Norwalk, CT native and Beachside alum Niko Petridis was recently selected by the NY Red Bulls in the 2020 MLS SuperDraft. It was something he dreamed of starting back in the days with his U12 Beachside premier team.
When talking with his former coaches, one thing stayed true throughout his development. His love for soccer. From day one Niko had a competitive passion for the game. His desire to challenge himself and improve every time he stepped on a field maximized his development. Niko was no stranger to putting in extra work and making sacrifices to be the best he could be.
I recently talked with Nico and he had a few words to share with our Beachside family.
“My dream, since the day I could remember, was to always play professional soccer and I can proudly say that dream has finally come true. It was not an easy path and was one that took a lot of sacrifice from not just myself, but my entire family as well. The number of countless hours, days and years that it took put me in the best position to succeed took a lot of determination and focus. On weekends where my friends would be together to hang out, I would travel to games and tournaments. On days that I didn’t feel like training, I would still get up and put in the work that was needed. I knew that if I didn’t work hard, then my dreams would not be possible to reach.
Beachside was a club that taught me how to work hard and how to be professional with everything you do from a very young age. I joined the club when I was 12 years old and they helped me develop as a player and as a person all the way leading up to my senior year in high school. Without the Beachside family, I would not be in the position that I am in today and I am truly thankful to all of the coaches that were involved in my development. I hope that I can continue to grow and develop as a player and a person and am looking forward to this new chapter in my life.”
—Niko Petridis
Congrats Niko! Niko is one of the most recent success stories from a talented Beachside class and we are all really proud of him. We look forward to your continued successes on the pitch and in life.
“We are so proud of Nico, who spent the majority of his youth career with Beachside. Nico has been part of some of the best teams in our club’s history and his contribution while at Beachside is immense. Nico epitomizes what our club stands for, hard work, commitment, and incredible love for the game. His competitive attitude and desire to constantly learn and improve will serve him well at the Pro level.”
—Mickey Kydes, Founder and Technical Director