Chatham Academy – United Soccer Academies

Chatham Soccer Academy

2022 Registration Now Open Spaces Very Limited

United Soccer Academies

United Soccer Academies offer year round junior development academies for boys and girls age 6 & up. 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 junior 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 an educational model and approach where resources are shared and all players receive the same opportunity and the same instruction.

2022 Indoor & Outdoor Academy Registration Now Open

Registration for the 2022 Chatham Boys & Girls Indoor & Outdoor Academies is now open we are currently accepting boys and girls born 2008 – 2016 spaces are very limited. Players are grouped according to a combination of age and also ability level. Players are assessed once they have joined and may be moved within these groups based on their technical ability and understanding of the game. We do not do Tryouts any player can join regardless of experience or ability. We will find the right group and level of challenge for each individual player and players can move within the groups in the Academy when they are ready.

2022 Chatham Girls & Boys Soccer Academy

Our Soccer Academy is designed to give young players an opportunity to practice and play throughout the calendar year with scheduled breaks. We offer approx. 9 months of programming at the Academy through the calendar year giving players a chance to learn and improve and also get needed breaks from soccer. The Academy year starts out indoor from January to end of March in April we move outdoors until the end of November the Academy has a one month Summer break in August. Once outdoors we provide local weekly practices and matches and also give all players the option to be part of an Academy Travel team where they go and play against teams outside of the Academy on weekends throughout the outdoor season. We offer all levels of play and practice to all players, all players receive the same program.

2022 Indoor Academy

Program

Our Indoor Academy in Chatham offers players two sessions per week and focuses on teaching players a variety skills they need to play indoor on a hard surface. Sessions combine both instruction and small sided Futsal games (FIFA official indoor game). Sessions are structured so players receive one night of practice and instruction and one of Futsal league games.

Duration

Indoor Academy usually runs from January to end of March. This year due to the Covid restrictions the start has been delayed until the current restrictions in place are lifted we anticipate starting mid February. Indoor will start as soon as possible.

Ages

For the Indoor Academy we accept Boys & Girls of all ability levels age 6+ there are an equal number of spaces available for boys and girls.

Spaces

Spaces at our Academy are limited and based on the facilities we have available throughout the year and the number of licensed coaches we have to deliver our sessions. We do not register more players than we have resources to provide a high quality program for. All players get access to the same standard of coaching and the same number of sessions and games. Spaces at our Indoor Academy is very limited based on the facilities we have available. Currently we can only take 48 Boys and 48 Girls.

Spaces are equally allocated between the Boys Academy and the Girls Academy and spaces are allocated on a first come first served basis, if we have room for your player they will be accepted.

Schedule

Sessions are held on Monday and Wednesday nights. Complete schedule is detailed for all groups in the Academy Membership info package.

Locations

Indian Creek Public School

511 Indian Creek Rd W, Chatham-Kent, ON N7M 0P5

Tecumseh Public School

287 McNaughton Ave W, Chatham, ON N7L 1R8

What Does It Cost?

Academy Memberships are charged on a monthly basis, we do this in order to help make our Academy more affordable and also more flexible also if play is stopped due to Covid restrictions we can stop your payments so you only pay for what you receive. Indoor Academy Monthly Membership Fees are between $65 and $45 per player per month.

2022 Outdoor Academy

Outdoor Academy

Our Outdoor Academy in Chatham offers players two midweek session and additional matches played on Saturdays throughout the season. With our youngest players the focus is helping the develop the technical skills they need to be able to play in small sided games. With our older players the focus is more on teaching them HOW to play the game and developing technical skills at the same time.

Each week players will have 1 night of practice and training with our qualified group of Academy coaches and 1 night will be a game night with the focus on playing. Players will also have additional matches 2 times a month on Saturdays for extra games.

Ages

For the Indoor Academy we accept Boys & Girls of all ability levels age 5+ there are an equal number of spaces available for boys and girls.

Duration

Our Outdoor Academy starts in April pending field conditions and runs from April to end of July we take the month of August Off as a Summer break and then the Academy resumes from September to end of November. You can join for either Spring/Summer or Fall as long as spaces are available priority for Fall spaces are given to those who were enrolled in Spring/Summer

Schedule

Boys – Monday and Wednesday evenings + some Saturday matches
Girls – Monday and Wednesday evenings + some Saturday matches
Detailed schedule with locations and times will be released 21 days prior to start date.

Spaces

Spaces at our Academy is limited based on the facilities we have available and the number of qualified coaches we have to deliver our sessions. We only take 80 Boys and 80 Girls per season. We do not register more players than we have resources to provide a high quality program for. All players get access to the same standard of coaching and the same number of sessions and games.

Spaces for 2022 Outdoor are already 80% filled

Locations

St Clair College Campus Field

201 Campus Pkwy, Chatham, ON N7L 1C8

Chatham Christian School

475 Keil Dr S, Chatham, ON N7M 6L8

What Does It Cost?

Academy Memberships are charged on a monthly basis, we do this in order to help make our Academy more affordable and also more flexible also if play is stopped due to Covid restrictions we can stop your payments so you only pay for what you receive. Monthly Membership Fees are between $45 and $65 per player (discount is given for registering more than one player)

Your Academy Membership fee includes:
* Weekly practice/training session
* Weekly local match night
* Additional local weekend Matches
* Academy Travel Team program and league included for all players
* Any Extra Free play sessions

United Development League

Academy Development League & Junior Tournament Days run in the Spring (April to end of July) and in the Fall (September to December) new teams are formed in Spring and Fall.

We do not believe in running tryouts and only selecting the perceived best players for teams as that does not help improve the most players possible which is our goal.

We believe every child that loves soccer and wants to play should be given the opportunity to play. Selection to teams based on ability can wait until they are older. We believe all players should be part of a team and have the experience of going somewhere new to play a different team that’s the enjoyable part for kids.

We highly encourage all players to play in the Academy Development League and Junior Tournament Days and get involved. Going to play another team is an integral part of the overall experience of playing soccer and we want all players to have that experience.

Teams will be created using a balanced and social approach taking into account ability and understanding of the game. Teams will then be matched up and placed in an appropriate division for their level of of play and stage of development.

Get A Membership Info Package & Check Availability

Get Started

Please complete the inquiry form with your players info. We will check availability at the Academy for your player and send you a detailed Membership Information Package which outlines everything you can expect for your player while at the the Academy.

If there is space available and you wish to join the Academy please let us know so we can set up registration for you to complete and confirm your space.

Please be advised that we do NOT hold tryouts in order to select players for the Academy or for any of our Travel teams. We do not reserve spaces they are allocated on a first come first served basis.

Why You & Your Player Will Love Our 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.

Request An Academy Membership Information Package

Simply complete the form below or use any of the contact details listed below to request an Academy Membership Information Package or send us any questions you have about joining the Academy.

Got Questions? Contact Us

Call-Text Us 519 890 7923

jon@unitedsocceracademies.com

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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.

Academy Stages Not Ages

At our Academies 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

Our Philosophy

Coaching Pools

Our Academy 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 in your Academy 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 Gets 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 Junior 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

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. 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 Academy course is specific to our curriculum and methodology at our 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 "

Request An Academy Membership Information Package

Simply complete the form below or use any of the contact details listed below to request an Academy Membership Information Package or send us any questions you have about joining the Academy.