The Sporting Club Network welcomes Omaha FC as the seventh and newest Academy Affiliate. The affiliation will provide Omaha FC players and coaches with training and development opportunities available through the Sporting Club Network, as well as a direct, clear path to the Sporting KC senior team.
“Affiliation with MLS teams is the future of soccer,” Ryan Kruse, Omaha FC Director of Boys’ Coaching said. “By affiliating with a professional soccer team, OFC is on a clear path to train its more talented, gifted players and help them compete at the next level. It also enhances our ability to recruit new players as the affiliation provides Omaha FC players and recruits exclusive access to SKC coaches, events and curriculum designed to enhance the playing experience.”
“This exclusive relationship creates a pipeline to the highest level of competition,” Alex Mason, Omaha FC Director of Girls Coaching said. “We will now have the resources to develop players long-term because that process can begin in grade school, continue on through high school and college. The training, development and connections through SKC can serve as an entry to the professional level of play.”
“Omaha FC is the largest club in Nebraska and we’re excited about them coming on board with Sporting KC,” said Betsy Maxfield, Director of Youth Soccer at Sporting Kansas City. “They already have a strong development and training program in place and a tremendous amount of talent. We’re happy to be involved by enhancing those programs in order to help that talent take the next step and reach the highest level of success.”
Among the many benefits the Sporting KC relationship provides OFC are:
- Players will have access to exclusive clinics and trainings with SKC coaches and players at the SKC facilities
- Coaches from Sporting Kansas City’s technical staff will travel to Omaha to provide and present coaching education workshops, mini-clinics for players of all ages, and speed and agility sessions
- Omaha FC coaches and staff will help in the search for the next Sporting KC homegrown star, as an extension of the Sporting KC scouting network
- Top players from OFC may be invited to train with Sporting Kansas City’s Academy and senior teams as part of their playing development
- Coaches from OFC will also be given access to observe Sporting Kansas City training sessions
- Member coaches can also take advantage of a coaching licensure program and premium coaches’ experiences at both the Sporting Club Training Center in Swope Park and at Sporting Park in Kansas City, Kan.
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About Omaha FC
Omaha FC is Omaha’s premier soccer club for girls and boys alike. We promote a culture of character, discipline and responsibility. We are committed to providing a safe and healthy environment for our youth. Guided by over 57 years of experience and stability, we provide the most qualified staff in Nebraska to lead and develop our athletes. We have programs to accommodate players of all ages and various skill levels. As the only soccer club in Omaha to adopt a “Competing with Character” policy, we continue to promote and enforce appropriate behavior of coaches, players and parents that participate in youth sports. As a direct affiliate of Sporting Kansas City, Omaha FC has the responsibility of finding and training the highest level players in the area for possible continued development at high school, college, national, and/or professional levels including Sporting Kansas City.
