NEWS & ANNOUNCEMENTS   |     May 1, 2019 4:06 pm   |     Matt Murray

NSC Announces Junior Academy Changes for Fall 2019 Season!

The Club has decided to make some changes to the structure of the Junior Academy to provide all of our educational and professional resources to our new members in an… View Article

The Club has decided to make some changes to the structure of the Junior Academy to provide all of our educational and professional resources to our new members in an effort to create the best possible environment for our kids, parents & coaches from the moment they begin with Needham Soccer Club!

In the fall of 2019 the Junior Academy will be moving to a “Group Play Saturday” model of training and playing that will help NSC maximize the professional coaching resources that were brought in at the start of 2017 when the partnership with the NE Revolution Academy began. It will also allow the club to align its player and coach development philosophy with the best practice guidelines from US Soccer and create a true progression of development for both players and coaches at the beginning stages of their new relationship with the game!

Every week teams will be assigned to play their games at the same time as the rest of the teams in their grade so that all of the players on the field at any one time are the same age. The club will place a professional coach from the Revolution Academy on the fields to work with all of our players and coaches every week! This will give all of our teams the opportunity to utilize the first 30 minutes of the game day to run skill activities dictated by our full-time Director of Coaching and Technical Director, Matt Murray of the Revolution Academy, thru an age appropriate curriculum of practice activities.

Now all of our players and coaches will use the same activities from the curriculum every week to create a truly equal opportunity for development for everyone involved. Having the professional coach from the Academy leading each group will not only provide a chance to ask questions about set up, see live demonstrations and get real-time feedback and help in executing the different topics every single week but creates a community learning environment for both players and coaches week in and week out.

After the 30 minutes of skills activities wraps up teams will have an hour to play their 40 minute game where the NE Revolution coach will stay on site to walk around the fields, help our coaches with any questions, speak with parents about the club and simply be a resource for all of our NSCJA members.

The change to how the club utilizes its professional resources is one that is expected to provide dozens of benefits for every member of the club at this level and will result in a few structural changes necessary to make it all happen. For a complete list of what to expect for you and your youngsters next Fall Click Here

For any questions, concerns or for how you can get involved with NSCJA next year email our Director of Coaching at doc@needhamsoccer.com!