(CAROLINA ELITE SOCCER ACADEMY PRESS-RELEASE)
May 19, 2010 - West Ham United International Academy announced a partnership today with the Carolina Elite Soccer Academy (CESA) in Greenville, South Carolina. CESA was established in 2004 and is the home to 3,000 youth soccer players ranging in age from 4-18.
“This is a fantastic opportunity for the coaches and players of CESA to enter into a partnership with West Ham United of the English Premiership. The West Ham United Academy has a reputation for developing players that have made an impact in the English Premiership and at the highest levels of international football. Young, talented and ambitious players within our CESA program will now have the opportunity to test themselves against players from within the West Ham Academy in London. We are excited to have started a partnership with an English Premier League Club that has established a prolific track record of producing talented youngsters. This relationship provides our players who show the ability and potential with a clear opportunity and path to fulfill their soccer promise in the future.” said CESA Co-Executive Director Andrew Hyslop.
West Ham United International Partnership Development Manager, Mike Kelleher said “We are looking forward to working with an organization of the stature of the Carolina Elite Soccer Academy. They have developed a great reputation in the Southeast and will be a first class addition to our family of clubs.”
CESA plans to host a West Ham United Elite Player ID camp in conjunction with our annual CESA College Combine in January, 2011. This will give players the chance to be evaluated by West Ham United International staff. Players who impress will be invited to the West Ham United International Academy National Camp staffed by the West Ham United Academy coaches under the direction of their long time Academy Director Tony Carr.
Hyslop added,” CESA has plans to take a group of our up and coming boys to train and compete at the West Ham Academy in the summer of 2011. Discussions are ongoing regarding bringing a West ham United Academy Team to Greenville in the near future and we feel that from a club perspective all of these opportunities make perfect sense for our players.”
