INTERNATIONAL FOOTBALL ACADEMY IN RIO MAIOR, PORTUGAL

This is an innovative partnership which will strengthen the connection of the Rio Maior Sports Preparation Centre to high performance football and its strong education program.  A group of 20 native English, Spanish and Hungarian players and a coaching team will conciliate training sessions and studies in the Sport Sciences School, during their stay in the Sports Centre.  This project affiliates the VSI Rio Maior Football Team to the Santarém Football Association, providing their athletes future development and integration in competitive environments.

“It is with great pleasure that we announce this partnership with VSI, who decided to locate one of its education projects in Rio Maior, in a moment when Portugal is passing through a crisis which obliges us to exceptional measures and to the apprehension of foreign interests by making a difference. This initiative makes part of a search for new markets and new challenges with the only thought of creating excellent conditions in Rio Maior to support National Sports, by enduring our own costs in international projects, answering this way to national athletes and institutions”, declared Carlos Coutinho, manager of Rio Maior Sports Centre.

Simon Crane, CEO of VSI, referred that if a perfect place could be conceived, it would be Rio Maior. Our athletes/students are impressed with the sporting facilities of this complex and all the staff, the Rio Maior population and the educational possibilities. We are very impressed with all that surrounds us and hope that we will have a long, profitable relationship with the town and its population.”

For the City’s Mayor Isaura Morais “Portugal in general and particularly Rio Maior, is showing a capacity of attraction to foreign investments in a competitive area like professional sports. We consider this project a great victory to our council, but we do not ignore that it is also a victory to our country.” Isaura Morais thanked the academy promoters for choosing Rio Maior and “especially for trusting in our capacity to help this youngsters integration and, at the same time, endowing them with new tools to achieve their biggest success.”

One of the academy’s mentor, Ian Wright, former professional and international player who dedicates a lot of his time and energy to this project was also present at the event. The former English and international football star will only be one of this project investors, which counts on names like Shauwn-Right-Philips and Mark Hughes and other professional players, former players and coaches of the English Football League.

Ian Wright was surprised about the facilities of the Sports Complex and declared that “we want to give our players excellent conditions and we found them in Rio Maior. These are top facilities for any professional football team. We couldn’t ask for more.”  

Ian was also at the VSI Academy in the USA presentation, in a partnership between VSI and United Soccer Leagues (USL) led by  the luso-american football manager, Francisco Marcos. Francisco Marcos will be the VSI Director in Portugal and the President of VSI Rio Maior FC.