| "I’ve met many great people in sport but one who now stands out as truly inspirational is Simon Clifford. A former teacher, he left teaching to set up the Brazilian Soccer Schools from his base in Leeds... Observing him coach ‘SOCATOTS®’ (Children aged as young as six months) right up to working directly with adult players was a breath of fresh air... Simon has redefined terms such as ‘passion’, ‘drive’, ‘energy’ and ‘winning’ in sport. He is not afraid of pushing out the boundaries to challenge his players and all those who work with him. He plans and thinks further into the future than anyone that I have ever met in my lifetime. He has a great future." Sir Clive Woodward, from the revised and updated version of "Winning!" | | 
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| "I’ve been in the USA, Brazil, Europe, worked in football, I am fifty years old, but I’ve never met a person like him. Simon Clifford's perspective and intelligence is just so interesting. His SOCATOTS® idea is fascinating. I spent three hours this afternoon thinking on why I or no-one else thought of this before. As a Doctor, a physiologist and as a footballer it fascinates me. What I would really like to do is study SOCATOTS® as I think it will interest the whole of the world." Socrates, Brazilian Soccer Captain 1982-86 | | 
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| "I have been in football many, many years, have been to many countries and I have seen technical training in many places. I must truly say that I have never been impressed by anything like I was by the session today. The static technical training has been transferred fully to the game situations, full executions and manipulations of the ball are actually seen in the game. It is a quest of many coaches and schemes throughout the world, so after many years I see it for the first time here today." Tord Grip, ex-Assistant Coach, England National Team | | 
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| "SOCATOTS® is tremendous, it’s a great way to get children started with exercise, and it is so much fun and incredibly positive. I think children need to do more exercise in general and this is a super way to begin. I think SOCATOTS® is great and I cannot wait for Devon to start attending. It’s never too young for them to start learning. If children can start young and enjoy playing and exercising I am sure they will stay involved with sports throughout their lives. SOCATOTS® is giving such great opportunities to children." Nell McAndrew, celebrity and model from Leeds, England | | 
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| "I cannot believe what I see with SOCATOTS®, it is amazing, it is something completely different and very special. It will have so many benefits for football and for kids in general. Socially, physically and technically I can see this having such a positive influence for future generations across the world." Carlos Alberto, Captain of the 1970 Brazilian World Cup winning side | | 
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| “Everything I have as a senior player I owe to Futebol de Salão. Simon is a great friend and I hope I have been of some help to him in getting this great project started that is destined to revolutionise the whole world of football through SOCATOTS® and Brazilian Soccer Schools" Emerson | | 
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| “What Simon is doing is fantastic. Normally what you see in other children is just the basics of the game. He is saying that nothing is impossible. If English players can learn the qualities Simon is teaching, then it will be good for the country” Jay Jay Okocha | | 
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| "Futebol de Salão is how I really got started. This is my love, the thing that I enjoy most" The original game with ICFDS can help bring that back. SOCATOTS® exites me even more, it is an incredible idea, planned and executed correctly through an amazing syllabus" Ronaldo | | 
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| "I have personally learned a lot from Brazilian Soccer Schools and Simon. The whole project really interests me because it is a different way of teaching kids to play the game." "They (The Brazilian Soccer Schools Players) have taught me one or two tricks with the ball that I'am still trying to master. I wouldn't be surprised if I bumped into one or two of them whilst playing in premiereship football at some stange in the future." "Futebol de Salao encourages players to 'do' things. In the English game we don't get enough dribbling, players taking other players on. Simon's project will remedy that" Michael Owen | | 
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| "Futebol de Salão is a great start for young players", I discovered Ronaldo playing Futebol de Salao in Rio, with Simon's energy and determination I believe that he will go on to develop even better players through Futebol de Salao, Brazilian Soccer Schools and SOCATOTS® across the world" Jairzinho | | 
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| “I developed my skills playing Futebol de Salão in my home town of Bauru. I explained to Simon that the true and total beauty of football is only seen in the ingenuity, inventiveness, instinct and skill of the players, both individually and as a team. Pele | | 
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| "The whole training style was Futebol de Salao, with SOCATOTS® as we were total 'beginners'. Simon encouraged our individual strengths, pracitising our first touch on the ball, using both feet, and above all although an incredibly hard task master, he showed enormous patience. Simon was great fun to work with. He never got tired of encouraging us and his patience was truly immense. He stretched us and constantly challenged us to do better. Myself and Keira, could honestly have not done it without him” Parminder Nagra | | 
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| "Simon was an absolute inspiration to me. We spent four months working in preperation for my role in Bend It Like Beckham. He became a friend and allowed me to develop a coaching style based on his own that I used in the film. My football improved dramatically too!" Jonathan Rhys Meyers | | 
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| "Simon is quite unique in having appeared on our show twice, once with Parminder Nagra while promoting Bend It Like Beckham, we were then that impressed that we visited the original Brazilian Soccer School in Leeds. He is one of the very few holders of two Blue Peter Badges!" Blue Peter | | 
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| It was through his father Lincoln’s friendship with Brazilian Soccer Schools owner Simon Clifford that the young Richards was given a platform to hone his defensive skills and also develop into a makeshift striker. Micah recalls: “My dad was involved in the Brazilian Soccer Schools and I used to train there two or three times a week. We used a small ball, which was supposed to improve technique and touch, and it was a good thing to do, especially being a defender as the better you are on the ball the better it is for your game. Having been introduced to the SOCATOTS® kids at a presentation with Simon, they are going to be absolutely frightening as footballers!” Micah Richards | | 
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| "It was great for Simon to give me the opportunity to meet up with my old friend Jair again. The coaching programme is absolutely excellent, incredibly thorough and with it children across the world will be giving goalkeepers plenty of problems!" Gordon Banks | | 
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| "Through a mutual friend I met Simon a few years ago. Futebol de Salao balls were delivered the week following, with the goals to my home in the UK. It's a fantastic game, I wish it had been around with the corresponding coaching when I was a little younger!" Robbie Williams | | 
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| "You will see English football in particular improve with this scheme. The technical levels need lifting in England, they are the basic things that any footballer needs, before tactics, before complicated tactical practices. English football needs this, it will be of enormous benefit" Luiz Felipe Scolari | | 
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| "Some of the players that I worked with today have skills and technical ability that you would not even see at an England get together, truly. It's an excellent programme" Jermaine Jenas | | 
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| "I worked with Simon and Jay Jay (Okocha) on their Soccer Skills project in 2003. It was great to be involved, the young players even taught Jay Jay a thing or too. What was most impressive, was that yes, we say the tricks and flicks, but the basics were broken down and taught so very, very well, that really impressed me" Alan Hansen | |  |
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