STEVE Cuss and some of his staff at Cherries have headed out to Las Vegas to run the club’s first soccer camps for kids in the city.
Bournemouth and Las Vegas have a burgeoning relationship, sparked by Bill Foley’s involvement at both Cherries and ice hockey team the Vegas Golden Knights.
And Cuss, head of community at Cherries and boss of the women’s team, has been at Downtown Las Vegas Soccer Club this week, along with six other coaches, training more than 70 youngsters.
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They were split into groups by age, taught on and off-the-ball skills, as well as delving into the tactical and technical sides of the game.
Each day sees four-and-a-half hours of coaching at Bettye Wilson Soccer Complex, with sessions running until Friday.
Incredible scene this morning, @afcbournemouth coaching staff flew out for the week to teach the next wave of soccer stars here in Las Vegas
— Vince Sapienza (@VinceSapienza) June 10, 2024
Full story tonight @FOX5Vegas #afcb #VegasBorn @DowntownLVSC pic.twitter.com/sXedsMbPWR
Speaking to Fox5 Sports, Downtown Soccer Club executive director Gary Soresman said: “I think this partnership for Las Vegas is probably bigger than I’ve seen since I’ve been involved in the game.
“I think every kid’s dream is to be a professional.
“What we would like to do is just show kids the bigger picture of the game and who knows, maybe one Las Vegas kid lands up playing for the Bournemouth Premier League team.”
Cuss added: “The most important thing for soccer camps is for people to enjoy themselves and enjoy football, or soccer.
“From there it is about development. This is an opportunity for young football players to see what it’s like to play and train with AFC Bournemouth. We hope it’s an opportunity they’ll take and enjoy.
“Every single player that’s played in the Premier League has started off in junior football.
“So they all start somewhere. That’s the dream of these youngsters.
“Hopefully that partnership we have between the Vegas Golden Knights and AFC Bournemouth can continue to develop players and hopefully one day we might see that happen.”
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