As part of their Total Club Concept programme powered by Arsenal, PUMA invited a group of elite under-11 and under-13 players from US teams Albion and FC Virginia over to the UK for an ‘Access All Areas’ experience at Arsenal.
Children from San Diego and Virginia travelled to the UK on Wednesday, September 10 and were welcomed by Arsenal’s head scout and former player, Steve Morrow, before completing a training session at the club’s academy facilities at Hale End.
A packed schedule saw the group visit Emirates Stadium on Thursday for an exclusive tour followed by a match back at Hale End against the Arsenal under-13s in the evening.
The week continued with more TCC elite training sessions led by Bob Jenkins, PUMA/Arsenal TCC Elite Coordinator, followed by a trip to London Colney for a tour of the training ground with a special guest appearance from Theo Walcott.
The trip finished on a high on Saturday when the group greeted both teams to the stadium before the Arsenal v Manchester City match along with a pitchside tour with Arsenal Legend Bob Wilson.
Bob Jenkins explained “Albion & FC Virginia are the TCC Elite inaugural partners for 2014 and they had a great experience at Arsenal – the training facilities are first class and attending the match together capped off an inspiring trip. PUMA hopes to continue to add top calibre US clubs to this program over the next few years”
