SAN DIEGO (FOX 5\/KUSI) \u2014 It\u2019s pitch-perfect at the San Diego Jewish Academy, which is getting set to host Team Switzerland in the upcoming FIFA World Cup.<\/p>\n
\u201cTo know that San Diego, as a whole, has training facilities like this is a big deal,\u201d said Director of Auxiliary Programs at the San Diego Jewish Academy, Adam Benmoise.<\/p>\n
Built in 1999, this 56-acre campus welcomes preschool through high school students.<\/p>\n
\u201dThey loved everything that we had to offer,\u201d said Benmoise. \u201cSo when it came time for the teams to submit their first and second choices for training venues, Switzerland put us first, and then FIFA gave us the call and said we\u2019re going to go with you.\u201d<\/p>\n
In recent years, it\u2019s become quite the pit stop for professional teams worldwide.<\/p>\n
\u201dWe\u2019ve had the U.S. Men\u2019s and Women\u2019s national team,\u201d said Benmoise. \u201cThe Mexican national team has been here pretty much every summer, we\u2019ve had Costa Rica, Borussia Dortmund in the German League, Real Betis in the Spanish League, and ever since San Diego FC, most of the MLS teams that play San Diego will train here prior to their match.\u201d<\/p>\n
Something you really can\u2019t put into words is the location. Less than two miles from the ocean, mixed with the seclusion and the brisk breeze \u2014 all the right selling points for team Switzerland.<\/p>\n
\u201dIt\u2019s going to look like their home, too,\u201d said Benmoise. \u201cWe\u2019re branding everything. Swiss flags all over the field. That giant backstop will have a huge Swiss flag, and we\u2019re going to have boards with all their branding. The press center is going to be all red and white, so it\u2019s going to feel like their home, and we\u2019re doing that by design.\u201d<\/p>\n
Maybe the best part of all.<\/p>\n
\u201dEvery dollar that we raise from rentals, every dollar that comes in for this World Cup, is going right back to Teachers and Students, so for me it meant a lot personally,\u201d said Benmoise. \u201cBut for the school, it means worlds more.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Swiss will begin training on their native soil before arriving in San Diego on June 2, with practice starting bright and early the next day.<\/p>\n
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