As some states in the U.S. come close to a second lockdown, parents are starting to feel very concerned about their children’s education and football options for next season. The nearly 25 million football (soccer) players and their families in the U.S. are continuing to feel the loss of opportunity they encountered since the early days of March 2020, when all the parks started to close, for safety reasons, one after the other throughout the U.S.
No more training, no spring tournaments, and no leagues. As if it was not enough, the uncertainties for next season are now higher than ever, due to the steady increase of cases of Covid-19 in the U.S. Families are having second thoughts about their children’s plans for next season and are ready to give it a shot and chase their dreams of playing in Europe!
As a matter of fact, in these difficult times, the International Center of European Football is seeing a peak in late applications for the 2020-2021 season.
Today more than ever, the professional program implemented by Europe’s first football residency academy is appealing to players in the U.S. as, despite the halt in opportunities in the U.S., they can make the transition to Europe and:
- Compete at the highest level of youth competition in France;
- Maximize their exposure to top professional D1 & D2 European clubs;
- Learn football through the excellence of the European football methodology;
- Receive best-in-class preparation by a UEFA/ FFF licensed technical staff;
- Pursue academic education in Europe (Middle & High School, Bachelor’s & Master’s degrees);
- Live in a safe, private and enclosed campus near Geneva where life has resumed.
Tryouts are open for next season
Due to the peak in late applications, ICEF has decided to continue its recruiting efforts with online tryouts, to offer student-athletes in the U.S. the opportunity to enroll in the 10-month Pro Residency program and pursue their dreams of playing in Europe. Elite players born between 1997 and 2009 can try out to join the International Center of European Football for the 2020 – 2021 season by registering online at grandgeneve.psgacademypro.com/en/tryout/. The 10-month program will kick off on August 24th.
ICEF’s Covid-19 response has already been implemented at the center. The ICEF team has elevated and reinforced the health and safety standards to provide an even safer campus to all student-athletes for the peace of mind of their families. Student-athletes enjoy boarding life in a protected environment, in one of the safest regions in the world, at the crossroads of all major European teams. The Greater Geneva area benefits from being one of Europe’s low-risk areas, thanks to its low population density. Switzerland and the Evian-les-Bains region, where our center is located, are amongst the safest and healthiest in Europe.