Showcase Opportunities
Your Link to European Football
Development, Exposure and Opportunity
Premier, Championship, League 1 & 2, Spain and Scottish Showcase Opportunities for RIASA Players exist as part of the overall goal to provide opportunity to the professional game. In addition there are semi professional games and training sessions for the RIASA player for exposure and opportunity, under the direction of the RIASA football Director.
In 2011 RIASA played against several youth professional academy teams throughout the year with great success. Some of the teams they played included:
- Hull City FC (Championship)
- York City (Conference);
- Leeds Untied (Championship)
- Blackburn Rovers (Premiership)
- Villarreal (Spain – Premiership)
- Motherwell (Scotland Premiership)
- Huddersfield Town (League One)
In addition RIASA players will play for UK Richmond in the top amateur tier of English football, which is part of the 'football' pyramid system. The RIASA season starts early August and finishes the first week of May; which offers unparalleled year round development.
RIASA Provided Professional Training Opportunities for its players
In addition to the professional showcase games, the RIASA football director made arrangements for several of the RIASA players to have
opportunity to spend training time with professional clubs. These opportunities took place at Carlisle United (Nahki Wells), Huddersfield (Joey Spivack NJ and Akil Howard MA) and Celtic (Christian Essile, FL).
Nahki Wells, pictured right, became the first RIASA player to be signed professional by Carlisle Untied (League One), after his first semester in the academy.
In addition Spivack and Karl Marten (Canada) played for top semi professional side Gusieley FC in the Blue Square league; two leagues outside the professional football league.
Connect to Europe:
Stabaek – Norwegian Professional Club for the Non EU player.
Football Director, Mark Ellis, has made arrangements especially designed for the non-EU player to be signed professional from the RIASA academy. Norway will be the stepping-stone for the RIASA player to make their way into the European leagues via the RIASA developmental training academy. Stabaek will have their staff visit the RIASA academy and RIASA players will be invited into Stabeak for training at the discretion of the RIASA football director.
