Introduction
In the fall of 2009, the West Des Moines Soccer Club will offer a U9 and U10 Academy structure to its club programming. This academy structure will follow the guidelines established by the Iowa Soccer Association. This academy program will be offered to boys and girls with dates of birth between 8/1/1999-7/31/2001 who have a desire to learn more about the game and develop their soccer skills. This program will be open to any player who desires the commitment, enjoyment, and interest to develop their soccer skills. The West Des Moines Soccer Club provides a fun and challenging environment for its players. The Club also employs licensed coaches who understand the developmental needs of the youth soccer player.
The Academy program will target those players who desire professional training and the opportunity to play with like-minded peers. This is a program whose emphasis will be player development. We will incorporate a “player pool” method of training and competing within the U9 / U10 Academy structure. This will allow us to focus on EVERY player and their individual developmental needs. The age group of U9 – U12 is labeled “The Golden Age of Learning” and we at the WDMSC want to capitalize on this awesome opportunity to work with players whose passion is soccer. The main reason behind focusing on the individual development and not the teams’ success is to place the emphasis squarely on the child and their desire to enjoy, learn, and compete. History has proven that emphasis on winning at too early an age will cause players to lose interest, burn-out, and miss out on the opportunity to develop their skills and not be able to compete at a higher level because they had not mastered the technical skills necessary to carry out tactics.
Players will train twice a week for an hour and a half with WDMSC Professional staff members and parent volunteers. A flexible training schedule will be created to accommodate multi-sport activity participants. The parent volunteers will have to attend a National Youth Module Course or a USSF License course to be allowed to participate in the training and coaching of the players at matches. Players will participate in the Iowa Premier Soccer League. We will form balanced teams for competition and will restructure the team from the fall season to the spring season to ensure that our focus remains on the individual.
The emphasis of the WDMSC Academy will be on individual ball skills which will serve as the foundation for mastering the fundamentals of the game. The coaches will focus on individual attacking / defending, passing and receiving, possession with a purpose, and small group tactics. The coaches will create a fun but challenging environment that will guide each player down a path that will allow them the opportunity to discover answers to the challenges that the game presents rather than dictating and directing them. Our desired outcome is for each player to master skills, learn the game of soccer, and fuel a passion for the game. If we can accomplish these simple tasks the Academy will be a success.
Training Staff – Team Formation
The training staff will be assigned by the Director of Coaching. Coaches will be selected based on their playing and coaching experience. All coaches will be required to hold a nationally recognized license to work within the program. The WDMSC is fortunate to have a very qualified coaching staff. They take pride in developing not only quality soccer players but well rounded student-athletes. Players will be assigned to a team based on age, gender, and playing development. We encourage Academy players to participate in the WDM Pre-season camp August 3rd – 7th to be evaluated for team assignment. Teams will be created with the intention to keep them balanced. Teams will be reshuffled between the fall and spring seasons.
Training and Matches
Official Training will begin in the end of March and will end in early June. The Academy will train twice a week under the direction of the coaching staff. A flexible training schedule will be created to ensure that multi-sport activity participants can make training sessions. Academy teams will play in the IPSL and play approximately 6-8 matches. Academy matches will be played on Saturday mornings(where possible). In addition to the league matches, the teams will also, participate in no more than 2 tournaments (festivals) per season. The WDMSC will also, provide an indoor house league that will provide an experience for the players to compete in during the winter months.
Academy v Recreational - How to choose
The difference between participating in an acedemy program or recreational program lies in the level of investment, commitment and interest about 8 and 9 year olds and their parents/guardians. Listed below are the characteristics of typical players who would participate in the Academy Program.
• Demonstrates sound technical skills (control, dribbling, and shooting)
• Physically stronger than most players within their age group
• Athletically quicker than most players within their age group
• High level of coordination and good agility
• During games is aggressive in their attitude and approach to getting involved
• During games tends to dominate the play
• Demonstrates high level of focus and concentration during practices and games
• Started to narrow down the number of extra-curricular activities
• Soccer is a high priority
• Practices with a ball in their own time outside regular schedule of games & practices
• U9 player who will try-out for the U11 competitive age group in the following year
Cost
$225 per season or $400 if you register for the entire year. Click here to go to registration.
Please feel free to contact Casey Mann, WDMSC Academy Director 229-5324 or keags17@yahoo.com with any questions.
