English Premier League’s AFC Bournemouth teams up with Delmarva Rush

It’s been said the only constant is change.

This has been a year of change for the organization formerly known as Henlopen Soccer Club. Now called Delmarva Rush and part of the biggest club system in the world, it partnered with English Premier League’s AFC Bournemouth for a mutually beneficial two weeks of training in the July heat. The partnership was born out of a lifelong friendship between Delmarva Rush’s Nick Vitale and AFC Bournemouth Community Sports Trust coach Paul Topping.

“Nick and I were chatting, and we thought this was a great idea for us and that it would be a good partnership for us to bring what we do in the U.K. with the English Premier League and the community partners: engage the young people in soccer,” Topping said.

Formulating the two-week camp was Vitale’s idea, but Topping said it's a big deal for the EPL club.

“We traveled all over the world, but we’ve never been to the United States of America before,” Topping said, adding that trainers received a warm welcome, and the people and kids have been fantastic. “The kids listen, which is the most important thing. They are well behaved, and they’ve been well coached,” he said.

In addition to Topping, the Bournemouth training team included Youth and Community College coach Ben Cooper, women’s alum Ruth Topping, and trainers Stephanie Small and Kieran Nichol.

Vitale, born and raised in England, said he noticed soccer’s popularity growing in America, and saw some domestic youth clubs had formed partnerships with European clubs. He wanted a way to get players in the Cape Region over to England. Vitale believes his friendship with Topping will build relations between the two clubs.

“Paul invited us to take a team next year to tour Bournemouth and see the facilities,” Vitale said. “My long-term goal is to see what our relationship can grow into, and what it could build for Rush and someone with Bournemouth.”

Delmarva Rush President Chris Nichols said the decision to become a member of Rush, which has 125 clubs in 50 countries, and the partnership with Bournemouth are intentional steps to increase the players’ visibility.

“A lot of the local soccer players have had to travel outside of our region once they achieved a certain level,” Nichols said. “Part of what we’re trying to do with Rush is to say, ‘You don’t need to go to these other places. The grass is not greener. There’s something here in Sussex County.’”

Nichols said parents don’t have to drive for hours round trip or cross bridges and pay tolls just to get quality training, because the players and coaches are here to deliver it. He said the maturation of his soccer club began with Sandhill Fields and has continued to grow with the Rush affiliation and Bournemouth partnership.

Topping said Bournemouth is already committed to return next year, but he hopes Rush players can take a trip across the pond.

“The real icing on the cake will be if we could welcome young people from here to Bournemouth, and they can come to our institution and look at what we do for a couple of weeks,” he said.

More information about Delmarva Rush and AFC Bournemouth can be found at DelmarvaRush.com and AFCB.co.uk, respectively.