LaLiga boosts growth of football in the USA through grassroots coaches

LaLiga has signed a further three-year agreement with US Club Soccer that will see the LaLiga North America joint-venture go hand in hand with LaLiga Grassroots, LaLiga's initiative to promote grassroots football globally. This commitment to collaboration, which has been in place since 2015, is part of the strategy to support the growth of football in the USA in view of the opportunity to strengthen the sport in the context of the 2026 World Cup. This is expected to generate great visibility for football in the country and its growth, and, therefore, the demand for coaches trained to the highest level, as well as greater opportunities for the early identification of talent and the comprehensive development of players to their full potential.  

In this regard, the new agreement is based on two pillars: continuing to strengthen the area of Coaching Education, one of the pillars of LaLiga Grassroots, through its educational programme LaLiga Formation Methodology, and the creation of a wider network of collaboration in the region with LaLiga clubs.

"Aside from driving the growth of LaLiga and its clubs in the most important international market, it has always been a priority for LaLiga North America to drive the growth of football in the US by leveraging the popularity of LaLiga and investing in grassroots development, seeking to complement the success achieved in commercial activities." said Boris Gartner, CEO of LaLiga North America.  “US Club Soccer has been an important partner in this mission and with this extension we will continue to train thousands more coaches in the LaLiga Grassroots methodology across the United States.”

"This agreement represents a commitment to further strengthen a partnership that has been in place since 2015 and through which we have been able to train around 1,700 coaches from more than 400 clubs in the USA. Our LaLiga Formation Methodology educational programme offers coaches the necessary tools to understand the fundamentals of player development and the creation of a progressive training methodology according to the stage of the player’s career, from the initial stages to professional football. All of this is based on the youth academy models that have turned LaLiga clubs into international benchmarks, and positioning the coach as a key figure in the development process of players, teams and football clubs," says Juan Florit, head of Sports Projects at LaLiga Grassroots. 

LaLiga Formation Methodology: The value of the experience of LaLiga clubs 

 As part of the renewal of this agreement, the latest edition of the highest level of LaLiga Formation Methodology was completed in January 2022 in Danville (California) in collaboration with NorCal Premier Soccer and under the guidance of Juan Florit and Carlos Casal, head and coordinator of Sports Projects at LaLiga, respectively. The coaches trained in these courses obtain a LaLiga module certificate that is highly valued in the USA. This course provides a unique experience for American coaches, which is unlike any other course hosted in the US.

In this final level of the training programme, coaches from 37 different clubs in the USA had the opportunity to be trained in different key subjects, such as Applied Psychology, or the use of GPS technology. In addition, the integration of Big Data in the analysis of collective and individual performance was addressed, something that LaLiga clubs are increasingly working on at youth level as well. 

After this final training course in Danville, accredited coaches with the highest level will be able to access the last phase of training in Spain: an immersive educational experience in which coaches will receive training from LaLiga professionals and their clubs, both at LaLiga's headquarters in Madrid and at the clubs' own training facilities. They will also have the opportunity to receive training at the new ESC Madrid Centre, the benchmark centre for grassroots football for LaLiga clubs, which will open its doors in summer of 2022 and also host the new LaLiga Grassroots training programmes for international players in the Spanish capital.