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The Cugini Story
AC Cugini is an official Italian scuola calcio (soccer school) and club based in Northern Virginia, committed to providing the BEST soccer training for young soccer players, recreational or travel, in a fun and stimulating environment. Cugini believes that excellent training and coaching is THE source for not only bringing out the best soccer skills in each child but for enhancing fine character as well. Cugini offers a unique program compared to all other soccer clubs in the Washington DC area and throughout the United States. Our uniqueness stems from being a school first and then a club; being an ITALIAN soccer school, a rarity in the United States; and having the distinction of being the first and only soccer school in North America sanctioned by the Italian National Olympic Committee (CONI) and the Italian Soccer Federation (FIGC).
As Cugini is a school first and foremost, all Cugini coaches and trainers closely follow the same successful Italian Olympic Committee sanctioned player development program designed to follow a player from age 4 to age 18. So even if a coach or trainer leaves Cugini, the training remains consistent and the player's skills progress without interruption. Cugini offers a full complement of licensed coaches and trainers in Virginia and at our training facility in Rome that allows us to bring additional UEFA licensed coaches from Italy to the United States; take teams to Italy for tournaments; offer training for coaches and players year round in Italy; and arrange tryouts for talented players - both male and female - with professional Italian clubs.
While Cugini training is unsurpassed, fees are kept low so that this unique soccer opportunity is affordable for all. Also, Cugini does not believe that travel teams should only be for those players who can afford the high expense of travel soccer. Therefore, Cugini offers scholarships to players with financial need, whether for recreational or travel team membership. Cugini works actively to raise funds for scholarship players so no child is turned away. We do not just leave scholarship decisions to parents on travel teams, the school sets asides funds to be distributed to children with financial need.
To further the growth of a "soccer school" environment throughout the United States, Cugini opens its training programs in Virginia and Italy to non-member coaches and players. This sharing of knowledge with other U.S. soccer organizations is a strong component of Cugini''s philosophy that everyone in the soccer community can benefit from a soccer school model, which, in turn, strengthens American soccer players, whether they choose to play in the United States or overseas.
From the Beginning: After coaching youth soccer in Washington, DC, and Northern Virginia, Cugini Founder and President Fabio Diletti, an Italian native who played goalkeeper for professional Italian club Ascoli Calcio (founded in 1898), started his own summer soccer training program in 1999 in Great Falls, VA, that was followed by a winter program. The success of those programs and continued interest from players and their parents led him to create an Italian soccer school and club modeled after the soccer schools he grew up with in Italy and in which he trained as a youth. Thus, AC Cugini was born.
Early Affiliations - League Memberships: In 2000, Cugini became a member of the Virginia Youth Soccer Association, US Youth Soccer, the US Soccer Federation, the Old Dominion Soccer League (ODSL) and the Suburban Friendship League (SFL). By 2002, Cugini had grown from 15 players to 120 players with a recreational league for players ages 4-9, a Suburban Friendship League team, and 4 travel teams playing in the ODSL. Cugini also affiliated with professional Italian club AC Perugia - which was, at the time, in the Italian premier league- Serie A. By 2003, Cugini had 150 players enrolled. The summer of 2003, Cugini offered its first guest trainer from Italy program with an instructor from AC Perugia.
Italian Olympic Committee Award: AC Cugini conducted its 1st annual Play Soccer in Italy tour and tournament play in June 2001 as part of the school's international programming. While conducting the 4th Play Soccer in Italy program in June 2004, Cugini Soccer received special recognition from the Italian National Olympic Committee for excellence in its international programming and for advancing Italian player development and the scuola calcio program in the United States.
Continued Growth & Success: In August 2004, AC Cugini conducted its 2nd annual guest trainer program in Virginia with Armando Ciarrocchi, a UEFA-licensed instructor from Rome and professional scout. After the training, two Cugini U13 age players, whom Ciarrocchi had previously reviewed in Italy, were selected to try out with professional clubs in Rome. One player was invited by professional Italian club Cisco Lodigiani to move to Italy to join its youth team.
By 2005, Cugini was accepted for membership in the National Capital Soccer League (NCSL) and the Washington Area Girls Soccer (WAGS). That same year, during the Soccer in Italy trip, Cugini's U10 boys team (with 3 female players) came away tournament champions in their division. Cugini's U13-U14 team finished 7th out of 15 teams. In November 2005, a Cugini female student was accepted by two professional Italian womens' teams.
Additional Affiliations: July 2006, AC Cugini affiliated with ASD-COR 2005 of Rome, Italy, to add to its facilities and training opportunities overseas. By June 2007, Cugini had grown to 200 members with 7 travel teams, 1 SFL team, and a house league with 100 members. During Cugini's 2007 Play Soccer in Italy tournament, a Cugini U16 age female player received the tournament's Most Valuable Player Award out of all players on 8 teams in the division. In February 2008, Cugini signed a formal affiliation with Italian premier league club ACF Fiorentina. In June 2008 Cugini players participated in the first Fiorentina training camp in Italy.
Upcoming International Programming: Cugini will conduct its 10th annual Play Soccer in Italy program in June and July 2010 to include training and tournament play and time in Rome, Tuscany, and San Benedetto del Tronto on the Italian Adriatic Coast.
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