IFX Valencia International Soccer Academy | Interview with Max Dennis

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After two and a half months in Valencia as part of our Residential International Soccer Academy in Spain, we interviewed the talented center back, Max Dennis (16), a native of New York who now lives and plays in the Residential Soccer Academy in Valencia. Max decided to study high school in Spain while he continues his soccer development with the Academy’s renowned Valencian fútbol club. The Valencia Soccer Academy is a world-class soccer training program which allows young soccer players from all around the world access not just world class facilities and a professional coaching but also gives them an enriching experience technically and competitively.

Max is a smart player with good passing. From his position as a center back he possesses a good reading of the field and has become an essential part of his team, supporting teammates to predict runs by attackers. Max always strives to achieve his peak performance. He can run, sprint and jump for 90 minutes. Max expressed that what he most likes about the Valencia Soccer Academy is the opportunity to play alongside Spanish soccer players not only because of the high level but also because this helps him with developing a good command of the Spanish language.

“I feel this program has helped me a lot in progressing my soccer career. Since I was little kid I always watched Spanish soccer like Barcelona and Real Madrid and I always admired it because in North America we do not have a great teams. . . . [the Academy] is helping me a lot because I am being able to play with Spanish kids. I went to another soccer program in Spain and it was not even close to the level because I was playing with North American players.”

Valencians are distinguished primarily by hospitality and respect for people, especially with tourists. Max says that players have been really welcoming. There are some English speaking players but mostly Spanish, so his Spanish knowledge has improved a lot since he has gone to Valencia. He also highlighted that the facilities is one of the best football facilities in the region. They were one of the very first clubs in the region to install artificial grass fields and also have enjoyed close partnerships with clubs including F.C. Barcelona and Valencia C.F.

  • “the Academy is helping me a lot because I am being able to play with Spanish kids"
  • "I have been here around two and a half months and my Spanish has gotten a lot better"

“I live one block away from the fields so whenever I want to train I can go out and train. They are very welcoming to me, very nice people. Living in the residency is good because I have my own room. I really enjoy the fact that I do not need to travel too far to go to the fields. When I come back from school I do not have much time until my practice starts”.

IFX’s Valencia soccer academy gives you many opportunities to play with a high level Spanish club team. Max has also been able to train with much older player which has helped him tremendously and enabled him to validate his own level against his Spanish peers. “I practice with two teams: Cadete A which is my age group and I also train with Juvenal B which is one year older than me”. The Spanish Academy/club also fields a men’s amateur team for players over 19 years old, and competes in the top Valencian Amateur division called Primera Regional.

As for Spanish language, he told us that because he has gone to the high school, he has been able to talk and communicate with the other Spanish students. “I have been here around two and a half months and my Spanish has gotten a lot better that now I can hold a conversation with people. It´s just because you continuously practice and you are immersed in Spaniard´s daily life”.

If you would like to live, study and play soccer in Spain yourself and experience a highly competitive training environment, please do not hesitate to contact us right away – we are happy to help you to fulfill this dream! 

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