IMG Academy Names Simon Collins Soccer Director

BRADENTON, Fla. (June 05, 2024) - IMG Academy, the world's leading sports education brand, has announced Simon Collins as the new Soccer Director. Collins is an accomplished and versatile soccer executive with over three decades of experience in playing, coaching, and managing soccer and brings a wealth of knowledge and a proven track record of success to IMG Academy’s soccer program.

Collins comes to IMG Academy from U.S. Youth Soccer where he served as its commissioner. As the national league commissioner, Colins oversaw a network of leagues and events, successfully creating the Elite 64 league. His strategic vision and leadership expanded the number of National League participating players from 70,000 to 95,000.

“Simon was our top choice to lead our soccer program into its future working closely alongside Alex Chater and the rest of the coaches and training staff,” said Brian Nash. “His proven track record of success in leading, coaching and playing in the soccer industry was unmatched and will be an incredible value to our student-athletes as we help them win their future. We’re looking forward to everything Simon accomplishes with our soccer program.”

Collins served in a variety of soccer industry leadership and coaching roles from 2006-2021, including the Technical Director position at EDP Soccer, where he facilitated league growth and expansion, significantly increasing player membership in various regions, including Florida. He also was the St. Cloud Soccer Club Director of Coaching where he developed coaching programs that fostered youth development and established international partnerships, providing U.S.-based players opportunities to experience playing in Europe.

Prior to his leadership and coaching positions, Colins was a professional soccer player from 1990-2001. He played in 237 professional league games with various clubs in the U.K. for the English Football League and overseas.

athletes,” said Simon Collins, Soccer Director at IMG Academy. “As a former professional athlete, I am confident no other place in the world prepares student-athletes to win their future at the next level like IMG Academy does, and I look forward to the role I get to play in that.”

About IMG Academy

IMG Academy is the world’s leading sports education brand, providing a holistic education model that empowers student-athletes to win their future, preparing them for college and for life. IMG Academy provides growth opportunities for all student-athletes through an innovative suite of on-campus and online experiences:

• Boarding school and camps, via a state-of-the-art campus in Bradenton, Fla.
• Online coaching via the IMG Academy+ brand, with a focus on personal development through the lens of sport and performance
• Online college recruiting, via the NCSA brand, providing content, tools, coaching and access to a network of 40,000 college coaches

To learn more about IMG Academy and its on-campus and online experiences, visit www.imgacademy.com.