Soccer Universities and Suzzara Sport Club have decided to cooperate in the development and movement of young international talent. To this end, the two organizations partnered to develop playing opportunities for Soccer Universities players. They will not only be selected for Suzzara SC’s first team squad, but Suzzara has already agreed to having eight guaranteed first team spots for SU players.
Part of the agreement is that Soccer Universities will provide the technical and coaching staff for the first team and the reserve team. This will include the full control of the reserve team being granted to Soccer Universities with 20 additional international playing spots and the opportunity to continue their development in a competitive senior league in Italy. This will occur while the players continue their education through SU’s Dual Pathway Program.
This is the first of the three similar partnerships that are currently being finalized by Soccer Universities in Europe for the 2023 squads leading into 2024, as part of our new player initiative development process.
Soccer Universities’ management team and technical staff is currently listed on www.sports-universities.com. Please visit the website and see what is arguably one of the most qualified and experienced coaching staff ever to work on a project such as this. The staff includes coaches who are former players and coaches of the English and Scottish Premier Leagues, La Liga, Bundesliga, Major League Soccer, and former national team players.
The objective of our cooperation with these clubs is to create a pathway to develop international talent through Soccer Universities. Also, we will create an education solution for many of these non-professional European players to access the American college system and offer professional playing opportunities here in the US through our extensive network of professional teams and colleges.
President of Suzzara SC, Enzo Palvarini said, “We are extremely excited about this partnership with Soccer Universities as a first of its kind in our region. We support Soccer Universities’ vision of player development and creating exposure for all our players. Currently, Suzzara SC is officially affiliated with Mantova 1911 of Serie C division and Hellas Verona FC of Serie A division, where many of Suzzara’s players over the years have risen to start their careers.”
Palvarini continued by saying, “Soccer Universities played against us last year with a very talented group of players. They played against our first team in what was an extremely competitive match. We did try and sign two of the SU players after the game. However, we could not come to an agreement so late in the season. This approach will give us the opportunity to rectify that and to benefit from the experience of SU’s incredible technical staff with our first squad. At the same time, we will gain access to some of the US talent while utilizing Suzzara’s platform to create exposure for not just our players but for foreign talent in the future.”
Matt Driver CEO of Sports Universities said, “This partnership with Suzzara SC is great opportunity for Soccer Universities’ players. To say that we are excited to announce this partnership is an understatement.”
He continued, “The average American high school and college kid is sold a dream in the USA that the only way to make it as a pro is to be drafted at the end of a 4-year career in college and enter the MLS draft. Tell me how that works out and do the math on that. The stats do not add up. I am a former MLS coach and understand that system extremely well.”
“What we have created through this partnership with Suzzara, and the two more teams that we are announcing in the next few weeks, is a real pathway for the players who need the experience, exposure, and the opportunity to be treated and held accountable as professional players and not college players whose parents are playing politics at the local travel club. Through Suzzara SC these players will get that opportunity and possibly an opportunity to impress Suzzara’s affiliated clubs who compete at the highest level of soccer in Italy. This gives our SU players the opportunity that normally is not available to the average non-affiliated American player that enters the US college system.”
Soccer Universities was founded to create a Dual Pathway Program for players to continue to follow their ambition to play at the professional level and not have to choose between professional soccer or education. Continuing education is important as not everyone can succeed as a professional player and needs an alternative to fall back on.