February 26 – English Premier League champions Manchester City have signed a five-year development partnership with the Surf Soccer youth club in San Diego, California.
The entrance to the West Coast of the US soccer scene is a further expansion of City Football Group’s footprint in the US. The owners of Manchester City also own MLS franchise New York City Football Club on the East Coast, which begins its inaugural season next month.
Central to the Man City sponsorship with Surf Soccer Club is support of the Manchester City FC Americas Cup presented by Surf Cup Sports tournament hosted in San Diego during May. The tournament is aimed at 10 to 17 year olds.
The deal is the first of its kind by a Barclays Premier League club in the US. As part of the agreement, City will deliver coaching programmes to children, based on the same coaching methodology and principles used by City’s first team.
Surf Soccer Club coaches will also benefit from coaching workshops, as well as having the opportunity to visit and train at Man City’s new City Football Academy.
City Football Services, the division of City Football Group that shares footballing IP and “know-how” on the playing side of the game, brokered the deal and will work with Surf Soccer to create an affiliate club coaching programme to develop players and coaches from affiliated youth clubs.
Brian Marwood, Managing Director for City Football Services, said: “Our partnership will provide a fantastic opportunity for young players to develop as footballers and to connect with our team in Manchester. We look forward to working with Surf Soccer as we develop a number of projects together both in the United States and Manchester.”
Jeremy McDonald, President of the San Diego Surf Soccer Club. “By forming this strategic partnership with Manchester City FC, we can grow the Surf brand nationally and help Manchester City to develop their presence in the United States.”
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