Our History
When analyzing the game as played by the young Americans, it is clear that the talent pool is tremendous. However, much of the talent is not properly developed and often young players are restricted to passing the ball when opposition arrives rather than exercising the freedom to develop their “creative” abilities. Hence we have a lack of exciting, confident ball handlers who are able to make the difference on the field for years to come.
Although much progress has been made in the past decade, as evident by the moderate, yet more frequent, success of the US National team as well as its National youth teams, the transformation to become a consistent force will take many, many more years. The ability for coaches to properly train their young player’s right from the beginning at the grassroots level is the key to reaching the top of the soccer world. SportpartnersUSA gives you the key to unlock that potential.
SportpartnersUSA was created when friends Erwin van Elst and Fons van den Brande came together to discuss soccer in America and the need for a grass roots movement to improve youth soccer. Fons van den Brande has been a leader in soccer innovation through SportpartnersNL in the Netherlands. For over a decade he has dedicated much of his time developing his company into a leader in cutting edge soccer training methods. His ability to clearly communicate the deficiencies of modern soccer training combined with his extensive network of elite professional coaches of clubs such as Manchester United, Real Madrid, AC Milan, AJAX are the cornerstones for the company’s success in the Netherlands as well as bordering countries.
SportpartnersNL and Rene Meulensteen (field trainer of the 1st team of Manchester United) decided to work together to spread the “Moves and Skills” vision. The Moves and Skills vision has been developed by Rene Meulensteen himself and, upon his hiring by Manchester United in 2001, he became the person responsible for developing the clubs very successful youth program. “Moves and Skills” has become an important method for many trainers in the Netherlands as the awareness of Rene’s innovative and highly structured training method is spreading like wildfire.
Currently SportpartnersUSA is run by three friends, sharing a common love and passion for the game, each with a strong drive to improve the way America views the game of soccer. SportpartnersUSA will bring a wealth of knowledge to the US for years to come. They are motivated and dedicated to improve the way we train, play, and think about soccer!
Stay with us and together lets enjoy the journey of “making the difference” in youth soccer.