RIASA team goes international

The RIASA team has had a packed schedule of international travel recently with visits to the US and Germany.

NY ID Camps

Two ID camps were held recently by RIASA in New York hosted by RIASA Coach, Jack Salvatore and RIASA Director, Mark Ellis. Each event included an opportunity to meet highly experienced coaches, understand the demands of English football, train with high intensity and learn more about our unique degree programme in Leeds.

Matt Holland, RIASA Marketing Manager, said, “This was the first time in a while that we have visited this region of the USA. We hosted two separate camps, one in Selden and the other in Buffalo, with separate camps for male and female students. Across the board we had roughly 30 male and female students attend – which we were really pleased with considering that we haven’t held camps recently in these areas! The majority of the attendees were interested in starting their degree in 2025/26, it’s so important to do these camps ahead of time, to keep brand awareness high as students decide where they could be going in the future.”

Aerial view of a soccer game in progress on a green field, with spectators, parked cars, and surrounding trees in a rural area.

Aerial view of a soccer match in progress on a synthetic field, surrounded by trees with spectators and parked cars nearby.

Germany – DoDea Soccer Champions

The RIASA team also attended the superbly hosted DoDEA Soccer Championships, which took place across multiple DoDEA military venues in southwest Germany.

The Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) manages a US school system which provides education for more than nearly 70,000 children of active duty military and DoD civilian families.

Matt Holland said, “Having spent three full days on the ground at this year’s soccer championship, it was clear from the word go that this was something special. Everybody was welcoming and was keen to find out more about who we are. On the pitch, the championships showcased incredible talent amongst all the competing teams from the different DoDEA regions.

“During the championships, we managed to watch numerous female fixtures, which enabled Coach Jack Salvatore the chance of seeing the raw talent on offer. We also had the chance of watching Esperanza Munoz compete for Wiesbaden High School – Esperanza has put pen to paper and will be joining RIASA women in the fall of 2024.”

Find out more about the championship in Matt’s blog here.