South Bend Lions is inviting aspiring players to participate in the club’s U-18 boys soccer program for 2021, with open tryouts happening on November 8th and 9th.
The program will provide high-level soccer coaching and personalized mentoring, alongside strength and conditioning sessions, progressing the best young players in the region — on and off the field — within a competitive environment.
Two separate tryout sessions will take place at South Bend Kroc Center from 2PM until 4PM on November 8th, and 6:30PM until 7:30PM the following day, with three weeks of sports performance training and assessments beginning from December for successful applicants.
This will be followed by eight weeks of training twice a week, utilizing the world-class indoor facilities at Beacon Sports Performance in addition to the Bethel University campus. Futsal sessions will also be included throughout the winter, before the program switches to spring training in March, which brings the potential for scrimmage games, visits to college campuses and a potential international soccer trip.
The program aims to optimize the development of local players — who can still train and compete with their current club teams while partaking in the program — and open pathways to semi-professional and professional soccer.
Technical director Thiago Pinto said: “This is a great opportunity for the best young soccer players in the Michiana area to experience the higher levels of the game and train with others of a similar ability and mindset.
“The program schedule allows players to take what they learn from the program straight into their high school and club environments, and opens doors to further opportunities as they grow older.
“By focusing on the three main areas of coaching, competition and mentorship, we can grow the boys on the program as people, as well as players, providing the skills necessary to tackle whatever comes next.”
Training sessions will also run in accordance with the latest health and safety guidelines to help contain the spread of COVID-19.
To register, please click your preferred date to take you to the Future Lions portal: