Astoria‘s soccer fans will be able to learn from the best this September when futbol superstar David Villa opens a youth football club in the neighborhood.
Called the DV7 Astoria Football Club, children born between 2007 and 2012 will learn how to play Spanish-style soccer. The club will be part of the DV7 Soccer Academy, an entire network of international youth soccer clubs created by Villa.
In June 2014, the Spanish footballer announced that he would become the first player for New York City FC. He has established soccer academies in places like Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, South Korea, Hong Kong and Spain. The Astoria club will be the second location in the United States.
DV7 Astoria Football Club will practice at Upper 90 Soccer Center at 34-23 38th St. Children must try out for a spot and the next tryout will take place on June 23 starting at 4 p.m. You must register for a specific session on the DV7 website.
The DV7 method, which Villa learned as a child, incorporates both “technical, tactical and physical preparation” skills in addition to teaching “formative personal values” and healthy lifestyle choices, according to the Dv7 website.
The 2017-2018 season will start on Sept. 4, 2017, and end on June 21, 2018. Coaches include Marc Sabate, who taught at FC Barcelona Escola; David Vilanova, who previously coached at the FC Bayern Munchen ID Program; and former Manhattan Kickers FC coach Hector Nunez.
Though soccer is widely beloved in Europe, it has become increasingly more popular in the United States. In 2015, more people watched the Women’s World Cup final than the NBA finals or Stanley Cup finals. U.S. Youth Soccer, an organization that promotes the sport by offering camps, found that participation in the sport among 12- to 17-year-olds has exploded.
In 1974, there were 103,432 children registered to play soccer in the country. In 2014, that number jumped to more than 3 million.
There is a $10 registration fee and every child who tries out will get a free T-shirt and a one-hour training session with a DV7 coach. Visit the DV7 website to register before June 23.
