At the front of what we do, we are trying to help build a love and passion for the sport we all love so much. This is especially true in the Foundation Phase as we focus on ‘training to love the game.’

As a club, we strongly promote training our players in age/skill level appropriate development training. Focused on players 8-12 years of age, we develop this love by encouraging creativity and rewarding risk-taking (and creative failure) in a fun environment. 

Overall, our coaching approach is similar to gardening — ‘we cannot force plants to grow, all we can do is provide the conditions for the growth, and they will flourish.’ Our soccer practices are the same way and revolve around a simple checklist of must-haves: Does it look like the game? Is it fun? Does the session inspire players to train outside of practice?

As a coaching staff, we are here to educate the players and guide them through their soccer journey to help them become the best player they possibly can. We use a guided discovery approach and, even at such a young age, want players to take ownership of sessions, their development, and helping each other to develop (everyone plays a role in the development process). 

In the Foundation Phase, we highly value technical skill development.

It is our goal to make our players a master of the ball and give them the confidence to be calm when challenged with the ball at their feet. We have a modern football philosophy and approach to how the game is played today, not 40 years ago. Certain aspects of the game will remain constant, but the game is adapting and changing. So we continue to ask: What is working at the top academies around the world? What are the best practices for developing players in the 21st century?

We do not have to reinvent the wheel but can manipulate how it goes round.

Individual Player Focus

Every player is different. This doesn’t change what we are teaching but the approach, speed, and expectations we have for each individual player in an attempt to meet everyone’s development needs. Grouping players in ability-based groups gives players opportunities to play and develop at the right level so they’re not overwhelmed.