Ooh! It’s the David Beckham Academy!
By: Laurie | February 23rd, 2007The fun and exciting promo I’ve just received from MLS is for the David Beckham Academy. Perfect for the LA mom, because this will totally get the little brats out of the house so she can continue getting it on with the pool boy.
Or was that “Desperate Housewives”? Whatever.
What do you have to do to get your little future Cristiano Ronaldo into The David Beckham Academy? Well, let’s visit the David Beckham Academy website and see, shall we? Oh, the qualfications are strict. For a one-week camp, you need to go and pay $595.
Or $995 for the “Residential” program, where your budding soccer superstars are put up in The Doubletree Hotel — Carson Plaza. From the site: “The hotel will host all evening Academy sessions such as television viewing of England’s greatest games, captioned by David Beckham, competitions in the heated pool and fun soccer-related quizzes. The hotel will be themed in Beckham Academy colors (blue and silver) at check-in and will be accented with the camp logo and Beckham memorabilia.”
Am I just out of touch or what? I don’t know about you, but for $995 a week, David had better visit my house personally. Note: If we were talking about somebody like, say, Zidane, I would be fighting back the urge to insert some kind of inappropriate and irreverent comment about services expected for that kind of money. (Hey, get your mind out of the gutter! I’m talking about walking my dog.) But since it’s Becks… Well, David, I only love you for your corner kicks. Sorry.
But at any rate. I just found myself wondering if this is all about $$$, or is Beckham truly interested in improving soccer in the US like he’s said? And if he is… Well, are scholarships available to talented kids who don’t have this kind of cash?
And that thought raises all kinds of other issues. Like, if they offer scholarships, what will happen the first time some little kid from East LA totally schools the child of Tom Cruise?
Seeing that might be worth $995.
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Regarding the cash: I don’t think the high amount of this program negates David’s interest in improving the future (and present) of soccer in the US, especially through the children.
Since the Galaxy announcement, I don’t think any of his claims of ‘looking out for the kids’ have directly referred to his academy; the academy is a priviledge surely worth the cost, an ADDITIONAL bit that David is responsible for to improve players in the US. Obviously what David has been alluding to is his experience, name recognition, quality of play, and marketability being shining examples for kids that a) soccer is legitimate and there’s no need to pass it up in favor of another sport and b) soccer in America does not necessarily always have to be regarded by our own as some bastard step-child of the global game. I think we all know David is still talented enough and exciting enough of a player and personality to spur a good number of people finally acknowledging these things…which helps the kids, helps the MLS, helps the fans, and helps the game itself in America (it helps the Becks/Posh bank account, too - but they deserve that!).
Don’t let the high cost of that program taint your view of what David envisions for his American adventure. His impact on the game and the kids falls on HIS shoulders, not his academy’s shoulders; the academy merely bolsters the contributions David will already be making.
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United States
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Jason, it’s a complicated issue, isn’t it? I also get a very sincere read off Beckham when he talks about the future of the game in the US, particularly as it relates to kids. I feel that soccer has given him great joy in his life and he wants to share that. I also think that we will benefit from the setbacks he’s suffered in the past year, because now he really has something to prove.
On the other hand, there’s this whole “brand Beckham” thing that’s all caught up in money, money, money. (When I read something like the Academy website, I get these visions of these poor hotel staff having to deal with the hell-raising of spoiled rotten rich kids whose parents want to give them Only The Best.)
I’m not sure if the Brand Beckham side comes from Posh, or his PR and marketing people, or Beckham himself. But it’s the less pretty flip side to the Good and Altruistic Beckham that I have seen in interviews.
Don’t get me wrong — I’m beyond thrilled that Beckham is coming to the US and think that he will change the game forever, and mostly for the better. His ability to raise the profile of the game in the US is probably better than anyone else’s in the world. Even better than Zidane’s would be (as much as it pains me to admit it) because Beckham has mastered how to utilize PR to attain his aims. And when his main aim is furthering US soccer, I think he can achieve what nobody else has been able to, including Pele.
But then again, that poor hotel staff…
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Academy costs: hideously enough, that’s a “going rate” for overnight training camps. The UCLA kids soccer camps cost about $500 for 3 nights, same with UNC, and lots more go from 3 to 7 nights for $500 - $1000 a session. Those camps can use the college dorms and during the summer…probably more fun than the Doubletree.
I don’t know how it works with the LA Academy, but in London about 15,000 kids a year attend, and the academy provides scholarships, through their schools, for about 10,000 of those kids.
Although fabulously wealthy people and I never really agree on exactly how much giving equals giving away tons of money, the Beckhams have a foundation and allegedly give away tons of money, mostly to kids, then he does his own thing for UNICEF. The one area in which they have always both seemed sincere is caring about kids–and having fun with them, watch both of their Little Ant and Dec interviews on youtube if you haven’t already, HILARIOUS.
Hmmm, the rest of the whole brand becks/sincerity/who the hell is he issue…Beckham has always appeared to be the only person this doesn’t confuse. OK, the footballer is pretty clear, and even some pretty nasty stuff has failed to infringe on that over the years. He and the wife talk about Brand Beckham as a business and he clearly treats it as part of his day job. He doesn’t appear to have a conflict between being rich and famous and nice and polite.
The Good and Altruistic (short of calling upon me for guidelines on charitable giving and NONE of them ever do) is also fairly proven outside of the U.S. As for plans upon arrival, beyond continuing the kids/charity focus, he is offering to do the same work for the MLS that he has done for English football around the rest of the world. He’s been at the ambassador thing for almost ten years. He basically says just what you do, that football has given him great joy, and he wants to share that with anyone who will have it. I also agree that part of the offering to kids in the U.S. is his potential ability to make if ok for them to stick with the game.
BTW, will Tom Cruise’s kids really go to Carson? Beckham is allegedly setting up his academies so that they are similar to the ones he got his start at as a working class cockney kid (East London, East LA…). It will be interesting to see how that works out with who pays what to go.
This was SO long…sorry if I made less than scintillating sense!Posted from
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A GALAXY QUESTION!!!!! (I did ask one when I first found you, after all, so I can do them.) We keep reading things about European players possibly joining the Galaxy soon–Graveson, Berger–but we don’t understand how this would work within MLS salary guidelines. Especially since we also read that the books would have to be cooked at some point just to keep both Beckham and Donovan. Please send help as we are deeply confused. Thanks, D
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I’m in the process of researching MLS salaries. At this moment, I can tell you that I have no idea why a Danish international would want to come to LA when Beckham has taken the designated player spot and Donovan has been grandfathered in (for one year only.)
The salary cap last year for the entire team was $1.9 million. I think it was raised this year to $2.1 million (My sources disagree, but this is at least close.) And I think that the first $400,000 of Beckham’s salary counts toward that cap, and $325,000 of Donovan’s. (But don’t quote me, because I haven’t found any one site that spells this out and am trying to piece together from multiple sites, most of them out of date.) But if this is true, this does NOT leave a whole lot for anybody else.
I’m still researching this and will write a post when I feel I have enough solid, factual information. Anybody else reading this, I’d be thrilled if you were to offer up facts (and your sources.) Thanks!
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Thanks Laurie. Confirms my suspicion that the rest of the team could make more money waiting tables, poor lads. Doesn’t sound like the best idea from a staff management–or enabling ENTIRE squad to eat and be housed–point of view, but AGAIN, I am NEVER consulted.
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I read this article today and remembered what you were asking about the Beckham Academy because I’ve been to a lot of football camps. This is about the one near London, in a place that’s a little like Carson sounds. http://education.independent.co.uk/
schools/article2356915.ece
I think it looks really cool, especially for younger kids, and I hope the one in LA is like that too.Posted from
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The article link is
http://education.independent.co.uk/schools/article2356915.ecePosted from
United States -
Its my pleasure see David Beckam’s website that has to do with his football academy. Perase, I am very much intereed despite the fact that I am in Nigeria Presently. Please, when are you offerign scholarships to motivated cndidates like me. I am fan of the Manchester United fan. A guy who is twenty (20)tears of age and single. Football is my life. Infact, it keeps me at a sea of exhuberance each time I’m in it. Please I want you to keep me posted on neccessary requirements for the scholarship you are about to offer.remain blessed.
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Israel -
hello David Beckham academy i am looking to go far with my soccer but being in Zambia(Central Africa) for most of my life,i havent been exposed to anywhere….I would like to ask the David Beckham Academy to help me out a bit..PLEASE!!I have just turned 17 on the 30TH January and would love a chance at anything you can help me out with….god bless!!
Posted from
United States
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