David Beckham Academy
Encyclopedia
The David Beckham Academy is a football school founded by England
international David Beckham
in 2005. , it operates in two locations: in London
, United Kingdom
, and in Los Angeles
, California
, United States
, though the London location closed in early 2010 (the facility is still used for football coaching, but is run by a different organization).
Further Academy sites are planned at Cabo São Roque near Natal
, Brazil
, and in Asia
. Consideration was also given in 2007 to opening an Academy in Manchester
.
Soccer School. Wanting to give later generations of children the same experience, he put his name to two facilities in 2005.
The Academy in London was situated on the Greenwich Peninsula
in east Greenwich
, close to The O2
and North Greenwich tube station
. It was opened on 28 November 2005, with backing from the Anschutz Entertainment Group
and sponsorship from Volkswagen Group
and Adidas
. Its indoor arena houses two full-sized, artificially turfed pitches, alongside an education and administration centre, and a sports medical centre. Its "likely" closure was announced on 27 November 2009, replaced by a mobile academy which could travel around the UK and further afield. Despite the millionaire player's backing, the London Academy's closure included redundancies among coaching and support staff, and deprived hundreds of children (including Beckham's niece and two nephews) from east and south-east London of their football training.
The Los Angeles Academy is based at the Home Depot Center in Carson
, California, on the campus of California State University
, Dominguez Hills, which is a $150 million multi-sport facility built on 125 acre (0.5058575 km²) of land. It is also the home of two Major League Soccer
(MLS) teams, the Los Angeles Galaxy
and CD Chivas USA.
In 2009, the 'David Beckham Academy' brand was extended to a range of books about football.
The Los Angeles Academy runs a 7/23 Club on Saturday mornings for boys and girls aged 4–7 years. It also runs three- and five-day courses during school holidays.
England national football team
The England national football team represents England in association football and is controlled by the Football Association, the governing body for football in England. England is the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside Scotland, whom they played in the world's first...
international David Beckham
David Beckham
David Robert Joseph Beckham, OBE is an English footballer who plays midfield for Los Angeles Galaxy in Major League Soccer, having previously played for Manchester United, Preston North End, Real Madrid, and A.C...
in 2005. , it operates in two locations: in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, and in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, though the London location closed in early 2010 (the facility is still used for football coaching, but is run by a different organization).
Further Academy sites are planned at Cabo São Roque near Natal
Natal, Rio Grande do Norte
-History:The northeastern tip of South America, Cabo São Roque, to the north of Natal and the closest point to Europe from Latin America, was first visited by European navigators in 1501, in the 1501–1502 Portuguese expedition led by Amerigo Vespucci, who named the spot after the saint of the day...
, Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
, and in Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
. Consideration was also given in 2007 to opening an Academy in Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
.
History
The Academy is said to have been inspired by Beckham's attendance as a boy at the Bobby CharltonBobby Charlton
Sir Robert "Bobby" Charlton CBE is an English former professional football player, a member of the England team who won the World Cup and Ballon d'Or for European Footballer of the Year in 1966...
Soccer School. Wanting to give later generations of children the same experience, he put his name to two facilities in 2005.
The Academy in London was situated on the Greenwich Peninsula
Greenwich Peninsula
Greenwich Peninsula is an area of South London, England, located in the London Borough of Greenwich.The peninsula is bounded on three sides by a loop of the Thames, between the Isle of Dogs and Silvertown. To the south is the rest of Greenwich, to the south-east is Charlton.The peninsula lies...
in east Greenwich
Greenwich
Greenwich is a district of south London, England, located in the London Borough of Greenwich.Greenwich is best known for its maritime history and for giving its name to the Greenwich Meridian and Greenwich Mean Time...
, close to The O2
The O2 (London)
The O2, visually typeset in branding as The O2, is a large entertainment district on the Greenwich peninsula in South East London, England, including an indoor arena, a music club, a Cineworld cinema, an exhibition space, piazzas, bars and restaurants...
and North Greenwich tube station
North Greenwich tube station
North Greenwich is a station on London Underground's Jubilee Line, opened on 14 May 1999.Despite its name, North Greenwich is not in the area historically known as North Greenwich, on the Isle of Dogs, north of the river; an entirely different station used to be there, between 1872 and 1926...
. It was opened on 28 November 2005, with backing from the Anschutz Entertainment Group
Anschutz Entertainment Group
The Anschutz Entertainment Group is a sporting and music entertainment presenter and a subsidiary of The Anschutz Corporation. It is the world's largest owner of sports teams and sports events, the owner of the world’s most profitable sports and entertainment venues, and under AEG Live the world's...
and sponsorship from Volkswagen Group
Volkswagen Group
Volkswagen Group is a German multinational automobile manufacturing group. , Volkswagen was ranked as the world’s third largest motor vehicle manufacturer and Europe's largest....
and Adidas
Adidas
Adidas AG is a German sports apparel manufacturer and parent company of the Adidas Group, which consists of the Reebok sportswear company, TaylorMade-Adidas golf company , and Rockport...
. Its indoor arena houses two full-sized, artificially turfed pitches, alongside an education and administration centre, and a sports medical centre. Its "likely" closure was announced on 27 November 2009, replaced by a mobile academy which could travel around the UK and further afield. Despite the millionaire player's backing, the London Academy's closure included redundancies among coaching and support staff, and deprived hundreds of children (including Beckham's niece and two nephews) from east and south-east London of their football training.
The Los Angeles Academy is based at the Home Depot Center in Carson
Carson
-People:*Carson , people with the surname Carson*Carson , people with the given name Carson-Place names:United States*Carson, California*Carson, Iowa*Carson, New Mexico*Carson, North Dakota*Carson, Virginia*Carson, Washington...
, California, on the campus of California State University
California State University
The California State University is a public university system in the state of California. It is one of three public higher education systems in the state, the other two being the University of California system and the California Community College system. It is incorporated as The Trustees of the...
, Dominguez Hills, which is a $150 million multi-sport facility built on 125 acre (0.5058575 km²) of land. It is also the home of two Major League Soccer
Major League Soccer
Major League Soccer is a professional soccer league based in the United States and sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation . The league is composed of 19 teams — 16 in the U.S. and 3 in Canada...
(MLS) teams, the Los Angeles Galaxy
Los Angeles Galaxy
The Los Angeles Galaxy are an American professional soccer team, based in the Los Angeles suburb of Carson, California, which competes in Major League Soccer , the top professional soccer league in the United States and Canada. It is one of the ten charter clubs of MLS, and the league's second...
and CD Chivas USA.
In 2009, the 'David Beckham Academy' brand was extended to a range of books about football.
Programmes
The London Academy provided seventeen, three or five-day programmes for boys and girls aged 8-15 years. It also ran a schools programme that consisted of a training day linked with Key Stage 2 and 3 learning (up to 2009, over 10,000 children had taken part in this programme). An after-schools programme (the 7/23 Club) was provided on Saturday mornings for children aged 3-7, and on Monday and Thursday evenings for 8-15 year-olds.The Los Angeles Academy runs a 7/23 Club on Saturday mornings for boys and girls aged 4–7 years. It also runs three- and five-day courses during school holidays.