The Garden Island Futbol Club and the Hawai‘i Rush Soccer Club announced the partnership of the two soccer clubs which took effect on Friday. “This alliance brings together the talents and resources of both organizations to expand the opportunities and
The Garden Island Futbol Club and the Hawai‘i Rush Soccer Club announced the partnership of the two soccer clubs which took effect on Friday.
“This alliance brings together the talents and resources of both organizations to expand the opportunities and benefits to Kaua‘i players and further add to the growth and improvement of the biggest soccer club in the state, Hawai‘i Rush,” said Kevin Devitt, technical director for the Hawai‘i Rush Soccer Club, Kaua‘i.
GIFC, playing under the Kaua‘i Soccer Association programs, was established in 2007 by Devitt and coach Karl Ubongen with the motto of “To Do What’s Right for the Players” and accepts all players, regardless of playing ability, states a Hawai‘i Rush release.
The goal of GIFC leaders was to develop players and provide them opportunities to play at the next level. GIFC also boasts an academy which offers training to players who just want to improve and not necessarily looking, or cannot, find a team to play with.
The decision to join Hawai‘i Rush was mainly to provide another opportunity for GIFC players and coaches to further enhance their soccer skills and coaching capabilities, Devitt said.
Hawai‘i Rush, with its Mainland and worldwide ties, will help propagate the same development trends for Kaua‘i players currently taking place in the national soccer scene faster than being an independent club in the state, the GIFC leaders state.
The partnership with Hawai‘i Rush will provide players with expanded training both with teams and individually, in-state and Mainland opportunities for players and teams, an experienced coaching staff who will learn from each other and work together to help the players improve, and a club structure and atmosphere which will promote positive growth and competition.
Hawai‘i Rush Soccer Club is a member of Rush Soccer, representing 26 states and more than 33,000 soccer players across the country.
Rush Soccer’s primary objective is to develop a national level club cooperative system which offers substantial opportunities for national corporate sponsorship and foundation support, provide the framework for a national coach and player development network, and will deliver a significant centralized pool of taken for consideration by European, MLS, NCAA, U.S. National and Olympic soccer programs.
“The synergy created from this partnership will increase opportunities for numerous local youth players and change the future landscape of soccer on Kaua‘i,” Devitt said.
For more information on becoming part of this exciting partnership, call Devitt at 645-1987, or email devittk001@hawaii.rr.com, or contact Ubongen at 652-6927, or email kubongen@msn.com.