Pro IFX player Adam Lee new signee at Soccer Team Baiersdorfer SV.
Adam Lee (20), a native of Brooklyn, New York, will look to break into one of the long term IFX Partner club and well known feeder of professional clubs in the area: Baiersdorfer SV. Adam is not unfamiliar with IFX, taking part in our Soccer Trials Program last year and decided to comeback for the Pro Year Germany program. During the June/July German soccer pre-season, Adam took part of soccer trials in Germany with a handful of different teams attending their practices and in the end had three teams interesting in signing him. After careful consideration, Adam along with IFX determined that Baiersdorfer SV was the best fit. From the welcoming atmosphere of the players and coaching staff to how well established of club it is, Baiersdofer SV was an easy choice.
Adam played for NYPD Finest Soccer last season in US and now will compete in the tough Landesliga Bayern-Nord which is the sixth tier of the German football league system in northern Bavaria. According to Baiersdorfer SV's formation, it looks like he will be playing left/right wing back and with some new additions to the team, he expects that the team will do well this season.
“I really like how close knit the players are and how welcoming they were to me. Most of the players have gone through the youth team of Baiersdorfer and played with each other for a number of years so the connection they have with each other is very strong. And although it at first seemed like it would be difficult to be part of this family like atmosphere I was quickly proven wrong.” Adam stated.
Adam is working hard on and off the field. On the weekdays he has two to three IFX training sessions and two to three club trainings with Baiersdorfer SV spread throughout the week, with Language School Monday to Thursday in the morning, and on the weekends he usually has a league game with Baiersdofer SV. “Everyone at IFX is great. It was nice seeing some of the people who were here last year when I attended the 30 day program so I knew most of the people. When we aren’t at practice we either relax around the city or if we have a long weekend or go traveling to other cities in Germany. Nürnberg is beautiful and has a good balance of an urban and rural environment, which I really enjoy coming from a big city”.
- “IFX Soccer, I feel, is like the middle man between you and these clubs. They help you get situated in Germany as well as surround you with like minded individuals. They also go above this by offering guidance on and off the field”
Living, studying and playing soccer abroad definitely is a big change in life but one of the most rewarding and unique experiences you can go through in Germany is living the German “soccer” culture. We agree with Adam when he said that it is completely different than what it is back home. Just walking around the city you can see small fields flooded with people of all ages playing as well as advertisements on the streets and store fronts displaying whichever big game is on that day.
Learning the local language always will be a challenge for any international player. The German language course Adam is taking is rather intense but not far from other language courses he took back home at his University. “It is really helpful for daily life. After the first two weeks of class I understand a lot more at my practices and what my teammates are saying and I am able to use German to order at a restaurant or ask for help at the store.” Adam said.
Learning German is an integral component of the IFX program, enriching the lives and experiences of program participants and is an opportunity to obtain the unique asset of language proficiency of one of the world’s leading economies.
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