Officials from Disney Sports, LaLiga and IdeaSport LLC, posed with former LaLiga stars along with Mickey and Minnie and several youth soccer players at the Magic Kingdom
The Walt Disney World Resort is teaming with IdeaSport, LLC to host a soccer program for youth athletes at ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex near Orlando, Florida that will be sponsored by LaLiga, one of the most successful professional soccer leagues in the world.
Through this multi-year agreement, the training program presented by LaLiga and the Walt Disney World Resort will provide a holistic approach to soccer education with proven, year-round training, education and development for youth soccer athletes, developing them on and off the field, as well as training for coaches and officials.
LaLiga is one of the most popular sports leagues in the world and has produced Europe’s top-rated club more times (18) than any other league. This new soccer program presented by LaLiga and Walt Disney World presents youth athletes with a rare opportunity to learn the Spanish style of soccer from the world-class coaches, players and officials associated with LaLiga.
“For the last 20 years, ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex has been a top venue for athletes of all ages and levels to pursue their sports dreams,” said Faron Kelley, vice president of Disney Sports. “As we continue to expand our growing portfolio of youth soccer events, we are excited to work with IdeaSport and LaLiga to provide this world-class development opportunity for youth soccer athletes.”
An open house will be hosted by LaLiga and Walt Disney World on June 1-4 at ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex, and training and development are scheduled to begin in late June. In addition, the partnership will bring multiple events and exhibitions to the complex each year, including a tournament, on-site events with current and former LaLiga players, summer camps with current and former players and coaches, visits from LaLiga legends and ambassadors, and more events to be announced throughout the multi-year relationship.
“This represents the coming together of two strong brands where passion, drive and authenticity meet,” said Javier Tebas, president of LaLiga. “This unique opportunity will help aspiring youth soccer players to learn the LaLiga style of soccer from our world-class coaches, players and officials associated with our league.”
ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex annually hosts elite youth soccer events such as Disney Cup International and Disney Soccer Showcase and from 2010-2014, hosted the Walt Disney Pro Soccer Classic, which featured professional soccer clubs from North America. Over the past 20 years, the sports complex also had partnerships with Chelsea Football Club (English Premier League), Italian football club AS Roma and Major League Soccer’s Orlando City SC.
For more information on this exciting new soccer program, visit www.idea-sports.com.