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EduKick Brazil programs are a complete package of international travel, Brazilian cultural exposure, Portuguese language study & immersion, academic study and professional football training.

EduKick is proud to partner with Cruzeiro Esporte Clube Academy to ensure that participating players have "the Portuguese language & culture football experience of a lifetime!"

EduKick and Cruzeiro Esporte Clube Academy believe that living, studying and training in a foreign country is an invaluable experience that a player will never forget and the benefits of such an experience will be embedded positively into that individual for the rest of his or her life.

EduKick Brazil staff are keenly aware of the challenges that our Academy presents to our players so are fully committed to the overall education of each individual through our football development and language immersion program. Living, playing football and studying in Brazil as a teenager or young adult represents an enormous challenge for both the participant and the educators.

From the participant; courage, effort and character is required to succeed.

From the EduKick Brazil staff, it demands professional guidance, supervision, mentorship and expertise in order to provide the required level of service to our young players.

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Program Location

Belo Horizonte, Brazil. Belo Horizonte is a neighborhood of the district Belo Horizonte in the municipality of Duque de Caxias in the state of Rio de Janeiro a distant of about 50 km from the capital.

Xerem is situated on the slopes of the Serra Fluminense near Petropolis having in its territory the academy complex of Fluminense Football Club, the seat of Duque de Caxias FC and the football team Tigres do Brasil. Belo Horizonte is also known for having one of the most important government agencies in Brazil, INMETRO.

Many tourists come to visit Belo Horizonte because of the quiet and peaceful nature of the area that includes lots of greenery, waterfalls and places of interest.

Cruzeiro Esporte Football Club training facility

A magnificent training complex located on 100,000 square meters of land that comprises of the following facilities:

• Stadium – maximum size field with 2,000 people capacity grandstand
• 6 training fields – used for technical development work (including goalkeeper training area)
• 3 dressing rooms – attached to the training fields for players
• 4 changing rooms – used by coaches and referees
• Main administration building – reception, weight room, medical department, physical therapy department, dining room and kitchen, laundry, technical staff offices
• Tele Santana Hotel – accommodates 42 people in 24 rooms. The hotel has a living room with flat screen TV, pool table, table tennis, Wi-Fi Internet, computer area

A typical day in the life of an EduKick Brazil player:

• Check-in & registration (with Course Leader/Coaches)
• Breakfast
• Football training session - 2 hour session
• Lunch Football training session - 2 hour session
• Dinner
• Portuguese Language class (2 hours 2 evenings per week – optional)

All EduKick students are accommodated at the Hotel inside the Cruzeiro Youth Academy training complex specially designed for international student players. Each student and his allocated roommate will share a double room and receive all meals in the academy cafeteria. The residence hotel contains a common lounge with a computer but Wi-Fi is available throughout for those that want to bring their laptop computers. There is also a large TV room.

Football Coaching (Technical)

Practice makes perfect with every individual player. Each week the students will be coached not only in the complexities of the game but also the simple elements of the game to ensure individual improvement and performance. Simple repetitive practices that the professionals in the Brazilian game take part in and will be introduced to ensure the players are focused on all aspects of the game.

Football Coaching with Cruzeiro Esporte Clube

Youth Academy

Each week the students will receive two coaching sessions per day (morning and afternoon) from Cruzeiro Esporte Clube academy coaches. These sessions will expose the students to the highest level of football coaching available in the country.

Competitive Matches

Each weekend the participating students will be placed with one of the Cruzeiro Esporte Clube Academy youth teams to play competitive matches. Placement will be made based upon the players current level of play. Placement decisions are made by the Cruzeiro Esporte Clube youth academy coaches.

Football Coaching (Tactical)

The students will prepare each week for the following game learning the tactical parts of the game together, looking at shape, movement, set plays, defending and attacking as a team and phase of play, using examples from games they have been involved in and the professional game in Brazil.

Cool Down Sessions

Following competitive fixtures and high tempo match play activity we believe a thorough cool down session is important to assist in injury prevention. These sessions will involve light training sessions or activities. During these sessions analysis of previous match play and coaching to look at improvement will be incorporated where necessary.

Fitness Training/Speed, Agility, Quickness

Each week the students will be put through their paces in the fitness sessions. These sessions will vary from endurance, strength, conditioning and technical movements associated with the game. All students are expected to use these sessions to improve fitness for the game and to provide ideas along with them being a learning tool for the personal fitness sessions. The sessions will include footwork and developing quick feet without the ball, co-ordination and awareness, anaerobic speed burst movements of the game and general aerobic fitness. During these sessions students will be taught the safe practices of training to assist in injury prevention.

Training Kit

Each participant is provide with a full set of Cruzeiro Esporte Clube training kit comprising of:

• 2x Training jersey
• 2x Training shorts
• 2x Training socks
• 1xtracksuit

Football Academy Course

Course Director Armandinho Manjate is a former professional player with Sporting Olhanense in Portugal and FC Volendam in Holland. When he retired from professional football in 1999 Armandinho turned his attention to coaching and has spent the majority of his time since as part of the coaching or scouting staff of a number of Brazilian professional teams including Cruzeiro Esporte Clube.

Armandinho has also spent and still continues to spend time in Canada where he has become a National "A – License" coach and coaches many teams in various parts of Canada and at the same time organizes a number of exchange visits for individuals and teams between Brazil and Canada.

Armandinho oversees all of the EduKick Brazil programs and ensures all of the participants needs both on and off the field are attended to by both EduKick Brazil and Cruzeiro Esporte Clube Academy staff.

• Andre Medeiros – Fluminense FC Manager of player development Andre is perfectly positioned to oversee and supervise all of the EduKick participants regarding the training plans and placement to teams for weekend matches. Andre arrived to Cruzeiro Esporte Clube Youth Academy in 2000 and has a wealth of experience dealing with youth players. Andre co – ordinates with all of the coaches within the Cruzeiro Esporte Clube Youth Academy regarding all of the EduKick Brazil participants.
• Tatiane Figueira Leite – Assistant coordinator Tatiane is the main coordinator and assistant to Course Director Armandinho Manjate and is responsible to ensure that all participants needs and requirements are taken care of correctly on a daily basis.