We first spoke to Mike Ammann in September 2011 as part of our "Where Are They Now" pieces, but our latest interview with Mike isn't about him, but rather about his son, Arie. This past summer, Arie headed over to England to join Watford Academy on a two-year scholarship. Follow Mike Ammann @247GK and Arie Ammann @arieammann on twitter.
Soccer Banter: As a former goalkeeper yourself, was Arie always destined to play the same position?
Mike Ammann: I didn't start playing in goal until I was 14 and I feel like I learned a ton being a field player. It helped me to learn the game from a different perspective and definitely made me a smarter goalkeeper because of it. So I wanted Arie to play the game and have fun and I didn't want him to focus on being a goalkeeper. I will say he always had a liking for it and was best suited for the position.
SB: How did his move to Watford come about?
MA: The opportunity with Watford came up due to my partnership with Richard Lee and our goalkeeping academy. Richard is a former Watford player and currently the number 1 at Brentford FC. He called and told me that Watford was looking for a goalkeeper in Arie's age group and he went over earlier this year for a trial. Arie had a great week of training and played in a game against Millwall and impressed them enough to be offered a scholarship. He has gone over to England a few other times and each one of those occasions definitely helped him to be more comfortable with what was to be expected.
Soccer Banter: As a former goalkeeper yourself, was Arie always destined to play the same position?
Mike Ammann: I didn't start playing in goal until I was 14 and I feel like I learned a ton being a field player. It helped me to learn the game from a different perspective and definitely made me a smarter goalkeeper because of it. So I wanted Arie to play the game and have fun and I didn't want him to focus on being a goalkeeper. I will say he always had a liking for it and was best suited for the position.
SB: How did his move to Watford come about?
MA: The opportunity with Watford came up due to my partnership with Richard Lee and our goalkeeping academy. Richard is a former Watford player and currently the number 1 at Brentford FC. He called and told me that Watford was looking for a goalkeeper in Arie's age group and he went over earlier this year for a trial. Arie had a great week of training and played in a game against Millwall and impressed them enough to be offered a scholarship. He has gone over to England a few other times and each one of those occasions definitely helped him to be more comfortable with what was to be expected.
SB: Why did Arie choose to go to England instead of continuing to develop with DC United's youth academy?
MA: Arie chose to go to Watford over staying with DC United because it's been a dream of his for a long time. He views England as a great opportunity to fulfill his goal of becoming a pro. I think the day to day professional environment and competitiveness helped him make the decision as well. He loves the fact that everyone is so passionate about the sport and places it above everything else.
SB: As a parent, how hard (or easy!) is it to have your 16 year-old son leave your home for a foreign country and to experience something different on his own?
MA: Well I would not say it was easy to let him go. My wife and I have talked about this for years and this was not a spur of the moment decision. We feel that it is exactly what he wants and it’s the best chance of accomplishing his dream of being a pro. But we also look at it as a phenomenal life experience for him. He is living abroad with another family and learning a new culture. Regardless of what happens at the end of this two-year scholarship, he will be a better person for it. I would also not say it's for every kid, but Arie is a very independent kid and he's also very mature for his age. The situation works for a variety of reasons.
SB: What advice did you share with him prior to him heading to Watford?
MA: My advice to Arie was to keep your nose clean, work hard and do everything the club asks of you. It is a very important two years in his development and he needs to work harder than ever to be offered a contract. It is also vital for him to focus on his studies as we are very aware of how rare it is to be offered a professional contract at a young age. He has a list of colleges that he is interested in and hopefully they will have an interest in him, if he is to come back.
MA: Arie chose to go to Watford over staying with DC United because it's been a dream of his for a long time. He views England as a great opportunity to fulfill his goal of becoming a pro. I think the day to day professional environment and competitiveness helped him make the decision as well. He loves the fact that everyone is so passionate about the sport and places it above everything else.
SB: As a parent, how hard (or easy!) is it to have your 16 year-old son leave your home for a foreign country and to experience something different on his own?
MA: Well I would not say it was easy to let him go. My wife and I have talked about this for years and this was not a spur of the moment decision. We feel that it is exactly what he wants and it’s the best chance of accomplishing his dream of being a pro. But we also look at it as a phenomenal life experience for him. He is living abroad with another family and learning a new culture. Regardless of what happens at the end of this two-year scholarship, he will be a better person for it. I would also not say it's for every kid, but Arie is a very independent kid and he's also very mature for his age. The situation works for a variety of reasons.
SB: What advice did you share with him prior to him heading to Watford?
MA: My advice to Arie was to keep your nose clean, work hard and do everything the club asks of you. It is a very important two years in his development and he needs to work harder than ever to be offered a contract. It is also vital for him to focus on his studies as we are very aware of how rare it is to be offered a professional contract at a young age. He has a list of colleges that he is interested in and hopefully they will have an interest in him, if he is to come back.
SB: What's daily life like for Arie with the Watford Academy in terms of school and soccer?
MA: His typical week is school all day on Monday, training and occasional games on Tuesday, training and school on Wednesday, training Thursday, training and one class on Friday and then game Saturday and off Sunday. He and the other scholars have their jobs to do at the training ground and also attend the first team matches at home. He works with a sports scientist, strength and conditioning coach, his goalkeeper coach, watches film, basically everything you need to be successful on a soccer side is provided to him. Watford also has a full time Education Officer that makes sure the players are getting everything they need on the school side in addition to the staff at Harefield Academy.
SB: You lived in England as well while you played for Charlton so know first hand the soccer-obsessed culture in the UK. Socially how big of an impact do you think the day-to-day soccer culture will impact Arie's development?
MA: I went to Charlton when I was 22 and not 16. I was not even remotely close to being ready at that stage of my life but there are also so many things that have changed since then. With the advances in technology, things have become so much easier to be away from home or your friends and family. We talk to Arie on a regular basis via phone, text and Skype, whereas when I was over there I would write a letter and send it in the mail. I didn't own a computer back then so communication was a major difference. But the atmosphere in England has not changed, it is probably even more electric due to the money that is involved in the game now. Increased revenue has upped the intensity and level of competition, which adds more pressure as well. Arie has always been focused on his ultimate goal and he thrives on competition so that environment only helps him in his development. He is fortunate to have a top goalkeeper coach as well as two very talented pro's that he trains with on a regular basis. He has daily competition with his teammate and friend Danny Wilkes, which makes them both better goalkeepers. All in all it's the best environment for him at this stage in his career and he's giving it his best effort to make the most of it.
MA: His typical week is school all day on Monday, training and occasional games on Tuesday, training and school on Wednesday, training Thursday, training and one class on Friday and then game Saturday and off Sunday. He and the other scholars have their jobs to do at the training ground and also attend the first team matches at home. He works with a sports scientist, strength and conditioning coach, his goalkeeper coach, watches film, basically everything you need to be successful on a soccer side is provided to him. Watford also has a full time Education Officer that makes sure the players are getting everything they need on the school side in addition to the staff at Harefield Academy.
SB: You lived in England as well while you played for Charlton so know first hand the soccer-obsessed culture in the UK. Socially how big of an impact do you think the day-to-day soccer culture will impact Arie's development?
MA: I went to Charlton when I was 22 and not 16. I was not even remotely close to being ready at that stage of my life but there are also so many things that have changed since then. With the advances in technology, things have become so much easier to be away from home or your friends and family. We talk to Arie on a regular basis via phone, text and Skype, whereas when I was over there I would write a letter and send it in the mail. I didn't own a computer back then so communication was a major difference. But the atmosphere in England has not changed, it is probably even more electric due to the money that is involved in the game now. Increased revenue has upped the intensity and level of competition, which adds more pressure as well. Arie has always been focused on his ultimate goal and he thrives on competition so that environment only helps him in his development. He is fortunate to have a top goalkeeper coach as well as two very talented pro's that he trains with on a regular basis. He has daily competition with his teammate and friend Danny Wilkes, which makes them both better goalkeepers. All in all it's the best environment for him at this stage in his career and he's giving it his best effort to make the most of it.
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