National Training Center brings elite women’s soccer team to Clermont
The National Training Center (NTC), part of South Lake Hospital, will be the home of the NTC Phoenix, a new women’s soccer team that is part of the Women’s Premier Soccer League.
MEDIA CONTACT
Kim Couch
352.241.7122
[email protected]
Clermont, Fla. – The National Training Center (NTC), part of South Lake Hospital, will be the home of the NTC Phoenix, a new women’s soccer team that is part of the Women’s Premier Soccer League (WPSL).
The WPSL is the leading amateur soccer league in America with more than 70 women’s teams in the nation. The NTC Phoenix will practice and compete at the NTC Athletic Fields starting this summer.
“We are thrilled to bring an elite women’s sports team to the Central Florida area,” commented Dot Richardson, NTC Director of Sports. “Not only will the NTC Phoenix provide a platform for women to compete but the home games will provide our community with a family-friendly, inexpensive sporting event to enjoy.”
The team was created to function as the competitive arm of the NTC Soccer Academy for girls and women. The academy is one of the only in the nation to provide women ages U13 and older with year-round training, sports performance services and competitive opportunities for those striving to reach the collegiate level and beyond in the sport of soccer. In addition, the NTC offers a developmental soccer program for girls and boys, ages 1 to 11.
“With the addition of the NTC Phoenix, the National Training Center is now a premier destination for women’s soccer,” Richardson said. “Our facilities, sports-specific services and experienced staff coupled with the desirable location and supportive community creates an exceptional environment for the success of academies and teams for soccer and other sports.”
The NTC Phoenix will hold an unveiling ceremony on Friday, March 16, at 10 a.m., at the NTC, to unveil the team logo, jersey and 2012 schedule. There will be 12 regular season games played May through July throughout Florida with six home games at the NTC Athletic Fields.
Tryouts for the team will be held on Saturday, March 31, and Saturday, April 21, for women ages 16 years of age and older. The hope is to fill the 36-person roster with top college players, post-collegiate and retired soccer professionals and elite high school players from the Central Florida area and around the country.
The NTC Soccer Academy and NTC Phoenix will be led by Director and Head Coach Henry Moyo. Moyo played professional soccer in Zimbabwe and retired from the game in Germany. Prior to joining the NTC in (more) Page 2 – NTC Phoenix 2011, he was the head soccer coach for 15 years at Lee University in Cleveland, Tenn., where his men’s team ranked as high as fourth in the nation by the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). He also produced players that went on to play pro both in the MLS, USL Pro and England. The coaching staff also includes Mike Dickey, NTC Phoenix Coach, and Steve Crane, NTC Soccer Academy Coach. Dickey has experience coaching at the college level and was also a coach for the United States U17 women’s team and U20s team. Crane is a National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) coaching instructor and played professionally in England with Charlton Athletic.
About the National Training Center (NTC):
The National Training Center, which is owned and operated by South Lake Hospital, is a state-of-the-art sports complex that includes athletic fields, 70-meter x 25-yard aquatic center, 400-meter outdoor track and field complex and cross country course, 37,000-square-foot fitness center, human performance lab, performance and coaching, outpatient rehabilitation, massage and more. The NTC is a warm weather training site for thousands of national and international high school, collegiate, post-collegiate and professional athletes in a variety of sports including soccer, softball, lacrosse, track and field, triathlon and swimming. It also offers community fitness memberships and a wide variety of youth fitness and sports programming for the local community. For more information on the NTC, please visit www.usantc.com or call 352.241.7144.
About the Women's Premier Soccer League (WPSL):
The Women's Premier Soccer League (WPSL) is the largest national Women’s Soccer League in the world. With more than 70-plus women’s soccer teams, the WPSL is the leading amateur soccer league in America. The league is sanctioned by the United States Adult Soccer Association (USASA) as an affiliate of the United States Soccer Federation (USSF). The WPSL's mission is to provide opportunities to further the women’s soccer game for the aspiring professional, international-level players and passionate amateurs. The WPSL season brings affordable and quality family entertainment to the community; displays positive role models for our youth; and offers the essential connection between youth and pro women’s soccer in America.
