AC Milan Soccer School kicks off in Waltham
AC Milan is not just a name – even though it is about the biggest name there is in the sport of soccer – it’s a philosophy.
That’s the message Michele Ferraris, the head of Milan Soccer Schools, brought to town this weekend for the official presentation of the Waltham-based Milan Soccer School of Boston Saturday night at the Lexington Elks Lodge.
“AC Milan is really supervising and controlling the different soccer programs in this school,” Ferraris said. “It’s not just a branding of AC Milan so we can sell a couple of more jerseys. The goal is to create a quality program where the players learn from coaches trained in the Italian approach to the game.”
Ferraris said the AC Milan approach is to teach the game at an early age and build off that knowledge base as the players get older and more experienced. He said players who stick with the program will have opportunities to train with coaches from AC Milan and even travel to Italy to train with the club.
“The focus will be not only to be a good athlete,” he said, “but to increase the skill as a technical player. You train a 6-year-old completely different than a 16-year-old. The goal will be to increase that technical ability step by step.”
Ferraris said there is also a scouting aspect of the school and aim to introduce American players to the international game at an earlier age.
“You might find a player in Boston who might be the best player locally,” he said. “But if you bring him to Europe, the player can get a better understanding of his talent.”
The program already has more than 200 players involved in ages 10-14 with Milan Soccer School manager Sid Mazzola saying he hopes to have as many as 500 players involved in the program in ages 6-16.
“This offers us a lot of resources in the training and methodology of teaching the game,” Mazzola said. “The major problem in this country is you have different coaches who are not on the same page. AC Milan has a coaching system and a full set of resources behind their work. If any of our coaches have any questions, they have a program where we can go through AC Milan to get advice and answers.”
Mazzola said the program is Waltham-based and will focus on the entire Boston region, especially the Route 2 corridor. He added that there will be traveling clinics available to cut down on commuting for the parents and players.
The AC Milan program can be intensive, with Mazzola saying players are expected to be available for two training sessions and a competition per week at a younger age, with the commitment growing as the player does.
“The level of commitment will really be based on what the player wants to get out of it and how much there is a development of skill,” he said. “If they are looking to play soccer in college, play professionally, it becomes a personal thing. We want to try to build continuity where it starts off inclusive for everybody and the training gets more elite as you get older.”
Mazzola said the club will provide year-round training, but right now is not looking to compete against the high school season. He added the goal of most players in the program is expected to be getting exposed to college recruitment and financial aid.
The Waltham school is the fourth American location after Key Biscayne, Miami and Santa Clarita (Calif).
The new Milan Football School will be one of the many already existing throughout the world, including Europe (Spain, Portugal and England), Canada, Hong Kong and Kuwait.
The club’s objective is to reach 100 schools by the end of 2011. The club’s projects also include the Milan Camp, present at 190 locations all over the world, from Madeira to Lebanon, to Brazil, Australia and South Africa. Being present in Mongolia and in 10 Indonesian cities is among Milan’s short-term plans.
For more information on how to register for the programs, go to www.acmilanboston.com.
(Scott Souza can be reached at 781-398-8006 or ssouza@cnc.com.)
Copyright 2010 Wicked Local Waltham. Some rights reserved
That’s the message Michele Ferraris, the head of Milan Soccer Schools, brought to town this weekend for the official presentation of the Waltham-based Milan Soccer School of Boston Saturday night at the Lexington Elks Lodge.
“AC Milan is really supervising and controlling the different soccer programs in this school,” Ferraris said. “It’s not just a branding of AC Milan so we can sell a couple of more jerseys. The goal is to create a quality program where the players learn from coaches trained in the Italian approach to the game.”
Ferraris said the AC Milan approach is to teach the game at an early age and build off that knowledge base as the players get older and more experienced. He said players who stick with the program will have opportunities to train with coaches from AC Milan and even travel to Italy to train with the club.
“The focus will be not only to be a good athlete,” he said, “but to increase the skill as a technical player. You train a 6-year-old completely different than a 16-year-old. The goal will be to increase that technical ability step by step.”
Ferraris said there is also a scouting aspect of the school and aim to introduce American players to the international game at an earlier age.
“You might find a player in Boston who might be the best player locally,” he said. “But if you bring him to Europe, the player can get a better understanding of his talent.”
The program already has more than 200 players involved in ages 10-14 with Milan Soccer School manager Sid Mazzola saying he hopes to have as many as 500 players involved in the program in ages 6-16.
“This offers us a lot of resources in the training and methodology of teaching the game,” Mazzola said. “The major problem in this country is you have different coaches who are not on the same page. AC Milan has a coaching system and a full set of resources behind their work. If any of our coaches have any questions, they have a program where we can go through AC Milan to get advice and answers.”
Mazzola said the program is Waltham-based and will focus on the entire Boston region, especially the Route 2 corridor. He added that there will be traveling clinics available to cut down on commuting for the parents and players.
The AC Milan program can be intensive, with Mazzola saying players are expected to be available for two training sessions and a competition per week at a younger age, with the commitment growing as the player does.
“The level of commitment will really be based on what the player wants to get out of it and how much there is a development of skill,” he said. “If they are looking to play soccer in college, play professionally, it becomes a personal thing. We want to try to build continuity where it starts off inclusive for everybody and the training gets more elite as you get older.”
Mazzola said the club will provide year-round training, but right now is not looking to compete against the high school season. He added the goal of most players in the program is expected to be getting exposed to college recruitment and financial aid.
The Waltham school is the fourth American location after Key Biscayne, Miami and Santa Clarita (Calif).
The new Milan Football School will be one of the many already existing throughout the world, including Europe (Spain, Portugal and England), Canada, Hong Kong and Kuwait.
The club’s objective is to reach 100 schools by the end of 2011. The club’s projects also include the Milan Camp, present at 190 locations all over the world, from Madeira to Lebanon, to Brazil, Australia and South Africa. Being present in Mongolia and in 10 Indonesian cities is among Milan’s short-term plans.
For more information on how to register for the programs, go to www.acmilanboston.com.
(Scott Souza can be reached at 781-398-8006 or ssouza@cnc.com.)
Copyright 2010 Wicked Local Waltham. Some rights reserved
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