IMG Academy, Nord Anglia Education launch sports education collaboration at SISS Dubai

DUBAI: IMG Academy, the global leader in sports education, and Nord Anglia Education, the world’s leading international schools organisation, are launching the first phase of a revolutionary global sports and wellbeing collaboration.

Beginning this winter, student-athletes in Dubai will have the opportunity to participate in an IMG Academy sports camp previously only held on IMG Academy’s campus in Bradenton, Florida.

The weeklong day or residential camp is for ages 12-18 and will take place at Swiss International Scientific School in Dubai from December 15-20. The sports options are basketball and football and will be delivered using IMG Academy’s leading sports and mental performance curriculum.

The basketball and football elements of the camp will include technical training led by IMG Academy’s expert coaches, advanced techniques, game situations and competitions, while the wellbeing element of the camp will include training areas such as confidence, resilience, commitment, working under pressure, and focus. The sports camp is also open to non-Nord Anglia student-athletes throughout the region. Students will have the opportunity to reside on campus in its purpose-built boarding houses as part of the programme – providing an opportunity for students from the wider Middle East region and internationally to participate as well.

Becoming a successful student-athlete involves far more than just talent and physical abilities. That’s why IMG Academy sports camps equip students with the right mindset to excel. Developed by expert educators over the course of 40 years, they include mental performance training to equip athletes with the mindset they need to boost their confidence, sharpen their focus, and cultivate the determination to excel in their training, competitions, and in the game of life.

A proven track record in basketball and football training

IMG Academy has made its mark globally for aspiring basketball and football (soccer) students, offering unparalleled expertise and a proven track record of success. Since 2005, IMG Academy has produced 21 NBA Draft selections, with 13 of those alumni being chosen in the first round. Additionally, over the last two years, more than two dozen IMG Academy alumni have competed in the NCAA Men’s and Women’s Collegiate Basketball Tournaments, further showcasing the programme’s ability to develop top-tier talent. IMG Academy’s football programme recently produced the school’s top-ever professional sports draft pick in 2023 when alumna Michelle Cooper was selected second overall in the National Women’s Soccer League Draft. Three boys football alumni were taken in the Major League Soccer Super Draft in 2023, which was an IMG Academy record. Fifteen current IMG Academy boys football students represented 13 countries’ national teams in 2023-24 and seventeen girls football students represented 11 countries’ national teams in 2023-24.

With this level of success, IMG Academy stands as a leader in basketball and football training, offering campers the opportunity to learn from programmes that consistently produce high level student-athletes competing at the top levels.

The IMG Academy and Nord Anglia collaboration

The sports camp is just one part of the collaboration between IMG Academy and Nord Anglia Education, which provides opportunities for student-athletes globally to access IMG Academy’s world-renowned sports and wellbeing programmes. The two organisations are also collaborating on an enhanced sports programme for Nord Anglia’s more than 80,000 students with a focus on wellbeing, resilience, confidence, teamwork, and leadership.

Representing the first sports and wellbeing collaboration of its kind for international schools, IMG Academy became Nord Anglia’s newest collaboration for students and teachers in April 2023, joining alongside world-leading institutions MIT, The Juilliard School, and UNICEF, which all provide life-changing experiences for students. As part of the collaboration, IMG Academy has also been actively piloting its IMG Academy+ mental performance and nutrition coaching product at Nord Anglia schools around the world.

Nord Anglia is in turn working with IMG Academy to enhance and diversify IMG Academy’s academic curriculum, develop new staff pathways, and integrate best practice into teaching and learning for student-athletes. IMG Academy’s holistic approach to education supports the complete student-athlete development journey through its sports-focused boarding school, sports camps, online coaching, and online college recruiting services, catering to over 100,000 student-athletes.

Last year alone, IMG Academy’s on-campus and online products, NCSA College Recruiting and IMG Academy+, facilitated the placement of more than 30,000 student-athletes onto college sports rosters in the United States.

These efforts aim to solidify IMG Academy’s position as a global leader in sports education, providing a holistic education both on and off the field.