June 30, 2020
HAMILTON TOWNSHIP, NJ (MERCER)—Youth sports have been slowly returning to the fields of New Jersey since the COVID-19 crisis the past few months. The German American Kickers of Mercer County has started practice and plans to resume playing games in the next few weeks and hosting a camp at the end of August.
The German American Kickers has entered a partnership with Schaechter Sports, a youth soccer development organization based in Germany. The organization brings in a high level of youth development, coach education, cultural and player opportunities in Germany as well as bringing a European style youth summer camp to the central NJ region.
The main goal of the partnership is for the GAK to continue to provide high level soccer experience and leverage additional opportunities for players in central New Jersey. Under the partnership, GAK will receive consultation services, coach training, age appropriate curriculum, and opportunities to travel to Germany to participate in competitive tournaments and training sessions with first division professional Bundesliga clubs. The exclusive partnership allows both organizations to work closely with each other while maintaining their own identity. The initial term of the partnership will be for three years with the option and intention to grow the partnership and continuously renew thereafter.
The relationship between German American Kickers and Schaechter Sports started last year and led to a highly successful summer camp. The camp was coached by two highly qualified UEFA licensed coaches, Marcus Becker and David Mueller, who traveled to New Jersey from Germany for two weeks to coach the camp and manage the staff. Marcus Becker is a former professional player, a UEFA “A” licensed coach and former Real Madrid youth academy coach. David Mueller is the location manager for Schaechter’s US presence. He is also a UEFA “B” licensed coach and talent identification recruiter and was responsible for identifying Weston McKennie of the US National Team. The camp will be offered again this year at German American Kickers in late August.
The German American Kickers Sports Chairman, Paul Bette, explains that, “We are excited about working closer with Schaechter Sports because the partnership is consistent with German American Kickers’s mission to provide a positive and very competitive soccer experience at an affordable price. This unique program differentiates us from other clubs throughout the entire state and will be a draw for our club.”
For more information about the German American Kickers click here
For more information about Schaechter Sports of Germany click here
