Philosophy:

The Atlanta Fire United Soccer Association Academy Program will seek to prepare our players to compete in the game of soccer. We will do this in a supportive environment that nurtures the children’s natural competitiveness, but focuses on the strides made as an individual and as a team player. The coaching staff will make decisions that are in the interest of players, not wins or losses. Training will focus on skills.

Games will be seen as merely a part of the training cycle. They will give players a chance to test their skills. Games will give coaches an opportunity to teach tactics and learn what skills need to be focused upon in the next training sessions. The games will be a fun chance for kids to play a game in front of their families. We will not keep track of records and no champion will be crowned at the end of the season.

 

Rationale: 

There is no exact science to training players to play the game of soccer with high rates of success.  As a result, we who train the players must constantly evaluate the situation we create for our children.  This is how our micro-soccer program started for our youngest players.  We realized that u5 players don't need to be on a field with 21 other U5 players.

Soccer is a sport that challenges the player technically, tactically and psychologically.  Are 8 and 9 year olds really ready to compete?  The answer is no.  Every training session must focus on technical ability and tactical training must be limited.  The psychology of nine years olds must focus on fun.  These facts are not always taken into account in the competitive environment that we are currently in.  The fact of the matter is that you can win a game with bad soccer and end up only teaching lessons that later will need to be erased.

Coaches who feel pressured to win may make decisions that do not encourage true player development.  Some may leave a player on the side in order to leave a star on the fields.  Others may leave a goal scorer up front without asking him or her to learn how to defend.  Players must be allowed an equal chance to play in the game and in a variety of positions.

Psychologically, the kids do begin to win.  They know they have to perform or their playing time will decrease or the team may get demoted.  Kids learn that the game is no longer about fun alone.  We see a trend across the nation that involves large numbers of children dropping out of soccer around the age of twelve.  They drop out because they grow tired of the pressure and say that soccer is not fun anymore.

Method: 

Atlanta Fire United Soccer Association will form boy’s teams and girls’ teams at tryouts. Each team will meet two nights a week for mandatory training and a third night of skills work will be offered for those who are interested. Two teams will share a practice field and be trained by a highly qualified coach. Training will focus on the skills necessary to begin the most basic tactics. Everyone must realize that the best decisions will not over come a lack of technical ability.

We will schedule games and tournaments with neighbor clubs to help us discover areas that need to be worked on.

Who can participate?

Any child who will be either 8 or 9 years old as of August 1, 2006 is welcome to try out for the Academy Program. We will attempt to select the children that appear most ready to enter this program. Players and parent must be willing to commit the time, effort, attention and financial resources necessary to fully benefit from this program. The next tryouts will be in May/June 2007.

What is the cost of participation?

Parents should expect to pay in the area of $1,100 for the year. This will include: Fall and Spring registrations, team camp, coaching fees, and administration fee. Tournaments and uniforms will be additional.