Whats Chelsea FC Doing in Raleigh, NC?
Chelsea might have a reputation among Premier League clubs for buying stars on the transfer market rather than developing them within the club — they’ve already opened the silly season by signing Deco from Barcelona for £8 million — but that doesn’t mean the club’s academy is lying dormant. In fact, the big London club is using its youth development program to reach out to America. Chelsea has struck up a partnership with Capital Area Soccer League, a large youth soccer club in Raleigh, North Carolina, and is already sending coaches to work with CASL youth players. Since this is happening in my neck of the woods, I went to Raleigh to chat with some folks about this partnership. Michael Beale, Chelsea’s youth development officer, and CASL coach Andy Truex were gracious enough to put up with my lousy interviewing skills. It appears this will be just the first of many partnerships Chelsea wants to establish with youth soccer clubs in America, which suits Beale just fine. In case it does
