DV7 Continues to Expand, Establishes New Academy in Dominican Republic
When thinking of the Dominican Republic, soccer usually doesn’t come to mind. Instead, people think of baseball and names like David Ortiz, Albert Pujols, and Robinson Cano. The up-and-coming stars of the soccer world like Mariano Diaz Mejia go largely unrecognized. But due of to the progress of soccer in the Dominican Republic, the DV7 Soccer Academy—a network of international soccer clubs led by David Villa, Spain’s all-time leading scorer and World Cup winner—is proud to open DV7 Santo Domingo, and be a part of soccer’s growth among the youth of the country.
The DV7 Mission is to teach children around the world how to play the game of soccer using the successful, Spanish-based DV7 method, the same style of coaching that David Villa learned to play as a child. This way of learning the game allows children to develop their soccer abilities and grow their characters off the field.
David Villa, who visited the new academy, said, “We are very excited. It is a huge step forward not only in the expansion of our DV7 Soccer Academy, but also in the development of soccer in areas where the sport has yet to make the impact it has in other parts of the world. Our intention is to make the sport of soccer accessible to every child. With this new academy we hope to give the children of the Dominican Republic access to top training, while fostering their education and personal values.”
The newest academy will be located at Media Cancha, a new facility in Santo Domingo, as well as the ABC School. The academy will be open to passionate soccer players of both genders between the ages of 4-18.
The Director of Coaching for DV7 Santo Domingo is David Escandell, who moved to the Dominican Republic from Spain to oversee the academy. A native of Ibiza, Escandell played professional soccer in the Spanish Second Division B for San Isidro. After his time as a professional he became the coordinator of the International School of FC Barcelona in Warsaw, Poland. He holds a Uefa Pro license, the top coaching credential in Europe. “I am very excited to start from scratch,” said Escandell. “I like being able to teach people how we work, who we are and what we want to achieve. I’m sure our idea will be accepted because they have a similar Spanish/Latino culture.” he added.
For additional information on the DV7 Santo Domingo, and to register visit http://www.dv7santodomingo.com/.