By Loyd McIntosh
Area soccer players and coaches will have an excellent opportunity to improve their skills and be seen by coaches representing some of the world’s top teams this summer.
Eintracht Frankfurt, one of the top clubs in the German Bundesliga, is bringing a multi-day soccer event to John Carroll Catholic High School in late June. All events are led by Nicolai Adam, Head of International Sports Project for Eintracht Frankfurt, a UEFA Pro License coach and former U17 national team coach in India and Azerbaijan, and Taskin Askoy, also a UEFA Pro License holder and head coach with experience in the Turkish Super Liga and Fortuna Düsseldorf of the German 2nd Bundesliga, Germany’s second-division professional league.
The five-day soccer event, held from June 20-25, is organized by David Kearney, a 1989 graduate of John Carroll, former player at Birmingham-Southern College and youth coach and board member with area soccer club FC Birmingham.
The relationship with Eintracht Frankfurt and other German clubs goes back to the 1980s, when former Birmingham-Southern head coach Preston Goldfarb invited club coaches and players to Birmingham for his Excellence Through Fundamentals Soccer Camp.
Kearney recalls attending one such clinic at Legion Field, where he received instruction from players such as West Germany national team goalkeeper Toni Schumacher and Eintracht Frankfurt player and coach Armin Kraaz, who came to Birmingham each summer for many years to coach Goldfarb’s camp until his retirement in 2023. Today, Adam is carrying on the Eintracht Frankfurt tradition by bringing this elite soccer experience to John Carroll Catholic High School.
Kearney adds that having international coaches of Adam’s and Askoy’s caliber is unprecedented and presents a tremendous opportunity for Birmingham-area players and coaches. “It’s an honor to have guys in town who are top-level UEFA licensed coaches running the events that we’re going to have here this summer,” says Kearney. “It’s definitely not normal, and it’s a great opportunity for players and coaches of all different levels.”
The event kicks off Saturday, June 20, with a Coaches Clinic open to AHSAA high school and club coaches of all experience levels, featuring field and classroom sessions. In the afternoon from 3-7 p.m., the coaches will host a youth scouting combine for players ages 15–17 and will feature technical, tactical and athletic assessments. Additionally, elite players will have the opportunity for additional evaluation by Eintracht Frankfurt’s Youth Academy coaches in Frankfurt.
On Sunday, June 21, a second Scouting Combine runs from 3-7 p.m. for players ages 18–26, combining a field assessment with a classroom session explaining pathways to playing in Germany’s 5th and 6th divisions—with top performers eligible for consideration by Eintracht Frankfurt’s 4th Division Regional Liga team.
The week concludes with a Youth Camp running Monday through Thursday, June 22-25, open to soccer players ages 8–18. Each day features a morning clinic session from 9 to 11:30 a.m., a midday break, and evening games coached by Adam and Askoy, giving players the experience of being coached by high-level coaches with post-game evaluations each evening.
Adam, who was in Birmingham in April for some organizational meetings, says the goal of these clinics is to evaluate all players and coaches and build on their existing knowledge and skill set, rather than starting over from a clean slate. “It’s a player-centered approach,” says Adam. “Whatever helps the players, we try to use because the players are our most important asset. I’m not coming to tell you this is the way you should do it. We try to figure out what fits you. We hope to try to look at the game, maybe, from a different angle. That’s what we try to do.”
Registration costs vary by event, with the Coaches Clinic and both Scouting Combines each priced at $100 and the Youth Camp available for $250. Each player attending the Youth Camp will receive a full Eintracht Frankfurt kit as part of their registration, and clinic coaches will receive lunch as part of their registration. To register, go to https://bit.ly/EFSC-Registration or contact David Kearney at [email protected].
