Eintracht visit Newcomer Academy | OneFootball

Aurèle Amenda paid a surprise visit to the kids at the Newcomer Academy in Louisville and told them that it is “always worth fighting for your dreams”.

While Eintracht are literally newcomers in Louisville, having arrived there on Monday, one of their number got to see some other ‘Newcomers’ on Wednesday. As most of the squad returned to their hotel after their morning training session to get ready for their trip to Mexico, Aurèle Amenda took time out to make the 20-minute trip from the training centre to the nearby Newcomer Academy.

The Swiss defender took pens and fan merchandise with him and made a surprise visit to the 48 children who attend the educational institute, which was set up to help students from migration backgrounds to learn English.

The main aim of the Newcomer Academy is to create an open and respectful environment which meets the needs of pupils in grades six to ten who need to improve their English. Anyone who gets through the Academy’s four stages successfully – with some students taking one semester, others up to three – will then have the required standard to attend at least middle school, if not high school.

Dream big.

Believe in yourself.

Work hard.

These three maxims are written in white on the Academy’s green walls and are clear for all to see when they walk in. They refer to language skills but can just as easily be applied to top-level sport, which is why the boys and girls immediately identified with a footballer like Amenda, while the 20-year-old Swiss player was equally impressed with those he met.

“It was a great experience – being able to make the kids happy and also to learn something about their culture,” Amenda said afterwards. “It brings it home to you once again how much of a privilege it is to be a professional footballer, and I’m very grateful for that. That’s why it’s important for me to tell them that it’s worth fighting for your dreams.”