Two players from Robin Hood’s youth programme, Warwick Archers, are at the acclaimed Jefferson Cup Boys Showcase this weekend in Richmond, Virginia, as guest players.

Xhavi DeRoza and Olek Rymon-Lipinski have been invited to join the New England Surf Club Under-15 State Select through a mutual partnership that both organisations have established with International Development Academy.

Warwick Archers have been working with IDA as a development partner over the past three years, with IDA coaches coming to Bermuda to hold camps and assist with pre-season training. IDA helps student-athletes find suitable football and educational pathways, with a view to building an environment for growth, development and success on and off the field. The academy offers unique college placement services and has residential programmes in Spain, Italy, England and the United States.

DeRoza is an attack-minded player who attends South Kent school in Connecticut, and Olek Rymon-Lipinski is a midfielder/defender, who is at Mount Saint Agnes school in Bermuda.

Both have been members of a successful Warwick Archers programme over the past three years and were identified from visits to Bermuda by the IDA coaches.

Rymon-Lipinski is the captain of the under-15 Lee Holder Cup championship team and DeRoza was captain of the 2021 under-13 Gregory Grimes Cup championship team. They will play matches against opponents from New York, Washington and Virginia over the weekend.

“Through our partnership with IDA, these young men will gain valuable experience competing against strong opposition, as well as gain exposure to college coaches in attendance,” Richard Todd, the Archers programme director, said. “This is just one of the ways that we assist our players with their developmental needs and in identifying educational pathways through football.

“The Covid pandemic prevented us from providing these opportunities over the past two years, but we are excited to be moving back towards regular and more frequent chances for our players. Our partnership with IDA has provided us with a network of organisations who are linked through a mutual relationship with IDA. I am confident that both players will contribute significantly to the team’s performances at the event over the weekend.”

The Jefferson Cup Boys Showcase accepts more than 1,600 teams from as many as 36 states throughout the US. In 2021, it was ranked as the country’s third-best youth tournament.

Each year the tournament draws in excess of 150 state cup champions, ten regional champions and five national champions throughout the nine age groups.

In 2020, 350 boys’ college coaches and 500 of their girls’ counterparts were in attendance, as the event achieved record numbers for a ninth year in succession.