FARA International Soccer Study Abroad Programs - Alternatives to Youth Soccer Camps , Youth Boarding Soccer Camps, Youth Soccer Academies, Youth Soccer Camps, and Youth Soccer Team Tours Abroad.

October 20, 2008

After a hard fought spring session in FARA's Pro IFX program in Bavaria, Germany, Massachusetts native Brandin McClay signed his first professional contract with Bavarian powerhouse club SpVgg Weiden.

McClay just 19 years old, set out in April 2008 on his journey to Germany after enrolling in the Pro IFX program. During his initial training period, he trained with various local clubs in the Bayreuth, Germany and proved that he could play within the top league in the state, the Bayern Oberliga. After several weeks of training, SpVgg Weiden offered him an attractive contract to stay with their club to play for the next two seasons.

In conjunction with German attorney Jesko Onken, IFX is co-managing Brandin McClay, providing him with full player representation.

German IFX representative Ronald Neumann (left) alongside US native Brandin McClay during his first professional signing with SpVgg Weiden of the Bavarian Oberliga.

Here are a few words from Brandin himself:

My soccer experience in Germany was life changing. Training with various clubs and leagues helped me develop as a player. Some of the clubs I went to included SpVgg Bayreuth, SV Weidenberg, SGV Friesen, and SpVgg Weiden. It was a very unique journey for me. The language barrier was difficult but sometimes soccer has its own language…a language I believe I was able to master.

As you walk in the door before every training session the players would shake hands and say "Hallo" and make you feel comfortable, but once on the pitch it became a very competitive atmosphere. The playing surfaces were extremely difficult in the middle leagues. They played on "Hardplatz", which is like fine gravel similar to some baseball fields in the States. All of the top divisions have natural grass fields which were in immaculate condition. I was fortunate to be able to play well on all surfaces.

2008-9 SpVgg Weiden Team, McClay third from bottom left

My intension was to become a professional player, no matter what I had to do, where I had to go, or how hard I had to work. I went through some rough times but a trial with a club down the road led me to a two year professional contract with a quality D4 club.

When SpVgg Weiden offered me a contract to become a professional footballer, a lifelong goal of mine was achieved. Language barriers, difficult playing conditions, a foreign land only made my resolve all the more resolute. I love this game and I hope to make it my lifelong career…first as a player…next as a coach…and ultimately as a person who will give as much back to the game as it has given me. At this point I am so thankful to all the people and organizations, particularly FARA who have contributed to my success.

OFFICIAL BRANDIN McCLAY SPVGG WEIDEN JERSEYS ARE AVAILABLE FOR A LIMITED PERIOD OF TIME. TO ORDER, PLEASE SEND AN EMAIL TO COACHELEV123@AOL.COM

SOCCER EXCHANGE: COMPETE WITH AN INTERNATIONAL SOCCER CLUB

Online Application

The Youth Year IFX program, a soccer exchange program and the latest alternative to international soccer schools, soccer camps, and boarding soccer schools, gives high school soccer players the opportunity to compete within a foreign youth soccer club while studying abroad at a foreign high school and living with a host family.

Sebastian Mantello, above, a 16 year-old from Melbourne Australia, trialed with Hamburger SV of the German Youth Bundesliga, before joining Bavarian powerhouse club, FC Schweinfurt 05 where he'll compete for the 2007-8 season.

Click Here to read about his experience so far!

With official partnerships with academic exchange institutions, the IFX program provides a unique opportunity for immersion into a foreign culture through soccer. While soccer camps, soccer boarding schools, and soccer academies typically train all participating players together, the IFX program places players individually amongst one of our partner clubs in Europe, with full immersion within a foreign club. While most international soccer camps and soccer boarding schools train participating players in large groups amongst themselves, our soccer exchange program enables players to participate in the normal training activities of the foreign club, compete as fully registered players of the youth team according to their age, and learn not only from licensed European trainers, but also from their highly competitve peers. This advantage of being the sole IFX participant on the foreign squad forces rapid technical development and enhances the players' ability to learn and adapt to a foreign environment.

The program is open to both high school age girls and boys, who have a good scholastic record, a strong interest and desire to excel in soccer, and an interest in experiencing a foreign culture and language.

With our extensive network of highly competitive clubs throughout Europe, the IFX also enables players who have demonstrated throughout the year to be exceptional players the opportunity to trial with youth squads of first division professional clubs.

ENROLLMENT PERIOD FOR FALL & WINTER X-CHANGE PROGRAM:

We still have a few openings to train with our partner clubs in Belgium, Germany, and Spain, but time is running out to apply. If you are a player and interested in applying, please review the application procedure and contact us immediately. Training dates begin throughout the fall and winter, varying depending on the club. Below are a few of our partner clubs that still have availibities.

Some of our partner clubs...click here for more info.

Fall 2007-8 Player X-Change opportunities

With our expanding network of football clubs throughout Europe and South America, we can now offer a more comprehensive and extensive network of teams to train with. Our partners include but are not limited to clubs in the following destinations:

Germany
Bayreuth
Bamberg
Freiburg Peru
Trujillo
Lima
Belgium
Brussels
Namur
Leuven Spain
Barcelona
Valencia
Madrid

To find out more about how you can participate in our International Fútbol X-Change program and experience first hand the challenge and excitement of international football, and have an unforgettable, life changing adventure, please read about our program details. Click here

Nick Lackey warming up before a Samba match in '05.

January 26, 2006- Four players from the NPSL California semi-professional club, the Salinas Valley Samba, have ventured to Madrid, Spain to train with 5th division club Fundacion Tornado Tres Cantos. Defenders Tommy Hernandez and Nick Lackey, and midfielders Ram Ananda and Nate Northup are adjusting well to the foreign conditions, despite bitter cold weather throughout January in Madrid. Easing their adaptation to the Spanish game has been the quality of the training grounds of Tornado Tres Cantos with their relatively newly built artificial pitch.

The players will remain in Madrid for an indefinite period of time, seeing where this opportunity will take them. For more info on the Madrid program, click here.

August 14 , 2005- It was an exciting year, with several FARA participants traveling to Europe to showcase their talent, and learn about European culture. A few of them were:

Travis Hill, a Washington state native, trained with RJ Wavre of the Belgian 5th division for the past month.

Moreno Alberti, a Canadian from Winnipeg, also trained with RJ Wavre.

Robert Orum, a graduate of St. Mary's college in California, and dual citizen of USA/Brazil, also had trained with Wavre, after having trouble with the financially unstable Fortuna Köln, who initially declared bankruptcy after offering him a contract for the 2005-6 season. During his training with Wavre, however, they reorganized and invited him back to Germany.

Anton Golub, a native of Zagreb, Croatia, journeyed to northern Bavarian club Spvgg Bayreuth.

Jeffrey Deren, a graduate of the University of Massachusetts, began his journey with the professional Belgian side, Union Royale Namur, ultimately ending up in Denmark with 3rd division side B1913.

Yuta Tanaka and Nic Platter, UC Davis alumni, both ventured to northern Bavaria to get a taste of the German technical game with SV Neusorg. They then moved on to train with Spvgg Bayreuth of the Bayerische Oberliga.

SEPTEMBER 25, 2004 - After quite a journey through western Europe, native Californian striker, Yuri Morales, has been signed by Danish Superliga club, Viborg FF. The club has been testing Morales with their reserve team, where he has already made a solid impact, scoring 12 goals in 9 games and earning himself a spot on the bench for a possible Superliga debut this weekend. Morales was a FARA participant this summer, training with German club SV Neusorg, of Bayreuth , Germany.

After an attractive offer from the Germans, he decided to take advantage of one last trial with Viborg, where they were extremely impressed by the crafty goalscorer. The 22-year old will be with Viborg for the remainder of the fall, where a contract extension is likely, after his strong performance with the reserves.

Yuri has offered us some insight into his European experience:

Overall my experience with soccer here has been good. Most of the guys on the team are very nice and they accepted me as part of the team right away. Although it is a very serious and professional environment, off the field the players are good people and they like to joke around and have fun just like everyone else. Rumor has it that "all professional footballers are arrogant and egotistical." In my experience this is not true. Everyday I train with the first team and on the weekends I play games with the reserve team. I have scored 12 goals in 9 games with the reserves. It has taken me time to adjust to the level and style of football here and I am learning alot. The level here is much higher than anything I have experienced in the US or Brasil. The Danish style is very fast, physical, direct football with lots of counter-attacks. I have been scoring goals but I feel that I still have alot to learn and I have not yet reached my full potential. When the coach feels that I am ready I will get my chance to prove myself with the first team. But until then I will continue working hard in training and scoring as much as possible with the reserves.

The Danish culture is not much different than that of the US. I have not really thought about it much because I've been focusing mostly on football. But I can say that everyday life here seems very similar to the US. One thing I noticed that is different about Denmark is that there is an incedibly high tax rate (I think it is the highest in the world). But even though people pay so much tax, they still seem to work hard. I'm sure there are some people who just live off the government but not too many. The vast majority of people work and don't complain about it. Because of the very high tax there are hardly any homeless people and people also get health care, hospital services, help during periods of unemployment, and many other social services. And all public areas are very clean. The higher tax rate also closes the gap between the haves and the have-nots.

So overall my experience here has been good and I am happy. I have the best job in the world and everyday I get to do the thing I love most... play football.
FARA will be keeping close track of Yuri's progress and status overseas. We wish him the best of luck and look forward to having another American success story.

For more information on how FARA can help you reach your soccer dream, click here.

DANKE SV NEUSORG!

SEPTEMBER 25 , 2004- One of Germany's most traditional clubs, Freiburger Fussball Club, hosted ex-international star from the St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Alexander Pete Morris for the month of August. Pete's performance turned many Freiburger heads, with talk of a possible training period extension or contract offer down the road.

Pete had to return to New York for personal reasons but will be returning in mid-fall to Freiburg. FARA had arranged for Morris' international training arrangements with the Black Forest Verbandsliga club local rival of Bundesliga club SC Freiburg.

Morris has had quite a career already, having played for St. Vincent and the Grenadines in World Cup Prelimaries against Mexico, Honduras, and Costa Rica, not to mention several other internationals. He spent some time with 2nd division Portuguese side, Santa Clara FC, Hairoun Lions of the Caribbean Professional League, and the Bronx Rockers of the USL D3 Pro League.

For more information on our international programs, click here.

JULY 9, 2003 SAN FRANCISCO, CA-FARA, Fútbol Against Racism in the Americas, established itself as the first anti-racist non-profit corporation in the Americas dedicated to the eradication of racism and promotion of cultural unification through the world's most beloved sport, soccer.

Answering FIFA's call to all world soccer organizations, federations, leagues, clubs, teams, etc., to fight against racism through every means possible, FARA has established itself as an international organization promoting cultural cohesion through its various grassroots programs and services.

FARA's various soccer programs and anti-racist campaigns are emerging throughout North, Central, and Latin America. Our partners, members, and donors come from all corners of the globe, uniting behind one common love, one passion--the world's most celebrated sport, Fútbol.

Our presence at international exhibition matches, professional league matches, international tournaments, and youth and college events, ensure that the message of cultural unification shall be taught to our future generations. We believe that through exposure to foreign cultures, we can more easily begin to understand one another.

Soccer is a truly powerful medium with which we are battling racism.

Thank you for your support.

Michael L. Carlson
President

FARA Plan of Action

FARA calls upon fútbol governing bodies and clubs to:

recognize the problem of racism in fútbol;

Adopt, publish and enact anti-racist policy;

make full use of fútbol to bring people together from different communities and cultures;

establish a partnership with all organizations committed to kicking racism out of fútbol in particular with supporters groups, migrants and ethnic minorities.

FARA commits itself to:

challenging all forms of racist behavior in stadiums and within clubs by making our voice(s) heard;

include ethnic minorities and migrants within our organization and partner organizations;

work together with all organizations willing to tackle the problem of racism in fútbol and society.