NextGen Series News Release

Friday, April 4, 2014

BRADENTON, Fla. – The NextGen Series’ final event of its inaugural season kicked off on Friday, with players being put through their paces at the world-class facilities of IMG Academy. The opening day also saw the players - from 16 boys and girls teams from some of the top clubs in the southeast and Texas - attend a leadership seminar, while coaches and parents also participated in education seminars.

Having set a performance baseline at September’s event, players from all of the teams were again put through i360 Testing, IMG’s world-renowned Athlete Evaluation program, to measure their athletic progress during the season. The morning session also included a leadership seminar as players continued to develop the mental side of the game.

“The goal of the NextGen Series is to provide a complete package of on- and off-field training for the players,” NextGen Series Director Drew Hoffman said. “While physical conditioning and technical training is obviously important, the mental approach to the game can have a huge impact on a player’s development, which makes seminars on leadership a crucial element in this weekend’s event.”

The afternoon’s training sessions were also aimed at growing the perspective of players, as coaches from different organizations switched squads to lead technical and tactical training sessions ahead of Saturday’s scrimmages.

“With the quality of coach that we have on hand, a fresh perspective can bring new engagement and focus for young players,” Hoffman said. “We believe the players greatly benefit from having a new voice lead the way as they look to expand their games.”

Saturday brings the opening games of the event, with both the boys and girls teams set to compete in the morning session. Off the field, players will attend seminar on nutrition and mental conditioning, with a special coaches seminar set for Saturday night as the leader of the Changing The Game Project, John O’Sullivan, discusses Coaching With A Purpose.