Barcelona, Chelsea, the Feyenoord Academy and Manchester City. At the international level, he is the only coach to have worked with teams at each of the last eight World Cups or EUROS – Holland (Euro 2000, 2004), South Korea (FIFA World Cup 2002, 2006 and 2010), Russia (Euro 2008 and 2012) and Argentina (FIFA World Cup Final 2014).
US Club Soccer launched the Players First platform in early August to change the youth soccer environment and provide a holistic club soccer experience allowing every player to reach his or her full potential. Players First – which features a suite of best-in-class resources for clubs, coaches, parents and players – is based on five pillars: Club Development, Coaching Development, Player Development, Parent Engagement & Education and Player Health & Safety.
