Rio Maior – Portugal
Valeo Futbol Club Inc. – the international soccer training organization that aims to provide a world-class development pathway for student-athletes – is pleased to announce the relaunch of Valeo International Academy (VIA), a full-time football residency program based in Rio Maior, Portugal.
The VIA program is focused on developing and preparing elite players from clubs, high schools, and colleges, to excel professionally and internationally. Through its partnerships with specialist academies and professional clubs in Portugal, VIA offers development in academia, football excellence, and leadership.
VIA will begin with the Fall semester in September, 2022, and run throughout the regular academic year. Players will train over 20 hours per week in a variety of formats that include individual, small group, and team training sessions.
VIA players live together in the chaperoned, state-of-the-art Rio Maior High Performance Center: one of the most versatile and advanced sports complexes in Europe that caters to the most demanding footballers, clubs, and teams. The facilities boasts a 7,300 seat stadium, 4 training fields, 1 beach soccer sand pitch, 2,200 seat futsal/ indoor arena, 3 pools, 2 strength training rooms, medical, rehabilitation facilities and state of the art performance lab. It is currently the home of the Portuguese Football Federation, where they prepare their football, futsal, and beach soccer teams for the European and World Championships.
Academic life is of utmost importance to the program. As such, Valeo FC have developed a custom curriculum in partnership with the Sports Science School of Rio Maior ESDRM (Escola Superior de Desporto de Rio Maior). The institution is a fully-accredited, award winning public university that is part of the Polytechnic Institute of Santarém and provides training based on solid scientific, technological and pedagogical knowledge. The flexibility of the VIA academic program allows students to tailor their schedules to work around training, competition and travel demands.
As a premier development opportunity, prospective players must go through an extensive application process. To date, VIA has accepted six high school boys for the Fall. This cohort of players are all between the ages of 14-18 and have spent the last few years competing at the highest level of youth soccer in North America. For more information on the Academy or the application process, please contact Carter Hochman (carter@valeofc.com).
“The goal of the VIA program is to create the finest, most rigorous soccer development environment for ambitious players who want to train and play the game at the highest level,” said Emelio Williams, Founder and President of Valeo FC. “We are providing the opportunity and the gateway for talented players to play professionally in European leagues.”