Capt. Tuttle
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Marbella United FC. It is a soccer academy in Spain. My son was just offered a spot, but it is very expensive, even with the scholarships they are offering.
Soccer folks: Does anyone know anything about the
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DeGrozz
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This is kind of interesting. Primarily because of how much youth soccer academies are in the news right now.
My first thought when I read your post was that it is completely against FIFA rules for any team outside of the United States to offer you son a spot in their academy (I am assuming your son is under 18 years old). It's actually becoming a very serious issue in the soccer world. Unless you live very close to an international border and the youth is going to a club very close on the other side of that same international border, it is against FIFA rules to transfer to that club, even if it is a lower division club like Marbella United.
For your reference, Marbella united plays in the seventh division of Spain. Essentially, your son (again, I am assuming he is a youth) would be playing for the equivalent of a reserve team for a low single-A baseball team. I don't know if the clubs sends out invites to a ton of players to make money in its academy or if your son is a special talent, but seventh-level professional players (if he makes the senior team) only get a few hundred bucks a week. He'll be better off enjoying living with his family, playing club/varsity soccer with his local US teams and hoping to get an NCAA scholarship to parlay into a common career with his college degree.
Granted, these are higher profile clubs, but here are a few cautionary tales:
http://www.espnfc.us/mexican-liga-m...clubs-wary-of-fifa-rule-in-signing-us-players
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/08/s...merican-soccer-prospect-leaves-barcelona.html
My first thought when I read your post was that it is completely against FIFA rules for any team outside of the United States to offer you son a spot in their academy (I am assuming your son is under 18 years old). It's actually becoming a very serious issue in the soccer world. Unless you live very close to an international border and the youth is going to a club very close on the other side of that same international border, it is against FIFA rules to transfer to that club, even if it is a lower division club like Marbella United.
For your reference, Marbella united plays in the seventh division of Spain. Essentially, your son (again, I am assuming he is a youth) would be playing for the equivalent of a reserve team for a low single-A baseball team. I don't know if the clubs sends out invites to a ton of players to make money in its academy or if your son is a special talent, but seventh-level professional players (if he makes the senior team) only get a few hundred bucks a week. He'll be better off enjoying living with his family, playing club/varsity soccer with his local US teams and hoping to get an NCAA scholarship to parlay into a common career with his college degree.
Granted, these are higher profile clubs, but here are a few cautionary tales:
http://www.espnfc.us/mexican-liga-m...clubs-wary-of-fifa-rule-in-signing-us-players
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/08/s...merican-soccer-prospect-leaves-barcelona.html
