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IMG Academy

IMG Academy is a preparatory boarding school and sports training destination in Bradenton, Florida, United States. The organization is set across over 600 acres (243 ha) and features programs consisting of sport camps for young athletes, adult camps, a boarding school, including a post-graduate/gap-year program, events, professional and collegiate training, group hosting, and corporate retreats.[1]

IMG Academy
Location
Map
5650 Bollettieri Blvd

Bradenton
,
U.S.
,
Florida
34210
Coordinates27°26′28″N 82°36′07″W / 27.441°N 82.602°W / 27.441; -82.602
Information
Former nameNick Bollettieri Tennis Academy
TypePrivate, boarding, college preparatory school
Established1978; 46 years ago (1978)
FounderNick Bollettieri
Grades6–12 & postgraduate
GenderCo-educational
Campus size600 acres (243 ha)
Campus typeSuburban
Color(s)  Blue
  White
  Black
NicknameAscenders
AccreditationNAIS
Affiliation
Websitewww.imgacademy.com

On April 25, 2023, Endeavor announced the sale of IMG Academy to BPEA EQT for $1.26 billion.[2] On June 28, the deal was completed.[3]

History

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Aerial photographs of the Bradenton campus.

Nick Bollettieri founded the Nick Bollettieri Tennis Academy in 1978. Sports company IMG purchased the academy in 1987.[4] IMG acquired the youth division of the David Leadbetter Golf Academy in 1993 and added programs for soccer and baseball in 1994. Hockey and basketball programs were added in 2000 and 2001, respectively, and by 2002 the IMG campus had expanded to 190 acres (0.77 km2).[5] IMG Academy suspended its hockey program in 2003.[citation needed] Football was added in 2010,[6] as well as lacrosse.[7] Track & field and cross country were added in 2013.[8]

IMG Academy currently sits on 450 acres (180 ha) of land, and in 2011, IMG paid $7.5 million for an additional 110 acres (45 ha) adjacent to the current campus for future expansion.[4] In 2014, IMG purchased an additional 24 acres (9.7 ha). The land borders IMG's west campus, where the sports performance academy is undergoing a $198 million expansion.[9]

The IMG Pendleton School was founded in 1999 as a co-educational, college preparatory school for athletic students. In 2012, the school changed its name to "IMG Academy".[10] It delivers both academics and athletics.[11]

In 2021, the school's football team faced off against Bishop Sycamore in which they won in a 58–0 rout. Bishop Sycamore received scrutiny after the game and its existence was questioned.[12][13]

On April 25, 2023, parent company Endeavor agreed to sell IMG Academy to private equity firm BPEA EQT at a value of $1.25 billion - the sale was completed in June.[citation needed]

Programs

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Boys' and girls' tennis programs

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Some of the tennis courts at the academy

IMG Academy tennis programs offer year-round tennis camps ranging from one to five weeks in length and from 2019 to 2019 were led by director Rohan Goetzke.[14][15] The campus has 35 outdoor hard courts, 5 indoor hard courts, and 16 green clay courts.[16]

In 1987, thirty-two academy students or former students were in the Wimbledon draw and twenty-seven were in the U.S. Open. Famous past students include Andre Agassi, Monica Seles, Jim Courier, Kei Nishikori, Alejandro Tabilo, Anna Kournikova, Serena Williams, and Maria Sharapova.[17] Current students include Michael Mmoh.

Football program

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IMG announced the John Madden Football Academy in March 2010 and held its first camp from June 4–6, 2010. The football program offers a residency program and year-round camps ranging from three days to five weeks in length and was previously led by former NFL quarterback Chris Weinke.[18] The academy fielded a high school football team for the first time in 2013.[19] In 2013, MaxPreps called IMG Academy the "nation's top high school football facility."[20] Kevin Wright was named head coach in 2015 after Weinke accepted a position as quarterbacks coach with the then-St. Louis Rams.[21] Wright guided the program to its first undefeated regular season (9–0) in 2015.[22]

Boys' and girls' soccer programs

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IMG Academy offered an academy soccer program and year-round soccer camps from 1999 to 2017. IMG Academy was home to U.S. Soccer's full-time residency program for the United States' U-16 and U-17 men's national teams. It was integral in developing the United States' top youth soccer prospects. The Bradenton Academy grew from an initial twenty players to thirty in 2002 and then to forty in 2003. The program was split into a U-16 squad and a U-17 squad. The girls program was a member of the Girls Academy League.

The academy traced its roots back to Project 2010 which highlighted ways U.S. Soccer could make the senior men's national team a legitimate threat to win the World Cup by the end of the decade. Two programs that were born from Project 2010 were Generation Adidas (previously called Project-40) and the Bradenton Academy. The academy was started in January 1999 with the backing of IMG and Nike, but was closed in 2017 due to the proliferation of U.S. Development Academy programs.[23]

Baseball program

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IMG Academy has an academy baseball program and year-round camps, in addition to summer Wood Bat Leagues.[24]

IMG Basketball

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IMG Academy's postgraduate program played in their only appearance in the 2016 National Prep Championship in New Haven, Connecticut. Among the teams were Brewster Academy, DME Academy, Elev-8 Sports Institute, Fork Union Military Academy, Hargrave Military Academy, IMG Academy, Northfield Mount Hermon School, and more.[25] The head coach of IMG's national high school team is Sean McAloon, who previously was the head coach at St. John's College High School in Washington, D.C.

Its basketball alumni include Dallas Mavericks forward Dwight Powell and Orlando Magic forward Jonathan Isaac, the 6th overall pick of the 2017 NBA draft. In 2017, IMG Academy had its first two selections to the McDonald's All American Game: Trevon Duval was selected to the boys game and Rellah Boothe was selected to the girls game. In 2018, Anfernee Simons entered directly from the academy to the 2018 NBA draft, becoming the second player in the academy's history to do so and the first American to enter and be selected in an NBA draft directly after graduating from high school since the league first implemented age restriction rules in 2005

During the preparation for the 2017 NBA draft, the IMG Academy hosted their first ever draft combine. The Professional Basketball Combine was held as an alternative (mainly for seniors) to measure their abilities and potentially give them the chance to enter the NBA, if not allow them the chance to play in the NBA G League or even overseas, with nearly every participant that year doing exactly that. Currently,[when?] four players that participated in the event signed two-way contracts to enter the NBA properly, with eight of them going overseas and 11 players entered the G League.[26] The event would be held once again in 2018, gaining more popularity that year with the participation of former UCLA player and current professional player LiAngelo Ball.[27]

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the entire WNBA 2020 season was held there. Under a plan approved on June 15, the shortened 22-game regular season was held without fans present.[28][29][30]

Boys' and girls' lacrosse programs

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IMG Academy has an academy lacrosse program and year-round camps. IMG Academy launched a high school team in 2012, featuring a new women's program made in 2018. Notable alumni include Tehoka Nanticoke.[31] Prior to that, IMG Academy hosted their first full-time lacrosse student-athlete, Matthew Xirinachs, starting in September 2010. Xirinachs went on to join the Drexel men's lacrosse team in fall 2011.[32] The women's team hired head coach Jeff McGuigan in July 2019.

Track and field and cross country program

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IMG Academy has an academy track and field and cross country program and year-round camps.[33]

Girls' volleyball program

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In 2022, IMG Academy hired two-time Olympian Donald Suxho[34] as Director of Volleyball to launch its entry into girls' indoor volleyball beginning in fall of 2023. The inaugural class of 29 girls included two teams that will compete in the 18U and 16U club circuit.[35][36]

Notable alumni

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Main article: List of IMG Academy alumni

Since opening in 1978, IMG Academy has trained hundreds of Olympic and professional athletes, including those in the NBA, NFL, MLB, MLS, NWSL, ATP, WTA, PGA Tour and LPGA Tour.

References

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  1. ^ DeLollis, Barbara (October 14, 2021). "Finding the Best Private High Schools for Sports". U.S. News. Archived from the original on March 29, 2022. Retrieved March 29, 2022.
  2. ^ Weprin, Alex (April 25, 2023). "Endeavor Sells IMG Academy to Private Equity Firm BPEA EQT for $1.25B". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved April 25, 2023.
  3. ^ "Endeavor Completes Sale of IMG Academy to BPEA EQT, in Partnership with Nord Anglia Education". Business Wire (Press release). June 28, 2023. Retrieved July 28, 2023.
  4. ^ a b "New IMG brand to unify Bradenton campus | Bradenton Herald". Bradenton.com. August 19, 2012. Archived from the original on October 3, 2013. Retrieved December 15, 2015.
  5. ^ "The Ultimate Jock School: The education is intensive—and expensive—at IMG Academies, where sports come first and classes are fit into training regimens designed to help students reach their athletic goals". sportsillustrated.cnn.com. Archived from the original on January 25, 2014.
  6. ^ Stephen Spiewak (March 18, 2010). "John Madden, IMG Academies launch IMG Madden Football Academy". MaxPreps.com. Archived from the original on January 16, 2016. Retrieved December 15, 2015.
  7. ^ "IMG Lacrosse Academy to begin offering instruction in March". Inside Lacrosse. November 5, 2013. Archived from the original on January 16, 2016. Retrieved December 15, 2015.
  8. ^ "IMG Academy launches Track & Field and Cross Country program". Sports Techie. May 20, 2013. Archived from the original on January 16, 2016. Retrieved December 15, 2015.
  9. ^ "IMG acquires Manatee Fruit land for $1.5 million - IMG Academy - Bradenton Herald". August 27, 2014. Archived from the original on August 27, 2014. Retrieved April 19, 2019.
  10. ^ "Pendleton School becomes IMG Academy". FHSAA.org. Archived from the original on August 27, 2014. Retrieved December 15, 2015.
  11. ^ "Why". IMG Academy. May 22, 2015. Archived from the original on September 3, 2014. Retrieved December 15, 2015.
  12. ^ "Apparent Fake School Bishop Sycamore Got on IMG Academy Schedule". August 31, 2021. Archived from the original on October 11, 2022. Retrieved September 4, 2022.
  13. ^ Layton, Jeremy (August 31, 2021). "'Fake' high school pulled off national scam". news.com.au. Archived from the original on February 1, 2023. Retrieved December 17, 2024.
  14. ^ "Rohan Goetzke | CourtSense".
  15. ^ "Banking giant BNP Paribas and French Open sign five-year extension: This week in tennis business with Justin Cohen". World Tennis Magazine. May 30, 2012. Archived from the original on December 22, 2015. Retrieved December 15, 2015.
  16. ^ "IMG Academy Bollettieri tennis program Sports Facilities". August 23, 2012. Archived from the original on August 23, 2012. Retrieved April 19, 2019.
  17. ^ "Nick Bollettieri". TennisFame. December 2, 2021. Archived from the original on June 24, 2016. Retrieved December 2, 2021.
  18. ^ "IMG Academies launches John Madden football academy - tribunedigital-orlandosentinel". Articles.orlandosentinel.com. March 19, 2010. Archived from the original on January 16, 2016. Retrieved December 15, 2015.
  19. ^ "IMG Academy To Field A High School Football Team In 2013". www.imgacademies.com. Archived from the original on August 31, 2012.
  20. ^ Stephen Spiewak (October 3, 2013). "Behind the scenes photos from IMG Academy". MaxPreps.com. Archived from the original on January 16, 2016. Retrieved December 15, 2015.
  21. ^ "IMG Academy names Steve Walsh as director of football and Kevin Wright as coach". USA Today High School Sports. March 30, 2015. Archived from the original on October 11, 2022. Retrieved February 17, 2016.
  22. ^ "IMG Academy Football Top Performers". bradenton. Archived from the original on February 18, 2016. Retrieved February 17, 2016.
  23. ^ "U.S. Soccer Residency Program Set to Complete Final Semester After 18 Years". Ussoccer.com. Archived from the original on March 23, 2017. Retrieved March 23, 2017.
  24. ^ "IMG Academy Baseball Program | IMGAcademy.com". IMG Academy. Archived from the original on March 1, 2022.
  25. ^ "National Prep Championship Field Announced". New Englang Recruiting Report. Archived from the original on October 11, 2022. Retrieved February 29, 2016.
  26. ^ "2017 PBC Participants". PROFESSIONAL BASKETBALL COMBINE. Archived from the original on October 11, 2022. Retrieved April 19, 2019.
  27. ^ "LiAngelo Ball and a new lifeline for NBA hopefuls". Si.com. May 21, 2018. Archived from the original on October 11, 2022. Retrieved April 19, 2019.
  28. ^ "Report: The WNBA's New Proposal For The 2020 Season Includes Full Pay". UPROXX. June 12, 2020. Archived from the original on September 7, 2020. Retrieved June 14, 2020.
  29. ^ "WNBA announces plans for 2020 season to start late July in Florida". NBC Sports Washington. June 15, 2020. Archived from the original on August 4, 2020. Retrieved June 15, 2020.
  30. ^ @WNBA (July 10, 2020). "Basketball officially returns July 25th. Are you ready for #WNBA Tip-Off 2020 presented by @ATT#ATTtipoff" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  31. ^ "Memory of grandparents fuels Tehoka Nanticoke's play for UAlbany - NCAA.com". Ncaa.com. Archived from the original on July 10, 2018. Retrieved April 19, 2019.
  32. ^ "IMG Academy to Field First Lacrosse Team". Inside Lacrosse. July 23, 2012. Archived from the original on June 23, 2012. Retrieved December 15, 2015.
  33. ^ "IMG Academy Track and Field Program - Running Training". Imgacademy.com. Archived from the original on January 16, 2016. Retrieved December 15, 2015.
  34. ^ "United States Olympic Committee", Team USA, archived from the original on September 13, 2014, retrieved March 29, 2023
  35. ^ "IMG Academy adds girls volleyball to the roster". ABC Action News Tampa Bay (WFTS). March 24, 2023. Retrieved March 29, 2023.
  36. ^ "Videos". FOX 13 Tampa Bay. March 24, 2023. Retrieved March 29, 2023.
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