SoccerViza

What SoccerViza does

SoccerViza operates a vertically integrated professional soccer player development business anchored by a year-round Development Center in Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica. The company was founded in 2012 by Giuseppe "Joe" Funicello, a former professional player across five countries, together with co-founder Cecilia Lihv. The Development Center runs a full-time residency program — twice-daily training, weekly matches against professional opposition, year-round scout access, match footage, and structured career seminars — for college players (D2/D3/NAIA), active professionals between contracts, elite youth (15+), and coaches/scouts seeking professional education. SoccerViza supplements the core residency with paid Scouting Tours for professional clubs (2-3 per year) and a Coach & Scout Education program.

The underlying 'product' is a controlled physical training environment and an accumulated 14-year relationship network with clubs across 30+ countries. There is no proprietary technology platform, software product, or mobile application; service delivery depends on coaching staff, a gated private complex, and the company's own professional club, SoccerViza FC Talamanca, which competes in Costa Rica's third division and functions as an in-house placement endpoint alongside the prior investment in Romanian club Olimpia Satu Mare.

Revenue is generated through fee-based professional services: multi-year residency contracts, shorter preseason camps (for professionals and college players), coach/scout tuition, and club-paid scouting visits. Pricing is not publicly disclosed and is communicated individually during registration. The customer base is highly distributed (approximately 400 individual players per year through the Development Center, plus clubs and coaches), with no anchor enterprise accounts. The company is privately held, founder-owned, bootstrapped, and operates with a disclosed headcount of 1-10 employees, with all evidence indicating a lean, field-coach-led service organization rather than a technology-enabled scale business.

Name

SoccerViza

Legal name

SoccerViza

Website

https://soccerviza.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

SoccerViza is a privately held, founder-led soccer development company operating a year-round residency Development Center in Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica that trains players, runs coaching and scout education programs, and places them into professional contracts through its own club (SoccerViza FC Talamanca) and a 14-year, 30+ country club network.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Soccer Development Services

NAICS

Sports and Recreation Instruction (61162), Sports Teams and Clubs (711211)

SIC

Services-Membership Sports & Recreation Clubs (7997)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYHSADAEAA

Sport-Specific Skills Coaching (e.g., soccer, basketball, tennis)

Home & Personal Services/Fitness, Wellness & Personal Training/Sports Coaching & Athletic Performance

SECONDARYMPAKAJAF

Goalkeeper/Pitching/Position-Specialty Training Programs

Media, Entertainment & Sports/Sports (Leagues, Teams, Events, Venues)/Sports Camps, Academies & Training Centers

SECONDARYMPAKABAD

Individual-Sport Clubs & Teams (Cycling Teams, Athletics/Track Clubs, Swimming Clubs, etc.)

Media, Entertainment & Sports/Sports (Leagues, Teams, Events, Venues)/Professional Sports Teams & Clubs

SECONDARYEDANAEAM

Athletic Recruitment & NCAA/NAIA Eligibility Counseling

Education/Tutoring & Test Preparation/College Admissions Counseling & Application Support

Keywords

• Soccer player development
• Professional football academy
• Athlete residency programs
• Soccer scouting tours
• Youth football training

Headquarters

HQ city

Puerto Viejo

HQ country

Costa Rica

HQ region

Latin America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Development Center Residency: Full-time residency program in Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica. Players pay program fees for professional training, housing, meals, career seminars, match footage, and year-round scout exposure. Fees vary by program tier and duration — communicated during registration.
2. Preseason Training: Shorter-term preseason camps for active professionals and college players. Separate pricing from full residency.
3. Coach & Scout Education: Professional education programs for coaches and scouts from North America, Africa, and Europe who attend the Development Center.
4. Scouting Tours: Clubs pay to visit the Development Center for scouting visits — scouts and coaches from clubs worldwide attend to evaluate players.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

SoccerViza runs a full-time soccer residency and player development program in Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica, where aspiring professional footballers live, train, and play under structured coaching to prepare for trials and contracts with clubs worldwide. The program is anchored by SoccerViza FC Talamanca, a professional club the company owns in Costa Rica, providing players with real competitive match minutes and direct visibility to visiting international scouts. Adjacent services include professional preseason camps, college preseason camps, elite youth programs, coach and scout education, hosted scouting visits, and career seminars.

Product overview

SoccerViza operates as a unified professional soccer development ecosystem with the Development Center as its core product, supplemented by specialized programs including Professional Preseason Training, College Preseason & Offseason, Elite Youth Development (15+), Coach & Scout Education, and Scouting Visits. The company owns SoccerViza FC Talamanca, its affiliated professional club, creating a vertically integrated pathway from development to professional competition. Career Seminars provide industry education on contracts, agents, visas, and financial literacy. Founded in 2012 and based in Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica, the company has placed 400+ players into professional contracts across 30+ countries.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Development Center (Full-Time Player Residency) Full-time residency program in Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica where aspiring professional footballers live and train year-round under structured coaching, using SoccerViza FC Talamanca as their competitive platform for exposure to international scouts.
• Professional Preseason

Quantifiable outcome

• 400+ players placed into professional contracts across 30+ countries since 2012
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Olimpia Satu Mare (Romania)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSoccerViza was an investor in this Romanian club. Used as direct placement pathway for players — Jaylen Drummond and Leo Montesinos moved through this club. Demonstrates SoccerViza's ability to create and manage real professional opportunities beyond just placement.
• Spartak Trnava (Slovakia)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSlovak Super Liga club. Scout Marian Cerny attended SoccerViza Development Center and signed David Nkansah-Siriboe directly from the program. Active scouting relationship with Eastern European top division.
• Querétaro FC (Mexico)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMexican professional club. Scout Mauricio Pedroza evaluated SoccerViza players and signed Josue Soto and Sergio Buenrostro for U20 team. 'The players coming out of SoccerViza are prepared.'
• SoccerViza FC TalamancacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSoccerViza's own professional club competing in Costa Rican third division. Reached promotion playoff quarterfinals. Players can be signed directly to this team — SoccerViza controls the entire pathway from development to professional placement.
• FC CincinnatiminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAaron Walker placed through SoccerViza to FC Cincinnati. Part of broader US professional club network.
• Greenville TriumphminorOthersAaron Walker became captain here after FC Cincinnati. USL League One champion and All-League selection.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• NCSA (Next College Student Athlete): Largest US college athletic recruiting platform, used by prospective college athletes across multiple sports. Tangentially related as both SoccerViza and NCSA serve college-age athletes seeking structured pathways beyond traditional scouting channels, though NCSA focuses on college placement rather than pro placement.
• IMG Academy: Brandon, Florida-based multi-sport performance and education academy offering year-round residential training, college placement support, and pro-exposure programming for elite athletes including soccer players. SoccerViza competes with IMG for college-age athletes seeking a residential professional development environment, though IMG operates at much larger scale across multiple sports.

Regional players

• Raleigh Cricket / Carolina Core FC (lower-division US pro): USL-style lower-division professional soccer clubs that absorb talent emerging from pathways like SoccerViza. While operating on the buying side of the placement equation rather than as a competitor, they are structurally relevant comparables for SoccerViza FC Talamanca's eventual promotion ambitions.

Direct peers

• FirstPoint USA: Sports placement agency specializing in placing collegiate and amateur athletes into overseas professional or semi-professional clubs across multiple sports including soccer. Overlaps with SoccerViza on the placement mechanic and the same reluctant-to-go-college-route customer cohort.
• Pro IFX Soccer: US-based soccer residency program placing aspiring professionals at European and Latin American clubs via residential training in Spain and partner-club placements. Closest direct peer to SoccerViza in combining full-time pro-track training with international placement, though geographically anchored in Europe rather than Costa Rica.
• Global Image Sports Group: UK-headquartered operator of international soccer tournaments, combine tours, and youth development events connecting North American players with European academy trials. Direct peer in the paid-tour / combine / overseas-trials segment of the soccer pathway market.
• Euro International Football Academy: European-based soccer residency and development program targeting North American players seeking professional exposure. Comparable model of combining intensive European football training with international scout access and placement services.
• International Soccer Academy (ISA): Residential youth and pre-professional soccer academy combining on-field training, academic study, and exposure to European and US college pathways. Comparable in combining residency-based development with scouting exposure and overseas placement services aimed at college-aged players.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@soccerviza
• Xx.com/SoccerViza
• Facebookfacebook.com/SoccerViza
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/soccerviza-pro

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about SoccerViza