Ethan Hunt talks about renovations Monday at the International Soccer Academy of America in Mishawaka. Staff photo by Michael Caterina
MISHAWAKA — A Mishawaka native is betting big on youth soccer with plans to open a single-sport private high school catering to talented domestic and international players who hope to get college scholarships or go pro.
Founder Ethan Hunt, a 23-year-old graduate of Marian High School and Bethel University, says he expects the International Soccer Academy of America to open for classes this fall in the former Edison Lakes YMCA building.
Hunt modeled the school on European-style football academies, affiliated with professional clubs, where students go to school while developing as soccer prospects. He said the United States has soccer development academies linked with pro teams, but there are few, if any, that combine academics and soccer under one roof.
Hunt “has known for a long time that the American soccer system is not aligned with the rest of the world,” according to the school’s website, “and he has made it his goal to fix it.”
Hunt, who started developing the idea as a master’s thesis, said there are full-time schools that use similar models, but none that focus exclusively on soccer.
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