An ambitious international expansion project was presented on Tuesday morning by Fundació VCF president Társilo Piles and VCF Marketing director Juan Pablo Molinero in a packed press conference. The main announcements made to the media were the creation of soccer schools –b oth permanent and temporary- in Kobe (Japan), Kingston (Jamaica) Glasgow (Scotland) and Cardiff (Wales) and the confirmation of a preseason tour of America’s east coast for the Valencia CF first team this summer. Three continents will thus be involved in activity with the club during the months of March through August.

    

Mr. Molinero set out the key concepts of the project to the media, stating that the growth of VCF is centred in “Valencianismo and internationality, with the explicit need for a presence in the Asian and American markets.” Valencia CF and the Fundació VCF have put in place agreements with local businesses and important sponsors –including national television companies- through which to achieve the established goals, beginning with a personalised graphic design for each target country.

    

Mr. Piles took to the stand to explain the role that the Fundació VCF will play in the international expansion scheme: “It is a question of getting the VCF brand out there and to the attention of potential Valencianistas,” he said, noting as an example that 3,000 shops in China can now acquire official products thanks to clothing company Kappa.

    

“Our goals as a foundation run parallel to the expansion of the brand, and for this reason we are creating schools and campuses to help football at grass roots level, with the aim being to accelerate the association with Valencianismo to young foreign players in their homeland.”

    

The football side of the project was further detailed by Molinero, who added that “There will be Valencia CF staff at these institutions to export knowledge, training and the Valencianista methodology, without leaving sporting values to one side.”

          

  U.S.A, Japan, Jamaica and the UK

       

Juan Pablo Molinero wished to emphasise his delight at discovering “the image and brand recognition that VCF has outside of Spain, as one of Europe’s biggest clubs.” He then presented the summer projects that have been organised for the first team and the future stars of Valencia CF.

    

Friendlies against Major League Soccer’s Philadelphia Union (31 ^st July), New England Revolution (3 ^rd August) and DC United (7 ^th & 8 ^th August) open an East Coast tour stateside in which the VCF stars will show their skills in preparation for the 2010/2011 league season.

 

  

 

The search for -and promotion of- new talent will be developed by three schemes, under the banner of “The Next Generation”

    

  

 

- The opening of the first VCF Official School outside of Spain in Kobe (Japan). This will take place on May 10 ^th and will inscribe a total of 120 young players. Kobe is a city of 600,000 potential Valencianistas, and the school forms part of a move into the Asian market already started with a Japanese version of ValenciaCF.com and the “Ninotizate” scheme.

       

  

 

- A VCF International Campus in Kingston (Jamaica) from March 28 ^th – April 2 ^nd. 100 players aged between eight and eighteen and 30 coaches will be invited to the campus. The plan is to hold three such campuses in as many years before progressing to a permanent VCF Official School.

       

  

 

- The II VCF International Campus in Scotland and Wales will bring together 400 young players aged between 12-18, following the success of the 2009 edition of the campus. This will take place from July 24 ^th – August 8 ^th.