Although this is a bit of old news I am still incredibly excited by it. As the first international club to strike this type of deal with the USL, it just goes to show Eggy's commitment to building on our already fine Academy. As a hammers fan in America this is great news not only because West Ham is tapping into a wealth of talent, but because it provides the Irons much more exposure than we have had in the past in this country.
Some quotes that stand out:
Future initiatives include a West Ham United USA youth academy and professional franchise competing within the USL system to provide North, Central and South American players a corridor to Europe. - I'm already a fan of this non-existent team
A sample of the development partnership details include West Ham identifying up to twenty youth players from the USL Super Y-League and Super-20 League to attend the West Ham United Academy in London for training and evaluation. West Ham United will also work with USL to place players on loan or in permanent contracts with USL First Division teams. - With the amount of kids that play football/soccer over here this is a huge deal. The US U-17 to U-14 teams are made up of these players.
Tony Carr, West Ham United Academy Director
“We are excited to bring the West Ham Academy model to the United States and to share some of our ideas and information with USL players, coaches, and clubs. We recognize the potential pool of talented players available through the USL network and look forward to working with them in our academy in London.” - Were excited too!
* picture courtesy of the link above
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