ST. LOUIS, MO. (December 8, 2009) – The St. Louis entry into the newly formed North American Soccer League, NASL, will be called AC St. Louis. Jeff Cooper, chairman of St. Louis Soccer United, made the announcement at a press conference conducted at The Anheuser-Busch Soccer Park. The logo and word marks for the new franchise were also unveiled.
AC St. Louis also announced it has reached a partnership agreement with Heemal Vaid and Sanjeev Vaid of the United Kingdom. The two brothers will serve as directors with the club.
Furthermore, AC St. Louis announced that Claude Anelka has been named head coach of the club. Claude Anelka recently served as head coach of FC Trappes in France, and has coached at a variety of levels over the past decade in Europe and the United States. Claude Anelka is the older brother of current France international Nicolas Anelka who plays for Chelsea FC.
AC St. Louis also announced that former Manchester United Academy director Francisco Filho will serve as director of player development for the club. Filho previously instructed youth players for the French Football Federation at their prestigious academy located at Clairefontaine. Filho has overseen the development of such international stars as Cristiano Ronaldo, Thierry Henry, Eric Cantona, Jean Pierre Papin, and Nicolas Anelka. Filho will now be responsible for the development of youth players for both AC St. Louis, and its sister franchise, Saint Louis Athletica of the WPS.
“It is very exciting for us to reveal the identity of our new team,” said Cooper. “I am also extremely proud to be able to announce that Francisco Filho will be the director of player development for our club, and that Claude Anelka will be our head coach. We are incredibly excited to have someone of Francisco Filho’s stature coming here to work with our young players in St. Louis. Plus, we have a very experienced head coach that is passionate about player development. The future for young soccer players here in our community has never been brighter.”
AC St. Louis is one of the charter member’s of the recently formed North American Soccer League. The NASL will begin play in the spring of 2010. The NASL currently has 10 founding members including: St. Louis, Miami, Tampa Bay, Carolina, Atlanta, Montreal, Vancouver, Baltimore, Rochester, and Minnesota.
AC St. Louis and Saint Louis Athletica will call The Anheuser-Busch Soccer Park home, and will have expected home schedules of 14 games and 12 games respectively.
Season tickets for the 2010 seasons are on sale now and can be purchased by calling 1-888-STL-GOAL.
BIOGRAPHIES
Claude Anelka is a former French football player and agent. Anelka was born on March 12, 1968 in St. Pierre, Martinique. Claude Anelka played semi-professional soccer in France for the Racing Club de Versailles from 1986 through 1989, and for the Paris Football Club from 1990 to 1994. In 1994 Anelka joined AS Choisy le Roi, where he finished his playing career in 1997.
Claude Anelka has also served as a coach for several teams, and has coached at a variety of levels. While playing for Choisy le Roi, Anelka coached various elite youth squads. In 2004 he served as director of football for Raith Rovers of Scotland. Anelka has also coached American youth teams (Weston Soccer Club of Miami, Fl.) before returning to the professional ranks as head coach of FC Trappes in France.
Francisco Filho was born on October 27, 1940 in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Filho began his professional career at the age of 16 in 1957. For the next 17 years he played professionally for clubs in Brazil, Venezuela, Portugal, and France.
Filho began his coaching career at the age of 33 when he became an instructor at the famous Institut National du Football at the French Football Federation’s national academy, Clairefontaine. While at Clairefontaine, Filho oversaw the development of world-renowned stars such as: Thierry Henry, Eric Cantona, Nicolas Anelka, Louis Saha, Jean Pierre Papin, and William Gallas. Filho would coach 29 years at Clairefontaine as French soccer rose to prominence, culminating in France’s 1998 World Cup victory.
In 2002 Filho was hired by Sir Alex Ferguson to be the director of Manchester United’s Academy. Filho oversaw the development of the Manchester United youth players, and coached the Manchester United U-17 and U-18 teams. In 2003 Filho was named as assistant manager to Manchester United’s first team with the role of integrating Cristiano Ronaldo into the senior side. Filho also served as Cristiano Ronaldo’s personal trainer during this time period.
Sanjeev Vaid is a graduate of Westminster University in London with a degree in business economics. He currently serves as director of several thriving companies in the restaurant industry; one of which has become the market leader in successfully expanding the popular Subway franchise throughout the United Kingdom. Sanjeev has always aspired to combine his two primary passions in life: business and soccer. He believes the key to success in business is through diversification, which means today he is positioned to pursue his interest in furthering soccer through his partnership with AC St. Louis.
Heemal Vaid, graduate of City University, which is part of the University of London, holds a degree in business computing. Heemal has previously served as an investment banker with the firm of Credit Suisse First Boston where he managed private clientele. Amongst his numerous business endeavors, he currently owns and manages a successful global commodity-trading firm. Heemal is a passionate soccer and sports fan, and along with his brother Sanjeev, has the goal of establishing AC St. Louis as a global soccer club.
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