How other MLS teams structure their Academies

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Sort of makes you wonder why the parents are falling all over themselves to spend the obscene amounts money now spent on youth soccer if they don't see themselves taking advantage of a soccer opportunity like a professional contract at 18.

How much longer you gonna wonder, BTNT??? Move goalposts much? You USED to wonder if families weren't shooting for a D1 scholarship and now it's professional contracts. Your prism just doesn't count for anything that doesn't include "getting paid."

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How much longer you gonna wonder, BTNT??? Move goalposts much? You USED to wonder if families weren't shooting for a D1 scholarship and now it's professional contracts. Your prism just doesn't count for anything that doesn't include "getting paid."

As opposed to you who simply want the bar dropped altogether to allow your D3 bound wonder kids a chance to participate.

[Unregistered]

As opposed to you who simply want the bar dropped altogether to allow your D3 bound wonder kids a chance to participate.

Lol, you act like we created D3 athletics. Been around for a few years I think.

[Unregistered]

You want incentive then do what the European clubs do, monetary compensation. You get to sell players you developed. That is easy. Here everybody want cheap labor that they do have to work or pay for.

true dat

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How other int'l clubs structure their academies...

interesting reading.
its a lot of material but each club researched has a summary chart before their clubs section.
so u can see how it is done else where:
http://www.ecaeurope.com/Research/EC...0Academies.pdf

and a good summary and opinion piece from thecoachdiary.com site:
http://www.thecoachdiary.com/eca-rep...ies-in-europe/

[Unregistered]

interesting reading.
its a lot of material but each club researched has a summary chart before their clubs section.
so u can see how it is done else where:
http://www.ecaeurope.com/Research/EC...0Academies.pdf

and a good summary and opinion piece from thecoachdiary.com site:
http://www.thecoachdiary.com/eca-rep...ies-in-europe/

Thank you for sharing those documents. One thing that jumped out at me: London has 14 professional clubs competing for academy players. Unbridled competition has some upside (as long as you don't get relegated). Though I'm sure there are plenty of horror stories about kids getting chewed up (I didn't see anything about the sexual abuse scandal roiling English football).

[Unregistered]

Another thing that should jump out is that the number of training sessions the younger age groups do. Most of the clubs profiled are 3 training sessions per week and 1 game per weekend for <U13. 4-5 training sessions per week >U13 with some older teams at 6 sessions per week.

Bottom line, the idea that our youth players aren't spending enough time on the ball is incorrect, and in fact given many club players are playing for multiple teams during the younger ages, they may be overtraining. It is here that playing with friends, playing unstructured soccer, or "street ball" during the off days is emphasized as much as the structured work, and that seems to be one area we are lacking.

Where we see a major difference in training tempo is in the High school ages: When Euro academies are ramping up to 5-6 days per week of training, including weights and personal technical sessions, our kids are probably training less than they did as U-littles. 2 days per week plus one technical session for half the year is half the training the Euro Academy player are getting from U15+.

[Unregistered]

Another thing that should jump out is that the number of training sessions the younger age groups do. Most of the clubs profiled are 3 training sessions per week and 1 game per weekend for <U13. 4-5 training sessions per week >U13 with some older teams at 6 sessions per week.

Bottom line, the idea that our youth players aren't spending enough time on the ball is incorrect, and in fact given many club players are playing for multiple teams during the younger ages, they may be overtraining. It is here that playing with friends, playing unstructured soccer, or "street ball" during the off days is emphasized as much as the structured work, and that seems to be one area we are lacking.

Where we see a major difference in training tempo is in the High school ages: When Euro academies are ramping up to 5-6 days per week of training, including weights and personal technical sessions, our kids are probably training less than they did as U-littles. 2 days per week plus one technical session for half the year is half the training the Euro Academy player are getting from U15+.

Bingo. We have bingo.

I have been explaining this for years, and most sideline warriors look at me as though I have no clue. As their kids stagnate or backslide under elite US development.

[Unregistered]

the other point was foreign youth play 3 times a week, 42 to 44 weeks a year.

[Unregistered]

Another thing that should jump out is that the number of training sessions the younger age groups do. Most of the clubs profiled are 3 training sessions per week and 1 game per weekend for <U13. 4-5 training sessions per week >U13 with some older teams at 6 sessions per week.

Bottom line, the idea that our youth players aren't spending enough time on the ball is incorrect, and in fact given many club players are playing for multiple teams during the younger ages, they may be overtraining. It is here that playing with friends, playing unstructured soccer, or "street ball" during the off days is emphasized as much as the structured work, and that seems to be one area we are lacking.

Where we see a major difference in training tempo is in the High school ages: When Euro academies are ramping up to 5-6 days per week of training, including weights and personal technical sessions, our kids are probably training less than they did as U-littles. 2 days per week plus one technical session for half the year is half the training the Euro Academy player are getting from U15+.

Time spent might be similar but it's scattered amongst several different environments. The fact that many of those hours are spent with less than qualified coaches renders that time spent as almost useless and detrimental to development

[Unregistered]

Time spent might be similar but it's scattered amongst several different environments. The fact that many of those hours are spent with less than qualified coaches renders that time spent as almost useless and detrimental to development

Totally disagree - time on the ball is time on the ball. Playing in different environments gives a player a chance to be creative, try different things under different circumstances (teammates, competition etc). Kids in other parts of the world certainly aren't spending hours in a structured environment - it's very unstructured. Too much structure not only stifles creativity but can suck the fun right out a sport.

[Unregistered]

Time spent might be similar but it's scattered amongst several different environments. The fact that many of those hours are spent with less than qualified coaches renders that time spent as almost useless and detrimental to development

typical coach speak baloney. the more money you spend with us "qualified", brit speaking, experts....the better your kid develops. any shortfall is the parents fault for not getting their little star into the proper training environment early enough.

what a load of bullocks.

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Actually it's time spent on the ball being coached by someone who actually knows what to do with it. Lots of frauds out there both wearing club uniforms and town soccer ones. The trick really is to find the right coach because this generation of kids don't mentor other kids so it really does come down to the adults that are involved.

[Unregistered]

Actually it's time spent on the ball being coached by someone who actually knows what to do with it. Lots of frauds out there both wearing club uniforms and town soccer ones. The trick really is to find the right coach because this generation of kids don't mentor other kids so it really does come down to the adults that are involved.

no it doesn't. Adults just muck it all up. I agree there are plenty of charlatan coaches out there, but give that fact I'd rather have kids playing all the time than in some cra*p structured environment