PUMA® is excited to announce the first annual PUMA Elite Trials Powered by Arsenal, which will be hosted this July 15th-18th at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex located at the Walt Disney World Resort in Lake Buena Vista, FL. This invite only PUMA event gathers the best players in the 2002 age group from across the United States, bringing them together in Lake Buena Vista where they will train in front of leading scouts and Arsenal FC Academy staff.
The selected players have been identified by the PUMA Elite scouting system and have been invited to participate in this event. During a four-day period the players will be evaluated in a series of technical training drills as well as in-game play. The identified top talent of the group will receive an invitation to travel to London with PUMA in September to participate in the annual All-Star Trip. The All-Star trip offers participating players and coaches the ability to train with Arsenal staff and compete against Arsenal Academy players. In addition, players will be treated to a VIP experience that includes watching the Arsenal first team train, as well as an opportunity to watch an Arsenal match at Emirates Stadium.
Steve Morrow, Head of Arsenal Academy Recruitment says, “We are excited to be hosting this event and the opportunity to assess some of the top talents in the USA in this younger age group. We hope that we can discover some top players that can be nurtured and developed to play football at a higher level.”
These player trials are a component of PUMA Elite programming, which seeks to partner the PUMA brand with top youth soccer clubs across the United States. The program offers exclusive, year-long programming that adds tangible benefits for players, coaches and parents through training curriculum, VIP experiences and access to top international clubs. As a component to this program, in 2014, PUMA strategically aligned key US club partners Albion SC and FC Virginia with Arsenal. The PUMA Elite Program Powered by Arsenal allows US youth clubs the opportunity to have access to a world-renown club, and the chance to learn to play the Arsenal way.