IMG Academy
| File:IMG Academy Logo.jpg | |
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Boarding School, Camp, Sports Camps |
| Founded | 1978 |
| Headquarters | Bradenton, Florida |
Key people | Nick Bollettieri, Founder of Bollettieri Tennis program; Sam Zussman, Managing Director |
| Website | www.imgacademy.com |
IMG Academy is a private athletic training institute for youth, high school, collegiate and professional athletes located in Bradenton, Florida. The academy offers programs for tennis, golf, baseball, basketball, lacrosse, soccer, football, and athletic and personal development. IMG Academy attracts more than 12,000 athletes from approximately 80 countries every year.
History
Nick Bollettieri founded the Nick Bollettieri Tennis Academy in 1978. Sports and entertainment company IMG purchased the academy in 1987.[1] IMG acquired the youth division of the David Leadbetter Golf Academy in 1993 and added programs for soccer and baseball in 1994. Hockey and basketball programs were added in 2000 and 2001, respectively, and by 2002 the IMG campus had expanded to 190 acres (0.77 km2).[2] IMG Academy suspended its hockey program in 2003.[citation needed]
IMG Academy currently sits on 450 acres (1.8 km2) of land, and in 2011, IMG paid $7.5 million for an additional 110 acres (0.45 km2) adjacent to the current campus that will be used for future expansion.[1]
Programs
Bollettieri Tennis
The Bollettieri Tennis program offers year-round tennis camps ranging from one to five weeks in length and is led by director Rohan Goetzke.[3] The campus has 35 outdoor hard courts, 4 indoor hard courts, and 16 green clay courts.[4]
In 1987, 32 academy students or former students were in the Wimbledon draw and 27 were in the U.S. Open.
Football
IMG announced the John Madden Football Academy in March 2010 and held its first camp from June 4–6, 2010. The football program offers a residency program and year-round camps ranging from three days to five weeks in length and is led by former NFL quarterback Chris Weinke.[5] The academy will begin training its own high school football team in 2013.[6]
Soccer
IMG Academy offers an Academy soccer program and year-round soccer camps. IMG Academy is home to U.S. Soccer's full-time residency program for the United States' U-17 and U-16 mens national teams. Started in 1999, it has become integral in developing the United States' top youth soccer prospects. The original idea of the residency program was to give elite players the opportunity to train in a professional environment as most MLS clubs did not have a substantial youth academy system in place prior to 2009. The Bradenton Academy has grown from an initial 20 players to 30 in 2002 and then to 40 in 2003. The program is now split into a U-16 squad and a U-17 squad.
A typical day for the student-athlete at Bradenton consists of academic classes in the morning followed by sports training in the afternoon. Students at the academy take accelerated courses and graduate high school a year early, making the players who do not turn pro immediately some of the most heavily recruited prospects in college soccer. The academy can trace its roots back to Project 2010 which highlighted ways U.S. Soccer could make the senior men's national team a legitimate threat to win the World Cup by the end of the decade. Two programs that were born from Project 2010 were Generation Adidas (previously called Project-40) and the Bradenton academy. The academy was started in January 1999 with backing of IMG and Nike.
Baseball
IMG Academy has an Academy baseball program and year-round camps, in addition to summer Wood Bat Leagues.[7]
Basketball
IMG Academy has an Academy basketball program and year-round camps.
Golf
IMG Academy has an Academy golf program and year-round camps.
Lacrosse
IMG Academy has an Academy lacrosse program and year-round camps. IMG Academy launched a high school team in 2012.[8]
Notable alumni
Since opening in 1978, IMG Academy has trained hundreds of Olympic and professional athletes, including those in the NBA, NFL, MLB, ATP, and MLS.
References
- ^ a b New IMG brand to unify Bradenton campus | Business | Bradenton Herald
- ^ The education is intensive—and expensive—at IMG Academies, - 11.25.02 - SI Vault
- ^ IMG Academies appoints Rohan Goetzke
- ^ IMG Academy Bollettieri tennis program Sports Facilities
- ^ IMG Academies launches John Madden football academy - Orlando Sentinel
- ^ IMG Academy to field a high school football team in 2013
- ^ Wood Bat League
- ^ IMG Academy fields first lacrosse team, Inside Lacrosse