PEORIA, Ariz. (Friday, October 17, 2014) – Arizona United Soccer Club is proud to announce local youth club SC del Sol as the club’s first ever “Student of the Game” partner.

“Our partnership with Arizona United is going to introduce a higher level of soccer for the kids,” said SC del Sol Club President Chris Diana. “This is something for the kids to aspire to. An opportunity for them to say, ‘hey I can grow up in Arizona and I can play professional soccer.’ Plus it gets them outside, gets them running around and is a great opportunity to just learn and love the game more.”

The “Student of the Game” program provides youth soccer clubs and leagues with an education based curriculum. It’s designed to assist clubs, entry level coaches, parents and players in further development of their soccer knowledge and teaching.

“The program allows the youth soccer scene of Arizona to experience what it’s like to be a professional soccer player,” said Arizona United General Manager Kevin Stevenson. “One aspect of the program has our partners observing closed-door training sessions with Arizona United. This will allow for players and coaches to further their knowledge by watching high-level professional soccer.”

“The Student of the Game program was developed years ago in Major League Soccer to work with the youth soccer community in each market.” said Arizona United Director of Ticket Operations James Martin. “Over the last several months, we have gone on a listening tour, meeting with many club presidents, regional commissioners, and directors of coaching to find out what is important to them. From these meetings, we have taken the best elements to create the ‘Student of the Game’, and have tailored it for Arizona youth soccer.”

“Student of the Game” partners receive a listing on arizonaunited.com as a 2015 Youth Soccer Partner, one player appearance at an event for each level of partnership, a raffle pack of premium merchandise items, great fundraising opportunities, and priority access to “Get in the Game” on-field opportunities, which include: Penalty kicks post game, ball kids, players escorts/dream team, high-five line, pre-game play on the field, halftime mini-games, and a picture on the pitch.

To learn more about the “Student of the Game”, please contact a youth soccer specialist at 623-594-9606.