Unlike regular schools, Nexus Futbol Academy students balance rigorous academic studies with three hours of soccer playtime daily.
Ibrahim Firat (center right) and Henry Costas (center left) met at Houston Dynamo Academy and later founded Nexus Futbol Academy.
BUSINESS FEATURE
RACHEL LELAND COMMUNITY IMPACT
COURTESY NEXUS FUTBOL ACADEMY
Nexus Futbol Academy Pioneering academy trains elite students in Pearland T hirteen-year-old Sebastian Serna, who has been playing soccer, or futbol, since he was a toddler, hopes to be a professional soccer BY RACHEL LELAND
students like his son, who was only 8 at the time. “I got to really get to know Henry and understand his vision for soccer and for his son, Oliver,” Firat said. “Then we said, ‘Look, you know, you’re an expert in soccer and [futbol], and we’re experts in education, homeschooling and testing admissions. Why don’t we merge power?’ And so that’s what we did.” At Nexus, students can expect four hours of academics and three hours of soccer development. Unlike similar soccer academies nationwide that use a generic online curriculum, Nexus students have a unique curriculum with a classroom ratio of one teacher for every ve students. Costas said Pearland was a natural choice given the many soccer programs currently active in the community. Annual tuition is $15,000 dollars, but Costas said that roughly a third of students are on scholarship, and the academy has never denied a student due to the cost of tuition. Romero said for families like hers, the education o ered at Nexus is priceless. “It’s literally teaching them to be better humans,” Romero said. “[They teach them] nutrition to being better athletes to manners and how to act on the eld. That, to me, is just priceless. It’s a lot of what we’re missing in our schools today.”
player one day. Serna’s mother, Vivian Romero, lives in Sienna and makes the daily 30-minute drive to the all-boys Nexus Futbol Academy in Pearland. The school aims to prepare students to join a professional soccer academy, such as the Houston Dynamo FC Academy. Before they can even apply, prospective students must undergo academic and athletic testing to ensure that they are a good t for the academy, said cofounder Henry Costas, who oversees the school’s athletic program. Cofounder Ibrahim Firat has been an educator since his college days, where he enjoyed helping his friends and peers prepare for college exams and even worked for a professional educational con- sultant. Eventually, Firat’s love of helping students prepare for college entrance exams would lead him to cofound Nexus Futbol Academy. As a native of Turkey, Firat was familiar with the European-style soccer academies that marry rigorous academics with elite soccer playing, yet couldn’t nd a similar school nearby for younger
In addition to soccer skills, Nexus Futbol Academy students learn academics.
COURTESY NEXUS FUTBOL ACADEMY
Nexus Futbol Academy 2045 Re ection Bay Drive, Pearland 281-305-8628 www.nexusfutbol.com Hours: Mon.-Fri. 8:25 a.m.- 3:35 p.m., closed Sat.-Sun.
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PEARLAND FRIENDSWOOD EDITION • AUGUST 2023
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