The move will be paired with advancing his educational journey as well, since the club is associated with Sunderland College, where he’s planning to major in health sciences.
“It feels good and a bit unreal,” he said. “I’ve played my whole life, and I’ve always dreamt of having a moment like this, when I could say I was going overseas to play professionally. It feels great.”
Ramirez spent time honing his skills playing with the North Carolina Olympic Development Team and other club teams, and was soon contacted by SSFC about post-high school opportunities. He credited his experiences at Phoenix with guiding his route both in the classroom and on the pitch.
“The people here have made it a really special place for me, all my friends and teachers and people who support me here. They’ve had a big impact on me. The players on the team have helped me overcome certain obstacles and focus on just playing the game to have fun with it. It’s helped take a lot of stress off my shoulders.”
Ramirez will head to Spain in late July for a preseason game against third-division team Alicanté where scouts from top tier clubs Real Madrid, Real Sociedad, and Villarreal will be watching. Then it’s on to games in Germany, France, and finally to England where he will get settled in for his first year of college.
His days will be a mix of morning practice, school, then afternoon strength and conditioning sessions with games mixed in on weeknights and weekends.
While this is a huge next step for Ramirez, it’s also big news for the school, said Phoenix Athletic Director Robert Youtz.
“It puts Phoenix on the map to show that any athlete in any sport can be recruited to extend their career no matter what the size or type of school it is,” he said. “It shows that hard work and dedication can help you succeed on the field and in the classroom.”
Ramirez said the dedication shown by his family has been a huge part of his success, with his mom and dad taking him to practices and games, sometimes hours away.
“They’ve been awesome. It’s been tough on them, for sure, and I’m glad they’ve been able to dedicate so much time to me.”
Ramirez said he is excited for the many new opportunities in his life, especially experiencing other cultures.
“I’ve always wanted to travel and see the world and I think this is the perfect opportunity to do that. I’ve been playing my whole life and now to be able to get paid, and just getting to play is a really exciting thing.”
Congratulations, Luis!
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About Phoenix Academy
Phoenix Academy is a tuition-free, public charter school in High Point, North Carolina, serving students in kindergarten through 12th grade. It is part of the National Heritage Academies (NHA®) network, which includes more than 100 tuition-free, public charter schools serving more than 65,000 students in kindergarten through 12th grade across nine states. For more information, visit nhaschools.com.
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