Rio Maior, Portugal —
Valeo Futbol Club Inc. – the international soccer training organization that aims to provide a world-class development pathway for student-athletes – is pleased to announce Dario Castelo as Sporting Director of Valeo Europe. Castelo brings with him over 15 years of coaching an administrative experience working with clubs like Sporting Portugal and FC Barcelona, and has scouted internationally for countries like the U.S., Spain, England, Scotland, and many more.
As Sporting Director of Valeo Europe, Castelo will oversee every aspect of Valeo Europe’s programs, including but not limited to the coaches, facilities, staff members, and the players brought into the programs. Castelo currently holds his UEFA B License, and is fluent in English, Portuguese, Spanish, and French.
From 2004-2006, Castelo acted as the Youth Football Coordinator and U19 Sports Director for Clube Desportivo Mafra in Portugal before moving to the Seniores B Team Sports Director in 2007, and then as the U13 Head Coach in 2008. The, from 2008-2010 he took on the role of Youth Football Coordinator and H had Coach for the U13 and U15 teams for Atlético Clube Malveira in Portugal. Since then, Castelo has acted as a Youth Football Coordinator and Youth Head Coach for clubs like Alcainça Atlético Clube and Mafra City Hall Football School until 2016. From 2016-2018, Castelo took on a larger role as the Recruitment and Scouting Coordinator at Sporting Club Portugal. Since then, Castelo has acted as the Sports Director and Youth Football Coordinator, Recruiting, and Scouting for GD Oásis Atlântico, 1st Division in Cape Vert – África.
“Dario will make a great addition to the Valeo Europe staff” said Valeo FC Founder and President Emelio Williams, “his vast experience matched with his passion for elite youth development will propel Valeo Europe’s programs into the premier academy in Europe.”
To learn more about Valeo Futbol Club Inc., click here.
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Newton, MA – Valeo FC is excited to announce that Diogo Botas has signed on as the head of Valeo FC Europe. Botas brings a tremendous amount of experience both in coaching and as a player, along with a plethora of experience coaching in the United States and in Portugal, most recently with Sporting Lisbon. Botas is currently serving as the head coach of Valeo’s National Premier Soccer League team in Newton, Massachusetts.
As the head of Valeo Europe, Botas will be responsible for all aspects of coaching the Valeo players who come to train at the program and developing their footballing and educational goals.
Coach Botas currently holds his UEFA B license, and has a Masters degree in Sport Training with a specialization in football in the faculty of human kinetics.
As a player, Botas was a part of Industrial Desportivo Vieirense from 2002-2014 in Portugal’s 5th division. From there, Botas began his youth coaching career with Associação Desportiva da Estação as their U10 coach before moving on to clubs like Marítimo Futebol Clube de Rosário, Clube Desportivo Vila Franca do Rosário, Sporting Clube de Portugal (famously Cristiano Ronaldo’s former club), and BE1 NFA in Lithuania where he lead a regional and national championship team with the U16 and U19’s respectively.
“We’re so excited to have Diogo head up Valeo Europe,” said Valeo FC founder and president Emelio Williams, “we’ve seen what he’s capable of as a coach, we know how influential he can be, we see the experience he has, and we couldn’t think of anyone else more prepared to develop our players into both exceptional footballers and human beings.”
RIO MAIOR, PORTUGAL, September 29, 2022, For Immediate Release
Valeo Futbol Club Inc. – the international soccer training organization that aims to provide a world-class development pathway for student-athletes – is pleased to announce the relaunch of Valeo International Academy (VIA), a full-time European football residency training program based in Rio Maior, Portugal.
The VIA program is focused on developing and preparing elite players from clubs, high schools, and colleges, to excel professionally and internationally. Through its partnerships with specialist academies and professional clubs in Portugal, VIA offers development in academia, football excellence, and leadership.
VIA will begin with the Fall semester in September, 2022, and run throughout the regular academic year. Players will train over 20 hours per week in a variety of formats that include individual, small group, and team training sessions.
VIA players live together in the chaperoned, state-of-the-art Rio Maior High Performance Center: one of the most versatile and advanced sports complexes in Europe that caters to the most demanding footballers, clubs, and teams. The facilities boasts a 7,300 seat stadium, 4 training fields, 1 beach soccer sand pitch, 2,200 seat futsal/ indoor arena, 3 pools, 2 strength training rooms, medical, rehabilitation facilities and state of the art performance lab. It is currently the home of the Portuguese Football Federation, where they prepare their football, futsal, and beach soccer teams for the European and World Championships.
Academic life is of utmost importance to the program. As such, Valeo FC have developed a custom curriculum in partnership with the Sports Science School of Rio Maior ESDRM (Escola Superior de Desporto de Rio Maior). The institution is a fully-accredited, award winning public university that is part of the Polytechnic Institute of Santarém and provides training based on solid scientific, technological and pedagogical knowledge. The flexibility of the VIA academic program allows students to tailor their schedules to work around training, competition and travel demands.
As a premier development opportunity, prospective players must go through an extensive application process. To date, VIA has accepted six high school boys for the Fall. This cohort of players are all between the ages of 14-18 and have spent the last few years competing at the highest level of youth soccer in North America. For more information on the Academy or the application process, please contact Carter Hochman (carter@valeofc.com).
“The goal of the VIA program is to create the finest, most rigorous soccer development environment for ambitious players who want to train and play the game at the highest level,” said Emelio Williams, Founder and President of Valeo FC. “We are providing the opportunity and the gateway for talented players to play professionally in European leagues.”
To learn more about Valeo Futbol Club Inc., click here.
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DORCHESTER, MA (February 15, 2022) – Thanks to our generous sponsors and donors, Valeo FC has now been able to establish free and low-cost leagues to serve inner-city youth in Boston’s neighborhoods.
Part of Valeo’s mission has been and always will be to provide the opportunity for anyone anywhere regardless of their socioeconomic background to be able to play the beautiful game, and learn the life lessons that come with it. Now anyone in the Greater Boston area interested in getting involved in either Valeo or just simply kicking a soccer ball around can do it at little to no cost at all.
“This program isn’t just about soccer or coaching, it’s about shaping young minds through an outlet that otherwise may not have been available to them” says Valeo FC Founder Emilio Williams.
NEWTON, MA (December 14, 2021) – ‘Valeo FC is proud to announce that the Valeo FC MLS NEXT Program is NOW FULLY FUNDED and will be offered free of cost for all Valeo MLS Next Team players beginning in the 2022-2023 season!’ The free-to-play program entitled MLS NEXT ‘Generation’ will give players the option of volunteering at charitable organizations or coaching their younger club-mates in lieu of paying club fees. “Valeo FC has always being a pioneer with offering scholarships and opportunity to players in New England. Our US Development Academy was fully founded and due to the pandemic, we were conservative with Mls Next and only funded it at 50%.” Says Corlton Simmond Director of Soccer Operations.
Valeo FC’s philosophy is that great players are made not from financial resources but from hard work and dedication. Our goal for 2022-2023 MLS Next season and beyond is to have players that will work with Valeo FC Directors to find a volunteer or coaching opportunity that is the best fit for their personal strengths. We believe in a holistic approach when developing our players and see this opportunity to engage our players on and off the field.
“Valeo Futbol was built off of the generosity of others,” Simmond says. “This program eases the financial burdens for our families and reflects our focus on giving back to the community and providing opportunities for our players to become leaders. Additionally, we are providing access to the elite-level of training and MLS Next League competition at NO COST to our families.”
Valeo FC encourages its players to be leaders on and off the field. As part of this leadership initiative, the club fosters a culture of social awareness, volunteering and giving back. The MLS Next players will pay it forward, volunteering and engaging in charitable and social activities in and around the surrounding community.
The MLS Next Program
MLS Next program is the highest youth league in North America. It is managed, organized and controlled by Major League Soccer (MLS) whose goal is to connect national and professional team coaches at all age levels directly with elite youth players, while also serving as a venue for advanced coaching and referee development. It is a successor to the U.S. Soccer Development Academy and covers the U13-U19 age groups.
Valeo FC’s MLS Next program a rigorous and immersive 12-month training environment that is designed to drastically expedite the development of young players and prepare them to excel at the next level. The program boasts 312 hours of training, instruction and match-play instruction, coupled with the latest in player development technology and methodologies.
About Valeo FC
Valeo Futbol Club (VFC) is a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit sports education and training organization focused on developing competitive athletes, outstanding citizens and strong leaders. Valeo Futbol Club’s mission is to provide the very best environment for soccer and personal development for committed players who are passionate about the game. Taking advantage of a coach-to-player ratio that is much smaller than other clubs, Valeo’s experienced coaches work closely with each player individually to instill the virtues of teamwork, discipline, respect, commitment and leadership.