United Soccer Academies

UNITED SOCCER ACADEMIES

Inclusive. Equitable. Player Centred

United Soccer Academies

We offer year round junior development academies for Junior boys and girls. We are focused on developing soccer players by offering young players the opportunity to train and play year round and giving them all access to a standardized level of instruction.

Our first Academy was launched in 2011 and since then we have trained lots of young players! We have adapted our model over the years as we have learned what works and what doesn’t for young players. We have tested numerous different models and training environments and we continue to experiment to keep improving what we provide for young players.

Training groups and teams are fluid throughout they year to enable players to train and play at the level they are currently at rather than being locked into one team or group. Our focus is on teaching players HOW to play the game and the fundamentals and principles they will need to take their game to whatever level they aspire to reach in the future.

Our approach to junior player development is centred around the individual player and their needs, not around the needs of a team or the adults involved. Our model is more aligned with model and approach you would see at a school where resources are shared and all players receive the same opportunity and the same instruction.

Why You & Your Player Will Love United Soccer Academies

Variety, Fun, Challenging

We believe young players need lots of variety to develop their game and keep their focus. We want players to have the opportunity to mix with as many players at our Academies as possible to avoid having them stuck and limited to the same group of players every training session and game. We provide variety by having them play with their friends, with older players, younger players, better players and less experienced players. This is a more exciting environment that both helps them to develop their game and character.

Affordable

We try to eliminate any necessary costs to keep our Academies as affordable as possible. So you won't find any fancy kit packages costing hundreds of dollars and there are no hugely expensive team fees either. Fees are for providing educated coaches and to improve what we teach and how we teach it. Less bells and whistles with more training and more playing for an affordable price. Monthly payments are available at our locations.

Less Travel

The amount of time players are spending in the car travelling to games at young ages in the quest for higher levels of competition just makes no sense to us. Young players need to play more, not travel more. Our approach is to organize more matches and play internally at our Academies and supplement this with some external matches and events. The great thing about internal competition is we are able to make every match fun and fair, and we can give individual players higher competition levels by letting them play with higher skill level players.

Parents Are Partners

As far as we are concerned, you the parent, are part of the team. We can't develop players on our own, the more you can help, the better. Whether it's learning about what we are teaching and why, supporting us with positive reinforcement, or encouraging and practicing with your player outside of scheduled practices - we want to help you to help your player. We believe in communication with our players' parents - the more you know what we we are trying to do, the more you can be an ally for us.

All Players Are Equal

We take a different approach to most teams and clubs. Every player regardless of age, gender or ability has the same access to our training sessions, matches and coaches. We don't assign our best coaches to the higher ability players and the higher ability players do not get more sessions or resources. All of our Junior players get access to the same number of sessions and match days. All players regardless of ability, gender or age also get coached by our best coaches as we rotate our coaches to work with all groups.

Standard Pricing

Just in the same way we treat all players equally and provide the same access to programs and coaches, we also take the same approach to our pricing. Our Academies operate under a membership pricing model. There are a few different levels of membership available at each Academy based on the number of training sessions you want to receive each week and the length of commitment you are making. All internal Academy matches and games are included in your membership.

NO Tryouts

We decided several years ago that tryouts just had to go. They are not needed if your goal is to develop young players and not just select the best and cut the rest. We need to lower the pressure we put on our young players - tryouts are a negative experience for most young players. In addition, it's very difficult to identify talent at a young age and predict what a player will be like down the road. The best 7 year old is not always the best 9 year old and so on. We take players on a first come first served basis. Our job is to help them improve, not exclude them before they have a chance.

NO Politics

All of our Academies are independently owned and operated under our license. We do not have boards of directors or anyone who influences the day to day soccer operations of our Academies and makes decisions based on their preferences. All decisions we make are based on what is best for the players at our Academies - that is who we are accountable to. So if something needs to be changed to make the experience better for the players, we change it. There is nothing holding us back and no backroom politics involved.

NO Labels

Another thing we have decided to eliminate at our Academies are the labels we place on groups of players such as "Recreational, Travel, Competitive and Elite". All players play recreationally. All players travel. All players are competitive by nature and none of them are elite. At our Academies, everyone is simply an Academy player. We are all part of the same organization. We don't need to be separating and labelling players based on perceived ability or most usually how much parents are willing or able to pay.

Higher Quality Coaching. More Training. More Matches. Less Travel

Our Player Development Model

Developing young soccer players is a complex task and there are many factors outside of the curriculum and activities that are used to teach the game. At United Soccer Academies, we have detailed all the factors that affect and influence a player’s development and we have put this into our own player development model. The different factors are dialled up or down depending on which stage of development an individual player as at and what they need to help them keep progressing. What we have found is that the coaches & curriculum only play a limited part in a player’s development. At the younger ages it’s actually all the other factors and we combine them – that helps development and keeps players in the game.

Stages Not Ages

Players progress through 3 different stages based on their technical ability and tactical understanding of the game. This is a far better method than simply grouping players strictly by year of birth. As the players learn, improve and progress, the curriculum and what we teach changes and progresses too. Our curriculum starts out with a focus on technical ability and getting players comfortable with the ball. As soon as they demonstrate they have a good level of competency, they move straight into learning about the principles of the game and how to play.

Stage 1

Stage 2

Stage 3

No Tryouts. All Young Players Deserve A Chance To Play.

Our Academy Locations

Our Philosophy

Coach Rotation

Our coaching staff work as a collaborative team and are involved with as many players at different age groups as possible. This fosters a club atmosphere and gives players a chance to learn from all of our Academy coaches from top to bottom.

Standard Programming

All players should get the same soccer experience that is designed to help them learn the game and improve. All players get access to the same programming. The program is designed with player development in mind not simply gaining registrations.

Training Groups

Our model uses Training Groups which allow players to experience different levels of challenge throughout the season. Players have the opportunity to train with a variety of players and at different levels throughout the course of the season not be locked into one group.

Equal Opportunity

We believe that we should be providing all players the same high standard of coaching and access to the same programs. Every player regardless of age, gender or ability should be able to participate in the same amount and quality of soccer as the next player.

Varied Game Formats

Game formats are not designed for the adult spectators or the coaches, they are used to provide the most enjoyment and best learning opportunities for the players. The game formats are designed to encourage learning the principles of how we play soccer and maximize player involvement.

Player First Team Second

Every player comes before the team. At the grassroots stage the focus must be on each individual player and developing their understanding of the key principles of "HOW" we play soccer, not on creating teams that win at any cost without using the key principles of HOW to play.

Every Player Deserves A Great Coach

Coach Allocation

At many soccer clubs and programs the highest qualified coaches are assigned to the players deemed to have the highest ability or to the players who can afford to pay the most. We think thats fundamentally wrong at the younger ages. Our approach is different, we believe in having all of our coaches involved in coaching all of our players regardless of their age or ability. Our coaches work as a team and are responsible for the development of all players at our academies so they will rotate and work with all groups , all ages and all abilities. This ensures the best coaching resources we have are allocated equally and fairly to give every player the benefit of the best coaching we have to offer.

Coach Standards

All coaches are held to the same high standards and expected to deliver sessions that meet our curriculum expectations . We believe in an approach where we look to maximize the potential of what every single coach can do and raise the standards for every coach rather than catering to the lowest level. Our goal is to try and raise the standard of our newest beginner coaches as quickly as possible. We ant to ensure that every coach who is working with players at our Academy is following our Junior Development plan and providing a fun learning experience for the players

Coach Education

Every coach that coaches at a United Soccer Academy is required to complete our Academy Coaching Course which consists of 10 hours of classroom theory and instruction and also 10 hours of on-field practical instruction. Our coach course is specific to our curriculum and methodology at our Clubs and Academies and is based around the universal Principles of Play. By bringing our coach education in-house we have been able to dramatically lower the cost of coaching certification and offer more new coaches the opportunity to start coaching.

Testimonials

"Wish we had of found the United Soccer Academy from day 1 of Soccer for our daughter it's just such a different atmosphere, the coaches are very dedicated to what they are doing yet its not too serious the kids are allowed to just be kids and have fun. If we ever have a question it's welcomed we as parents are included and made to feel part of the team "

"Focusing on skills has helped develop my boys into better all around soccer players. Very professional and competent coaching staff who are extremely knowledgeable and a passionate about the beautiful game. I would recommend to anyone who wants their kids to learn how to actually play the game and have a deeper understanding of the sport itself."

"My kids have been at the Chatham Soccer Academy for almost 3 years now. We belong to a fantastic organization, with incredible coaches who truly care about the kids and helping them succeed. We all look forward to soccer each week, especially Thursdays when we get to be involved in the sport with our children! Thanks Jon, Luc and the rest of our soccer family!"

"Great coaching at an exceptional level. I wish I had that when I was playing. Jon and his team are wonderful. This really should be the model and system used for all Junior players. It's inclusive and challenging at the same time."

"Coaches are great, you can see there is a system in place at the Academy and that all players regardless of their ability are being given the same treatment and they are trying to teach everyone the same way. The program is very well run and communication is a great improvement on our last club. Our daughter is really learning a lot at the Academy and so are we as parents "

Please Contact Us

Want more info or have questions about joining one of Academies? Please contact us and we will get you connected with the Academy Director at the closest location to you. Or drop us a text and we will help you directly with general questions.