Coaches Mick Wild and Mark Willis of BWFCISS recently completed a mini tour of the USA where they visited 3 prospective new Partnership Clubs as part of our rapidly expanding network of affiliate organisations in the US and Canada.
The first stop was the Norfolk Express Soccer Club in Nebraska where they found a small and friendly community based club with lots of potential to develop further in the future with the help and support of the BWFC International Programme.
Mick explained;
"We staged a 3 day development camp for a group of 40 players and the attitude and application of the boys and girls involved was really good. In the evenings we presented some coaching workshops highlighting the technical priorities of BWFC and the ISS which were well attended and well received by the local coaches who were very open to the new ideas and working practices we presented to them. The facilities at the NSC Airpark Complex were of a high standard as was the hospitality and general organisation of the visit by our hosts."
The coaches then moved on to Louisville in Kentucky as guests of the Thoroughbreds Soccer Club where the foundations were laid for an exciting new partnership with a very go ahead and professionally run soccer club.
Mick said;
"I was very impressed with everything about TSC. They have a young, English Coaching Director, Simon Bird who has a very positive vision about the future development of the technical side of their club. We worked with a number of their teams from U10 through to U17 and saw plenty of talent and ambition and I look forward to visiting TSC again very soon as we take this new affiliation forward."
Their last port of call involved a long flight over to the west coast to Olympia in Washington State to work with the coaches and players at Blackhills FC
Mick commented;
"On a personal level it was great to return to the Seattle area, a region I know and like very much. Even the notorious rain held off for us and conditions were pleasant if not quite the intense heat of Nebraska and Kentucky.We had a busy few days at Blackhills and packed a lot of coaching time and contact hours into our visit. We worked with all the clubs age groups from U9 through to U18 and on our last evening we even staged a clinic for 6 - 8 years old players which as well as being joyous and energetic was highly technical and enjoyable for players and coaches alike. Again the hospitality, generosity and organisation of our hosts was greatly appreciated and we look forward to continuing relations with all 3 clubs in the future."