Right now, two of the four best teams on earth are Spain and England. They’re battling for a place in the World Cup final – and they’re also the two places the International Development Academy develops players full-time, all year round.
That’s the difference between admiring the best football in the world and training inside it. A tournament shows your player what elite looks like for a week. A residential academy changes who they are as a player over a season. For the athlete who’s serious – who wants to find out how far they can really go – that’s the decision that matters.
IDA isn’t a trip. It’s a full-time home for a player’s development: elite coaching, real competition, proper academics, and a staff whose entire job is to move each player toward the professional or college game. Two countries, two pathways.
In Valencia, your player lives and trains inside La Liga country. That means a minimum of 12 hours of training a week, 50+ competitive matches a year against semi-professional sides and La Liga academies, and trial pathways to professional clubs including Villarreal CF and CD Castellón – with video analysis and an individual development plan built around them.
And because a year abroad can’t cost a player their future, academics run in parallel: 120+ NCAA-compliant courses (AP, Honors, ACT/SAT prep) through our partners TPH Academy and Mas Camarena International School, so a player stays fully on track for college eligibility. Full-board housing near downtown Valencia, Spanish lessons, nutrition, physiotherapy, sports psychology, and 40+ full-time staff mean parents can send their player across the world and know they’re looked after.
For the older player, England offers something U.S. college soccer can’t. Launching for the 2027/28 season in partnership with the University of Hertfordshire, this pathway combines professional-level academy football with a full undergraduate or postgraduate degree. Players train 4–5 days a week under UEFA-licensed coaches, play 100+ competitive games across U19, U21 and U23 sides, and compete in BUCS university leagues and showcase fixtures – all while earning a degree in fields like Sports Business, Business, Economics & Finance, or Sport Science.
The advantages over the U.S. route are concrete: no NCAA amateurism restrictions, a year-round football calendar, a three-year degree instead of four, and U.S. federal loans accepted. It’s built for the player who refuses to choose between football and a future. Applications for the inaugural cohort are open now.
Train where football is the best. Book a call today!
Still have questions? Want to learn more? Fill out the form below to connect with an IDA representative. We look forward to hearing from you!