What makes our club different?
Playing to LEARN vs. playing to WIN

We take a long-term approach to player development and our
Youth Academy is the foundation to this approach.

First, we believe that putting 6-10-year-old children in a competitive soccer environment stunts the skill development and growth of players. Here’s why. The goal in competitive soccer is to win. Decision making, ball handling, passing and shooting are a means to that end.  At this age all they care about is “the ball”.  That is what we will focus on.

If the primary focus is on winning, then skill development and a child’s passion for the game takes a second seat. If skill development, learning the game and having fun is the primary focus, then winning will come in later years as well as the player’s longevity in the sport.

Coaches who feel the pressure to win make different strategic decisions than coaches who first and foremost want to develop skills. When the focus is on winning the temptation is to manipulate the process to find shortcuts to success. The problem with this approach is that kids (and parents) get frustrated or burned out and they don’t master the skills that will set them up for long-term success.

Our approach is to focus on what makes kids better players and better people versus winning games no one will remember. With the U9 age groups we think it is more important to emphasize and reward players for acquiring new skills, thinking creatively and learning the game. We also think that when winning and losing is de-emphasized younger players feel less pressure and have more fun.

This is why we have developed the YOUTH ACADEMY. The Academy has been created to establish a springboard for enjoying the game while preparing players for competitive, club-level soccer. The Academy promotes skill development, playfulness, cooperation and celebration.

Here’s how the Academy is structured:

• 2 days of instruction (1 with the team, 1 in clinic format) and one day of games. This allows players to express themselves, make their own decisions and become awesome players.
• Teams consist of 3v3, 4v4 or 5v5.
• Instruction will consist of ball skills with fun games and exercises that incorporate dribbling technique, passing technique, kicking technique, team shape and athletic movements.

Our goal is to instill a passion for the game in our young players through creating a fun activity where they look forward to the “next time” because they will learn something new.  We feel that this will lead them to the next level of soccer (U10-U12) where the numbers increase and team play is introduced.  Skill development is still the primary focus.

In our experience we have learned that this concept will insure that more players will continue to play in high school and their prep years of U13-U15 and beyond.

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