Paris Saint-Germain opens its first Academy in Chicago
After setting up in Florida, California, Arizona, Texas and Pennsylvania, as well as Vancouver in Canada, the Paris Saint-Germain Academy is continuing to expand across North America by opening a new football school in Chicago, in partnership with the West Loop Soccer Club.
After setting up in Florida, California, Arizona, Texas and Pennsylvania, as well as Vancouver in Canada, the Paris Saint-Germain Academy is continuing to expand across North America by opening a new football school in Chicago, in partnership with the West Loop Soccer Club.
Since 2015, the PSG Academy USA has been developed with the aim of providing high-quality training programmes, taught by experienced coaches trained by the Club, for hundreds of young American soccer players.
In Chicago, the Paris Saint-Germain Academy will be rolled out in the emblematic West Loop Soccer club, a major feature on the local sporting stage, which welcomes players of all levels, aged 8 and above. Thanks to the passion and commitment of its coaches, including Manager Milos Bajic, this club now has 500 members and 24 men’s and women’s teams.
The Paris Saint-Germain Academy Chicago will offer year-round training programmes for players of all levels. For beginners aged 2 to 14, taster sessions will be organised as part of the Junior Academy Program. More competitive programmes will also be available for any motivated players aged 5 to 18, who will be selected during scouting sessions held in May. Finally, courses will be held during the school holidays and “clinics” will be organised from time to time, to offer budding new footballers an immersive Rouge & Bleu experience in a fun and inspiring setting.
Ravy Truchot, President of the Paris Saint-Germain Academy USA, announced, “We are delighted to open this Academy in Chicago and we look forward to giving these youngsters the opportunity to develop their talent and reach their full potential. Thanks to our unique training methods, developed by Paris Saint-Germain and imparted by all of our staff, we are confident that we will be able to guide these young players towards excellence and make their dreams come true.”
This ambition is shared by Brand Development Manager Nadia Benmokhtar, who manages the Paris Saint-Germain Academy abroad. “Opening this Academy, the first in Illinois, is an important stage in our development in the United States, where ‘soccer’ is becoming more popular every year, and where young players eagerly seek high-quality training. This ties in with Paris Saint-Germain’s overall ambitions in the USA, where the club has stepped up its presence over recent years. Through its various activities, academies, fan clubs, stores and partnerships with fashion and music icons, Paris Saint-Germain is forging a close relationship with its American fans that is getting stronger by the day.”
Paris Saint-Germain Academy Chicago will begin by hosting scouting sessions from 1st to 12th May 2023, then will follow on with a summer camp from 26th to 30th June 2023 to assess and train the players with a view to them joining the PSG Academy for the 2023-2024 season. The year-round programme will be launched at the end of the summer.