ST. LEO – Saint Leo University and Portuguese soccer powerhouse Sport Lisboa e Benfica gathered June 13 to celebrate the launch of the first Benfica Residential Academy in the United States.
Benfica Residential Academy will begin Aug. 15 on Saint Leo’s campus with 100 students.
Couto Turf, the turf specialist for the 2014 World Cup and 2016 Olympics, is installing two new soccer fields on Saint Leo’s campus that will serve the academy.
Benfica President Rui Castro and Ed Narain, chair of the college’s board of trustees, took part in a ribbon cutting for the new fields. Narain said the Saint Leo Lions are now “Benfiquistas.”
Three Benfica players joined students on the field while two bald eagles from Tampa Bay Raptor Rescue greeted the Benfica Eagles.
