Information Concerning International Clubs Forming in the Lehigh Valley - From LVYSL

Dear Club Presidents and Officers with teams in the Lehigh Valley Youth Soccer League, It has come to our attention that there are two “international” clubs looking to create camps and teams in the Lehigh Valley, and we would like to inform our membership on what we know (and don’t know) about these entities. 

PSG

PSG (Paris Saint-Germain) has been marketing camps and the initiation of a new club. This entity is actually
PSG Miami connected with Strive Football Group
(https://www.strivefootballgroup.com/about-us), a for profit company that has purchased the rights to use
PSG branding, images, and to sell their merchandise, but beyond that has no official affiliation with their
technical staff (coaches) in Paris, France. PSG Miami is the only company in the US that has rights to use
the branding and images and is looking to expand across the US to expose the PSG brand through camps
and merchandise sales.
 

Real Madrid

A Lehigh Valley businessman has the permission of Real Madrid to use their name and brand to create a
soccer club. Details about this club are not as clear as what is known about PSSG other than that they are
also a for–profit club with projected fees of $150 per week, per player, for 10 months.

LVYSL will always support local clubs and we will continue to collaborate with any club that is guided by the
same mission and values that we espouse as a league. Established clubs in the valley that employ local
coaches and who are embedded in their communities have been the foundation of soccer in our league - and
our country – for many decades.

We will not support or collaborate with outside entities that are not fully invested in player development and
retention for Lehigh Valley area players. Unfortunately, these companies have historically come in and
disrupted the local soccer scene, mislead consumers (you) and disappear after a year or two, leaving behind
many families that have wasted time and resources. One such club was sanctioned by EPYS a few years ago
and subsequently folded.

To be educated consumers, the following questions should be asked when determining the credibility of any
outside organizations:
1. What league(s) will you be competing in and are you sanctioned by EPYS as a club?
2. Have you been accepted into any league formally?
3. What player pass system will you use?
4. Where will you get experienced coaches?
5. If they are UEFA coaches, why are they coming here to coach? Aren’t they qualified to coach in their
countries?
6. How will international coaches obtain work visa’s and background clearances to stay and work in the
states?
7. How much will it cost per year per player? What does this include?
8. What is your college pathway system?
9. If all the “best” players are already committed to clubs, where will you get your players to build
rosters?
10. Are you a non-profit or for-profit organization?
11. What facilities/fields will you be using?
12. Will you have boys’ and girls’ teams? What ages?

As always, we value your membership and trust in LVYSL and our established 40-year history in the valley
administering competitive platforms for local clubs. We will continue to live up to and exceed this standard by
offering your members and teams the best resources for play, soccer information and guidance within the

 

Lehigh Valley.
Yours in Soccer,
Gary R. Blockus
Executive Director, LVYSL
P.O. Box M
Laurys Station, PA 18059
info@lvyls.org
610-462-4095