Future Elite Sports adds Nardiello
“Through my experiences, the English football system can be ruthless.” Michael Nardiello, former academy player with Manchester United, England and full time professional with Liverpool and West Brom, sat down with us at the NSCAA convention to discuss how he is adjusting to the football culture in the USA and about his role with FES.
Nardiello is now Technical Director at KC Prime Soccer Club in Kansas City. He has used his experiences from the top of the English game to enhance the coaching and provisions of one of the biggest youth soccer clubs in Mid-West America.
“One of the biggest realisations for me was when I started working with u16 and u18 players in KC. I got a taste for how big and influential the University / College culture is over here. All of our guys aspire to be professionals just like back home, however here they all first want to play for the best university team they can. Part of this is the acknowledgment of achieving a degree as a back up plan, but through my understanding, its about getting recruited by top schools and putting yourself in the best position possible to succeed on and off the field.”
Nardiello reflected on his time back in the UK and informed us about how players here in the UK can look to the US route as an option if they are not kept on by a pro club.
“I did my bit back home by doing my sports course while I was a scholar, however in reality I didn’t gain too much from it. My brother
will be graduating from Rider University where he played NCAA soccer for 4 years over here. He loved every minute of it. The level he played is very comparable to that of top academy football in England, and in some cases it is much better. The provisions and facilities speak for themselves and from what get to see first hand is how great of an opportunity it can be. While I have played professional football, I feel I missed out on some of the opportunities that are here in the US.”
Future Elite Sports has a great relationship and history with Michael and he was very quick to encourage our work on both sides of the Atlantic.
“What you guys do in the UK is great. You can get the right players in front of the right coaches and help with their transition to the USA on all fronts. It is something that I am passionate about and I am looking forward to being a part of Future Elite Sports, working here in the US.”
Michael will be an ambassador for us in the USA as our network continues to grow on both sides of the atlantic where we aim to continue to provide aspiring university soccer players the opportunity to experience, develop and then post graduate students the opportunity to go on and play professionally.
