Sports have always been seen as a great way to bring different people together.

The boys and girls learning soccer with International Football Education in Seoul epitomize this, with kids from places as far flung as Belgium, the United States and Saudi Arabia.

About three-quarters of the aspiring footballers at IFE have international backgrounds, according to coach Phil Nieland, each with their own aims.

“Kids come with different ideas, different goals. Some just want to have fun, some want to be professional footballers and some just want to be with their friends. That’s what football is about.”

IFE has several programs for different ages. Two Saturday programs, IFE Academy and IFE Academy Tots are open to all and focus on enjoyment. The tots program focuses on basic motor skills for 4-5 year olds, while the general academy teaches kids aged 6-11 fundamental skills and how to use them in matches.

At the more serious end are the IFC FC and IFC Premier, which require kids to compete in tryouts.

The FC has under-9 and U11 teams, and allows a transition to a more formal club structure, with two midweek training sessions a week, on top of weekend games.

The Premier is for the academy’s top players and runs from U9 to U15.

The club arranges matches with about 25 other clubs and enters tournaments.

Nieland, who has played in Ireland’s top league, said he has been coaching since he was 15, including a stint coaching a middle school team in Busan.

“That was a big eye opener and one of the big reasons I got together with my brother and we ... decided this is something we should do,” he said.

He felt there was room for the less prescriptive style of coaching that helped him learn the game.

“Our approach is more creative ― more imagination, try something new, take a player on, go for goal, you know: express yourself,” he said. “For me, football is an art form.”

IFE now has recruited six staff members comprising expats who have experience playing or coaching at a high level. It is looking for more coaches, which Nieland says would allow greater inclusion, by having more FC teams.

It has also been developing connections to help improve its coaching and develop new techniques, and help its long-term goals in other ways.

“The goal is to develop players who can go abroad and play. This is a long-term project. We have plans to bring this to something bigger.”

Nieland is optimistic about the abilities of some of his players, and what they could achieve.

“We have connections that, if it’s time and we think the kid could do something, then maybe we’d send them over.”

This aside, watching the players develop since IFE started in 2010 is rewarding.

“Absolutely, that gives you the extra boost. That extra drive to make it happen. Because there are a lot of English soccer academies but I think that’s just a gimmick. I don’t think it’s really about the football (for them); it’s about trying to make money in another way from English.”

Nieland was enthusiastic about the high level of interest from girls, but said it got a bit harder to help them play once they reached about 12 years old.

“The problem is we do have girls that are coming through the system, and there’s not that many girls’ teams,” he said.

“Because at that age we need to start competing, we need to start playing other teams and there’s not that many teams to play against. But we’re trying to knock down some doors and see what we can do.

“That’s the thing, in Korea, the system is quite different ― you either study or play sport,” he said.

“A lot of these kids get picked up at an early age to play soccer at a sports school, which is cool but at the same time it cuts out half the population at that age that maybe develop a bit later or want to play but don’t have the opportunity.”

IFE also has a series of more intensive weeklong summer soccer schools. Each consists of five three-hour sessions. Nieland said this was a good preseason for existing players, and a good introduction for new players who might not get enough exposure after one session.

“At the academy you’re training for an hour, hour and a half each week, at the summer school you’re training for three hours for five days,” he said.

Next year, Nieland hopes to take a team to a tournament in Southeast Asia. In Korea, IFE is looking to expand to other areas, with a clinic planned for September to gauge interest.

IFE plays its home games and weekend training sessions at Dulwich College in Seocho-gu. Registration for the programs can be done online via www.ifesoccer.com, where more detailed information is also available.

The tryouts for the Premier and FC programs are on Aug. 25 and 26. Registration is required.

By Paul Kerry  (paulkerry@heraldcorp.com)