Currently, soccer is the most popular sport in the world, with more than four billion followers, according to FIFA. In recent years there has been an increase in the number of young people who dream of becoming professional soccer players. To achieve this goal, they need to obtain high quality training in an academy that provides them with the necessary tools and techniques that will help them stand out and be a competitive player in the soccer world. Being in Europe, the continent that offers the best international soccer academies, due to its historical features and positioning, infrastructure, training emphasis, level of competence and professional opportunities.
In that sense, in this article we provide some tips for promising young soccer players to find and choose the soccer academy that best suits their sporting needs.
Among the characteristics to take into account when choosing a good soccer academy are:
- Reputation and experience
Before making a decision to choose a soccer academy, it is essential to know the reputation and experience of the academy, analyzing characteristics such as its trajectory, the experience of its coaches, the training success of its students and the opinions of its clients and life experience stories of the youngsters and their parents or any other reference. Obtaining this data will provide information on the quality of teaching and service offered by the academy and the possibilities of gaining notoriety by agents and scouts of professional teams.
At TNGS, we have more than 10 years of presence in the Spanish and international soccer market, with a large list of young people that we have trained to start their professional careers in this sport. We have in our line-up former players such as Nathan Trott who after being with us signed for West Ham United Club, where he played in the Premier League, and was part of the England U20 team.
Likewise with Youssouf Yalike, who made his first division debut for the Spanish La Liga club at the age of 18.
- Training programs
It is important to know the program offered by the academy, to review its philosophy, approach and training methodology, and to analyze if these are necessary for the needs and the development of skills that the young player needs to acquire, as well as to analyze the technical and tactical development, and the specific physical conditioning of its programs for the young player to improve his game technique and other skills such as tactical decision making on the field, physical endurance, among others. Thus, from our catalog of services, we seek to provide the best Spanish soccer techniques to our NG players, characterized by an innovative methodology based on group and individual work for each player to improve their skills and abilities with the guidance of specialized coaches TNGS. Also, NG players have the opportunity to train in teams of the leagues of the Valencian Community, to adapt and learn from the front line the level of competition in Spain.
- Infrastructure and facilities
The academy must have modern and adequate facilities, with the following characteristics: soccer fields in good condition, clean and well-equipped locker rooms and restrooms, and an adequate area for the players’ recovery and rest, as well as the necessary equipment for training and education. Because it must be a suitable environment for the development and well-being of the young players. For this reason, at TNGS, we have the sports facilities of the Polytechnic University of Valencia for training and matches, and the classrooms of the same university for the academic classes of the students, so that our NG players will be surrounded by a university environment, which will inspire them to carry out a higher and professional education.
- Academic Support
It is important to consider, in addition to training programs, the area of education and academic support for young people. Therefore, it is essential that the academies offer educational programs so that students have the opportunity to pursue higher education while pursuing a career in sports. In that sense, our academy offers NG school which is an international education program developed by TNGS, TPT International School and the Polytechnic University (UPV), this program prepares students for the preparation of entrance exams of different international universities, and obtaining official titles of: Baccalaureate according to the country of origin. In addition, our NG players have the support of our psychologists who guide them in the educational area as well as in personal development.
- Competition opportunities
Offering competition opportunities is a strategic service that allows the growth and development of the player because it puts into practice their skills and knowledge that drives them to improve their performance and gain greater experience and learning from the games. Therefore, academies should provide opportunities for their players to participate in local, national and international tournaments. Given this strategic service, at TNGS we offer our NG players the opportunity to participate in different local tournaments with other Spanish academies, as well as to compete in different international matches such as the MIC.
- Lodging options
It is necessary to verify if the soccer academy offers accommodation services, especially for young people coming from other places outside Spain. It is important to know about their availability, the state and condition of their facilities. TNGS offers the NG Residence service, which is located in a residential area on the outskirts of the city of Valencia, with sports facilities for different sports and a social club.
- Alliances with professional clubs in Spain
Finally, strategic alliances are of utmost importance, as they are an indicator of the reputation and experience of the academy. An opportunity for its players to participate in high-level competitions, gaining experience and skills from other gaming environments, and the possibility of study and career opportunities abroad.
Therefore, at TNGS we offer our NG players the opportunity to train and compete in Spanish League clubs, according to the sporting level of each one. As a success story we have our NG player Taye Vandierick, who at 15 years of age is participating in the third division team in Spain.
