Jim has established himself as one of the brightest young professionals in youth soccer and a veteran sports industry executive founding the globally recognized Eurotech® group of companies at the age of 23 in the midst of his playing career. A large part of his youth was spent in Germany which provided him the environment and influence needed to fuel his passion for the world’s #1 sport and his innovative teaching and creative coaching methodologies. His reputation as a top youth trainer is well known in the coaching world and he spent many years training under some of the best coaches in the world. Some of the notables are Craig Brown (Head Coach Scottish National Team & Scottish FA Technical Director), Dan Gaspar (Assistant Coach Portuguese & Iranian National Teams/MLS New York Metrostars), Timo Liekoski (MLS Columbus Crew/Finland National Futsal Team), Bob Gansler (US Men's National Team/MLS Kansas City Wizards & Toronto FC), Richard Williams (MLS NY Metrostars) and many more.
Eurotech® Soccer Academies, Inc. (eurotechsocceracademy.com), North America’s #1 Soccer Camp Company® and now in its 33rd year of operation is a nationally recognized soccer education program for boys and girls ages 8-16. As the Founder and National Director of Coaching, Jim and his team of national and international coaches have been instrumental in elevating thousands of players, coaches, teams, and clubs to new levels of excellence with his worldwide soccer education programs. Since it’s inception in 1990, Eurotech® has worked with over 50,000 youth soccer players in North America and trained over 4,000 youth soccer coaches. In 2007, Eurotech® served over 8,000 campers alone and has taught over 2,000 international coaches in how to conduct training camps in the U.S.!
During his tenure as National Coaching Director, his coaching staff and guest clinicians have included many past and present U.S. National Team and MLS coaches, foreign national team coaches, technical directors, and international instructors from Germany, Italy, Spain, Norway, Holland, Sweden, England, Scotland, Ireland, France, Portugal, Slovakia, Switzerland, Denmark and FIFA. His past and present staff have been comprised of coaches like Phil Wheddon (U.S. National Women's Team Coach, Syracuse University & MLS Philadelphia Union), Mischa Visser (KNVB & Current Dutch U17 Boys National Team Coach), Sander Claassen (Gronigen FC Academy Coach & KNVB), Ruud Dokter (KNVB & Dutch Women's National & Olympic Team Head Coach), Janusz Michallik (Former USMNT/MLS Player & Current ESPN Soccer TV Analyst), Gavin Levey (Aberdeen FC-Scotland Academy Director), Thomas Ruesink (Queens Park FC-Glasgow & Former Academy Coach PSV Eindhoven, Aspire Academy, & De Graafschaap-Holland), Tony Browne (Chelsea FC Youth Academy Coach), Pauline McDonald (Current Scotland U17 Women's National Team Coach & Former Scotland National Team Player), Dan Gaspar (USMNT GK Coach & Former Portuguese & Iranian National Team Coach), Cesar Rizzo (USL Hampton Roads Piranhas Coach), Ommar Jager (FC Groningen Academy Coach), Sav Savva (Plymouth Argyle FC), Dez McAleenan (USMNT GK Coach & Former MLS NY Red Bulls Coach), Fraser Carver (Former U-21 Scottish National Team), Andy Dallas (Scottish National Team, Dundee United FC & Livingston FC), Arthur Brammer (Fulham FC & MLS NYCFC Academy Coach), Steve Burton (Former West Ham Academy Coach), Patrick van Seeters (Feeyenoord Acaemy Coach) and Jorg Halfenberg (Alemannia Aachen & Borussia Mönchengladbach) to name a shortlist of many. In addition to developing a global network of international coaches, Jim has also placed many players with professional clubs in Europe over the years, the most recent in England (Portsmouth FC), Holland (PSV, De Graafschaap) and Germany (Alemannia Aachen). Jim also worked under former Scottish National Team Coach, Craig Brown, being invited to work directly with many of the Scottish Football Association national coaching staff in 1995. He also attended the highly regarded SFA Coaching Schools programs at the Scotland FA National Sports Center in Largs.
In addition, hundreds of players who have attended Eurotech® Soccer Academy programs and trained under Jim are now playing with ECNL, State ODP, Regional ODP, NCAA, NAIA, National Team programs as well as many of the professional leagues including PDL, USL, NASL, NPSL and MLS. A shortlist of Eurotech® Alumni include Justin Mapp (U.S. National Team and MLS DC United, Chicago Fire, Philadelphia Union, Sporting KC and now retired from MLS as of 2017), Jamie Gunderson (Methodist College & MISL Norfolk Sharx & current NCAA D3 National Champion Coach at Christopher Newport University) and many others.
Jim also founded Eurotech® International Tours (eurotechsoccertours.com), North America’s #1 Sports Travel Company® which caters to inbound and outbound professional, college, high school and club teams. Eurotech® provides all-inclusive international group and team travel services to the United Kingdom, Europe, Asia, South America, Australia and South Africa for it’s many clients. With offices in the U.S. and the United Kingdom, Jim has built the Eurotech® Sports Travel brand into one of the most respected international team travel agencies in the industry.
He is also Founder and former Director of the International Soccer Conditioning Institute (ISCI), the only institute of its kind in the world dedicated to continued research and development in soccer specific conditioning methods and techniques from around the world. As a Soccer Conditioning Specialist (SCS), Jim has attended numerous conditioning conferences, interviewed specialists from all over the world and amassed a vast library of international soccer conditioning resources.
His articles, special columns and company features have appeared in national soccer publications like Inside Soccer Magazine (Canada), FreeKick Magazine (Canada), Soccer.com (Eurosport), USC® (NSCAA®) Soccer Journal, Success in Soccer Magazine, Soccer Coaching International, Soccer Performance Conditioning Magazine, Soccer America, Soccer News, Southern Soccer Scene, Student Athlete Magazine and The Instep Magazine, in addition to numerous regional, state, local soccer and sports publications in addition to numerous online forums, blogs and websites.
He is also still a regularly featured speaker and clinician at international, national, regional and state soccer shows, AGM's and coaching and team travel conventions. Over the years, he has conducted live presentations and/or field sessions at the NSCAA® Annual Convention, Sports Management Worldwide (SMWW) Convention, USYSA Annual Convention, Grassroots Live (London-United Kingdom), Bayerischer Fussballverband (German DFB-Munich) annual meetings, Soccer Champions Coaches Clinics with Tony DiCicco/Ray Reid and many state and regional youth soccer association shows from coast to coast including Canada. His companies also receive regular press coverage and in the span of almost three decades have received worldwide media recognition from all over the United States, Canada, Europe and the United Kingdom. Jim has also built lasting relationships with many professional clubs like Celtic FC, Rangers, Tottenham FC, West Ham FC, Bolton Wanderers FC, Aberdeen FC and De Graafshaap to name a few. Eurotech® Soccer Education Programs have recruited and trained over 2,000 international staff coaches and his coaching recruitment efforts over thirty years have created a “who’s who” of professional coaches from all over the world, many of whom have moved on to high profile coaching positions with professional clubs and organizations. Eurotech’s new network of Official Licensees, Regional and International Coaching Directors now span the globe based on these efforts.
He is a present or former member of the following international coaching organizations:
USSF Soccer Coaches Organization
United Soccer Coaches® (USC) - Formerly the NSCAA
Scottish FA Technical Association for Managers, Coaches & Trainers
SITREPESP®-Syndicate of Professional Trainers-Sau Paulo-Brazil
His youth playing career started in the highly acclaimed German programs in the Kaiserslautern area. His career and promising future as a "Player to be Watched" was highlighted at an early age by regularly playing matches in front of 38,000 fans at Fritz-Walter Stadion (formerly Betzenbergstadion), home of 1. FC Kaiserslautern of the German Bundesliga while still in his early teens. Fritz-Walter Stadium was also host to the famous USA-Italy match in the 2006 World Cup that ended in a 1-1 tie. Jim went on to play for NJCAA powerhouse and top twenty ranked school, Sauk Valley College outside of Chicago, Illinois and led them to a national ranking of 16th in the country before moving on to Marycrest International University, an NAIA top twenty school. He was an Illinois Prairie State Games 1st team selection player three years in a row under former pro U.S. Soccer U14 National Team Coach and National Coaching Instructor, Louis Mateus following his college playing career followed by appearances with several teams in the USISL and playing stints with the Chicago Power, Wichita Wings, Canton Invaders and Dayton Dynamo of the former National Professional Soccer League (NPSL), now called the Major Indoor Soccer League (MISL). Following several recurring knee and foot surgeries and a final attempt to train in both Europe and South America, his playing career ended and he transitioned into full-time soccer coaching and sports business pursuits.
Jim’s partial list of enviable soccer coaching achievements include:
USC®/NSCAA® Advanced National, National Youth & Futsal Level 1 Diplomas
USSF National B License
Scottish FA B License
Scottish FA Youth License
International Brazilian A License
Soccer Conditioning Specialist (SCS)
Former Founder & Chairman ISCI™
Former State Olympic Development Program (ODP) Head Coach & Assessor
Former Regional Olympic Development Program (ODP) Head Coach
Nationally & Internationally Published Author & Clinician
Nike® Soccer Performance Centers Clinician
Former College/University Coach
Former Club Technical Director & DOC
Former High School Coach
Current Club Academy Coach
I am very excited and proud to offer you our new 2023 Summer Academy Programs. We now offer Residential Academies, Team Training Programs and over 100 International Tour and Tournament options to players, organizations and coaches nationwide. Eurotech® began as a vision to offer high quality soccer instruction to thousands of young players throughout North America and to foster within them the same energy and passion shared by those who love the world’s most popular sport. Today, Eurotech® does just that! We are dedicated to creating the ultimate environment for teams and player’s of all ages and abilities to reach their full potential in soccer and more importantly, in life. At Eurotech®, we continue to inspire young athletes every year and plan to continue this tradition of excellence in 2023!
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