Right to Dream is taking its unique brand of football excellence and holistic youth development model to the United States, with the exciting announcement of its newest academy in San Diego.
Located on Sycuan tribal land in El Cajon, the academy will provide top-tier education and world-class soccer training to students aged 11-18. This is an exciting new chapter for Right to Dream, as we expand our dynamic network of professional clubs and academies, already thriving in Ghana, Denmark, and Egypt, to the shores of California.
Mohamed Mansour, Owner and Chairman, San Diego MLS said: “From the moment we first became involved in the San Diego MLS project, we have made a commitment to the people of San Diego: that we would bring the world-leading Right to Dream academy model to this great city and county. Today we make good on that commitment.”
“This model has already transformed lives and yielded great results in Africa and Europe, and for San Diego, with such a deep pool of soccer talent, we are excited to see the impact it will bring.”
The new academy will feature a 50,000 square feet state-of-the-art sports performance facility, 10 existing hotel buildings transformed into student and employee housing, school, and guest accommodation, and five full-sized soccer fields, featuring both natural and synthetic turf.
"As we have, at the highest level, elsewhere we will continue to redefine what excellence means in football by bringing our unique offering of football, education and life skills development to maximize opportunities for young talent,” said Tom Vernon, Founder/CEO of Right to Dream and a member of the San Diego MLS ownership group.
Spanning 28-acre site, the project will also be home to the training facility of San Diego’s MLS - an expansion team owned by Mr. Mohamed Mansour and the Sycuan Band of the Kumeyaay Nation that became part of Right to Dream community earlier this year and will begin play in 2025.
“We couldn’t ask for a more perfect location for our training facility and Right to Dream Academy,” said Tom Penn, CEO, San Diego MLS. “This land is absolutely beautiful – rich with tradition and heritage – which will give us the foundation to achieve our vision to become the epicenter of football excellence and innovation in North America.”
Exciting updates about the project will be unveiled in November, so stay tuned as we continue our journey of empowering dreams worldwide.