Affiliation will expose American athletes to the international game.

Bradenton, February 19, 2014: AAU made a powerful declaration to enhance their time-honored brand by naming Eric Dailey its International Basketball Director.  As one of the nation’s chief sports organizations, AAU has been in existence since 1888.  Once respected as a giant worldwide, AAU worked alongside the Olympic movement. To date, the conglomerate endorses thirty four (34) sports programs, upwards of 250 national championships and represents over half a million participants.  AAU headquarters is located in sunny Lake Buena Vista, Florida - a few blocks from the prominent Walt Disney World Resort.  This American icon serves host to 16% of the national championships in agreement with its own thirty (30) year contract.

Keeping Florida ties, Eric Dailey is a native Floridian with roots in Ocala less than eighty (80) miles from AAU’s control center.  Dailey is a ten (10) year international professional basketball player.  During his tenure he was a versatile threat on major teams in Europe, Asia and South America.  His claim to fame was the duality of power forward type size and strength coupled with guard like shooting and passing.  However, Dailey’s greatest take-a-way from his overseas stint was the multicultural social enrichment.  “Living abroad taught me the world is bigger than what I could ever imagine.  But I noticed basketball was a common thread, a way to connect us to foreign lands.”     

Dailey’s headship is validated by an impressive resume of global activism encompassing twenty (20) years of humanitarianism.  He serves as an ambassador for the United Nations Millennium Development Goals, a doctrine of objectives set forth to increase quality of life in the United Nations.  He is an influential figure for the International Basketball Federation (FIBA), the governing body for international competition that specifies rules, regulations and standards for equipment and facility usage.  Dailey is also a predominant colleague of the Filipino American Basketball Association (FABA), Puerto Rico Instructional Basketball Organization (PRIBO), Pumas Basketball Club of Colombia and the Bermuda Basketball Association. “We are going to expose the AAU community, its players and families to countries near and far,” proclaims Eric Dailey.

AAU is eager to expand the range of its tournaments.  With Dailey’s blueprint, having successfully run the Global Cup World Championships in 2012 and 2013 at ESPN’s Wide World of Sports, the alliance will produce AAU’s own World Championships.  Eric Dailey will utilize his transnational platform to attract competitive teams from the likes of Australia, Panama, India, Italy, France, Hong Kong, Brazil, Great Britain, Trinidad, Canada and Japan.  Dailey Training offers a comprehensive total player development prospectus with emphasis on global citizenry and character development off the court.  This unique blend of competition and exposure will become the fuel behind AAU’s initiative to implement programming geared towards player’s transition to the next level.

“I would like to welcome Eric Dailey with Dailey Training to the AAU,” said AAU President and CEO, Henry Forrest. “I’m excited to have Dailey Training partner with the AAU to run our International Basketball event this summer at the ESPN Wide World of Sports. I am thrilled for the growth of this event and I look forward to great things with Dailey Training and the AAU in the future.”

"Basketball is a global sport, so we are focused on giving our athletes the opportunity to play and train with athletes from all parts of the world,” said AAU’s Director of Sports, James Parker. “This is why we feel working with Eric Dailey is a great fit.”

Dailey Training currently operates out of primer locations in Atlanta, Las Vegas, Miami and New York.  Registered athletes and certified coaches will have the opportunity to attend youth camps, specialty clinics, seminars and basketball exchange programs domestically and off shores as result of this corporate merger.  Led by a team of former NBA, WNBA and NCAA –DI players and coaches at the above listed events are designed to increase a sport specific skill set and educate players, coaches and families about the recruiting process; but more importantly the everyday life and expectations of the elite athlete.