LIVERPOOL, England (AP) _ Liverpool has linked up with a junior league in New York to promote the club and boost coaching in the United States.
The record 18-time English champion announced the affiliation with Long Island Junior Soccer League, which has more than 70,000 participants, on Thursday.
Although Liverpool's rival Arsenal formed a partnership with Major League Soccer's Colorado Rapids in February, Liverpool is the first Premier League club to form an affiliation with a U.S. youth league.
Adidas, which sponsors Liverpool and the LIJSL, is backing the arrangement.
The affiliation will allow LIJSL players and coaches to attend the Liverpool Academy and the English side will also send coaches to the U.S., the club said.
LIJSL was established in 1966 and is now one of the largest youth soccer leagues in the U.S., its Web site said.
Liverpool academy director Steve Heighway, who was a star for Liverpool in the 1970s and also played for the Minnesota Kicks of the North American Soccer League, organized the partnership.
