Lucas drops into Florida Elite training session

Football scholars from Florida Elite’s Soccer Academy, the Club’s Global Football Development partner, have been given a series of training sessions at Hotspur Way by our Global Football Development coaches as part of a trip to London.

Last week, Lucas Moura dropped into one of the training sessions to meet the 21 male and female players – who have all been selected from Florida Elite’s Player Development Programmes taking place across the east coast of America.

During their trip, the Florida Elite boys were invited to train with our Elite Development Centre squad, the girls joined a Spurs Ladies Academy session and were given unique access to watch a Spurs Ladies First Team squad training session where they met the coaches and players. All the scholars then had a health and sports nutrition talk from the Club’s nutritionist and visited Wembley to watch England play the Czech Republic.

Tottenham Hotspur and Florida Elite partnered last year to help drive the development of the game in North America. Through the partnership, Tottenham Hotspur works alongside Florida Elite’s coaching staff all year round to support the growth and development of the teams. We support the technical development of the players using renowned coaching methods established within the Tottenham Hotspur Academy.

Florida Elite Soccer Academy formed in 2014 after two established clubs in Jacksonville were brought together by Executive Director Sean Bubb, whose sole intention was to create the ultimate youth football environment. In just three years, Florida Elite has grown to be the largest and most successful football club in the state. The club provides development opportunities for young players and teaches them a style of football that emphasises passing and possession of the ball.

Lucas said: “It’s always a pleasure meeting aspiring footballers and helping them with their skills. It’s been interesting talking to them about their visit and hearing about the training they receive from our Global Football Development coaches. I hope they continue to develop their skills and put the tips they have learnt into practice when they return to Florida.”

Camilla Murphy, Florida Elite Soccer Academy player, said: “Having the opportunity to play at Tottenham Hotspur’s Training Centre, use their state-of-the-art facilities, meet their coaching staff, Academy players and Spurs Ladies, has been a unforgettable experience. One day I would love to play football professionally, so having the chance to come to Tottenham Hotspur has inspired me to continue to work hard and reach my goal.”