The last couple of months there have been talks with Manager Youth Academy Rene Koster to pursue the cooperation between NEC Nijmegen and KingsTalent.
Professional Soccer Club NEC is obligated (by rules of the Royal Dutch Soccer Association) to satisfy certain guidelines concerning the quality of the Youth Academy. The Soccer Association has therefore drawn up a Quality & Performance Program. In this program are a couple of important subjects concerning the education of youth players. One of the pilars in the plan is the preparation of the youth players towards a career outside of professional soccer.
NEC, as a professional soccer club, has a main objective to prepare players for professional soccer. The reality however is that not every player in the Youth Academy will end up becoming a professional soccer player. So a lot of players end up realizing a career outside of professional soccer. NEC and KingsTalent find each other in the combined interest in professional sports, education and careers outside of professional soccer. The exceptional soccer talents will go on to play professional soccer at NEC or another professional soccer club, the soccer talents who don’t make it there can get in contact with KingsTalent. KingsTalent provides the unique possibility to to combine top sports with an education in the USA.
Today the cooperation between NEC and KingsTalent has been confirmed officially with a presentation for the U19 talents at NEC Nijmegen.