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AZ soccer academy holds training trip fundraiser
During a World Cup draw watch party in Avondale on Dec. 5, members of the Paris Saint-Germain Academy Phoenix held a fundraiser, as they work to get students at the academy to train in Europe. FOX 10's Nicole Krasean reports.
PHOENIX - A group of potential future World Cup players in the Valley is raising money for a special trip abroad before the World Cup begins.
Local perspective:
Dec. 5 was the draw for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, and Paris Saint-Germain Academy Phoenix hosted a World Cup draw watch party and fundraiser at an Avondale restaurant.
"It's a very big thing, you know. In the States here, we have American football, hockey, baseball and everything, but around the world, fútbol (soccer) is the number one sport," said PSG Academy Phoenix President Nestor Galvez.
Dig deeper:
The event doubled as a fundraiser for the group to head to Spain for training.
"You know it's gonna be a very great experience for these individuals to be out there," Galvez said. "They're gonna be going out to Barcelona, Madrid and just having a lot of opportunities to see what the culture is out there."
Current academy members say being part of the academy has helped them grow both on and off the field, and this upcoming trip will only continue that growth.
"If I compare myself to when I first started with this team, I've seen a lot of improvement and it's really cool that I get to go to Barca with this team," one player said.
Another added, "It's really cool that we get the opportunity to play abroad and represent PSG in Spain."
"It's gonna be such a good and big opportunity to go and see what Europe is like and see what the European teams play like," a third player stated.
When the players return to watch the World Cup play out across the Americas, academy President Nestor Galvez hopes they will retain the lessons they learned in Europe and expand upon them when the matches start up in the summer.
"It's very important for me to be able to teach them and I'm just excited that they're gonna be able to witness it here not just on TV but potentially to go watch a game live, I'm just excited for them," Galvez concluded.
Paris Saint-Germain Academy Phoenix
https://psgacademyphoenix.com/
The Source: Information for this article was gathered by FOX 10's Nicole Krasean.