Holden Youth Soccer Player Developmental Academy

This past Spring 2008, Holden Youth Soccer became one of the first youth soccer programs in Massachusetts to adopt what is called the academy approach to training youth players.

If your child is interested in playing Spring Travel Team soccer or is just looking for extra development we recommend taking advantage of the Fall 08 Player Developmental Academy for our U10 and U12 age groups. This academy will be from 6-7:30pm at the Holden Municipal Light Department Field on Wednesday evenings (September 10th through October 8th) and end with optional participation in a local tournament October 12th at Mass Youth Soccer's Progin Park in Lancaster, MA.

The Player Developmental Academy, which is supported by the United States Soccer Federation, US Youth Soccer, and Mass Youth Soccer, helps to unlock the game of soccer within each child to reach their full soccer potential. The academy approach recognizes that all children develop at different speeds and in different ways both physically and cognitively. Our objective in introducing and offering this new program is to provide ALL interested kids in our community the opportunity to connect soccer learning and confidence-building opportunities with fun and creativity.

The academy approach offers developmentally-based learning activities and small-sided games that create a more player-centered soccer learning environment. With this approach to training, a player can be challenged more on what they are developmentally ready to do, while at the same time concentrate more carefully on learning and practicing the skills, or concepts that might be more difficult to master!

Kids will have the opportunity to work with different coaches each session, which will help to broaden their learning experience. Our Director of Coaching, along with a team of our more advanced-level coaches, will be training and overseeing the coaches who will be directly facilitating the group activities. This approach not only offers our kids some outstanding developmentally-based learning opportunities, but additionally offers our coaches the opportunity to learn more from both our Director of Coaching and our advanced-level coaches.

HYS Fall 2008 Player Developmental Academy Costs:

• $10.00 if registered for HYS Fall 2008 Recreational Program (nominal fee required for registration)

• $25.00 if not registered for HYS Fall 2008 Recreational Program (nominal fee required for registration and insurance needs)

Online registration is now open for this new and exciting program.