INTRODUCTION
The New York State West Youth Soccer Association is pleased to announce the return of The Academy, a 6-week program offered to all pool players in the Olympic Development Program’s 1992, 1993 and 1994 birth years.  There will also be an opportunity for additional players who are not currently in the ODP program to join the Academy.  Players not currently part of an ODP pool must be scouted by a member of the ODP coaching staff, and demonstrate the required potential.  Participation in The Academy is not mandatory, but is highly recommended for players who are looking for a structured, challenging training environment.  

As is the case with ODP, The Academy faces some logistical issues.  Travel, cost and venue are just three.  Another problem is adding yet another event for players that already have a very busy schedule.  However, we believe the need to give our athletes who show commitment and talent, the opportunity to realize their potential, out weighs these logistical problems.  We feel it is our duty to try to do so.  In an effort to minimize some of the logistical concerns raised by the players and parents after the 2005 Academy, we will be offering three ODP Academies for the Fall of 2007.  Academies will be held in Buffalo, Rochester and the Syracuse/Cortland area.  Exact locations will be announced at a later date.

RATIONALE
The Academy “idea” was in the planning stages for three years, before it was offered to the players in 2003.  The purpose is to provide a tool for committed soccer athletes to realize their full potential through appropriate training.  The Academy will not participate in any sort of league - this is strictly a training environment.  Therefore, our practice-to-game ratio will be very high as is the case in most major Soccer countries of the world.  Currently, the national average in the USA is about 3 or 4 games to 1 practice.  Add to this the fact that “practicing on their own” is not generally done by our players, and you can see why we felt the need for player and parent education.  Our players compete in too many tournaments and have too many games in too short a period of time, leaving insufficient time for recovery.  Searching for high-level competition that takes the players on the road for 8 hours or more is something that is unavoidable.  However, it is strongly recommended that this is done in a recognized set “game season” with the addition of a “practice season” to complement it.  This is where The Academy comes in. 

Our plan is as follows:
Players 12 through 15 years of age (‘92s, ’93s and ‘94s in ODP), play regular club soccer and ODP from April through July.  August becomes a recovery month (complete rest), and then the Academy begins in September with sessions once a week for six to eight weeks through the end of October.  For the majority of these age groups, high school soccer should not be a conflict.

The Academy will also be an opportunity for the parents of participating players to gain valuable education.  Many clubs are now beginning to understand the “development” methodology and are providing good basic foundation training for their parents and players.  Some clubs are even insisting on Coaches Education for all their coaches.  These initiatives represent great steps forward, and NYSWYSA strongly endorses the concept of a club “mandating” Coaches Education for all coaches.  It is our intention to complement the job already in progress by those clubs. 

Parents who register their players need to understand that by doing so they must be fully aware of the philosophy of the program.  Academy players cannot miss any scheduled session of The Academy for “conflict with school or club game” reasons.  But, as stated earlier, this should not be a problem for players in this age group.  There may be club programs that continue to play or travel to tournaments during the August through November period.  If you are a player for one of the clubs that does so, then The Academy is probably not going to fit for you.

TRAINING ENVIRONMENT
The training environment is very important.  The Academy will provide an opportunity to train with and against the best that the state can put together.  Playing and training with the best produces the best.  This environment is also pressure-free … no team place to play for, no games to win or lose.  There will be some peer group pressure, so performance pressure will be evident.  There will also be a commitment to learning through individual practice at home.  The introduction of game methodology will also be part of the curriculum.  The roles of the various positions within the different thirds of the field will be introduced and practiced.  However, this cannot be approached if a player’s technical ability and his/her tactical ability (decision making) are not adequate.  So, we must first work to make sure these skills are at the appropriate level.

We must begin to better prepare our players for the actual game. Giving them the tools to be successful in that game is the ultimate goal, and the only way to do this is to place them in game like situations in practice.  During that learning process, failure is not punished, but becomes a learning tool.  Players that make mistakes in games that have an effect on the outcome of that game are far less likely to learn from their mistakes, because no solution is offered.  Also no opportunity to have another go is presented following instruction from the coach.

FORMAT
There will be a total of 6 sessions during the months of September and October.  Each Academy session will be approximately 90 minutes in duration.  All of the training sessions will be held outdoors, and there will be at least on classroom session (probably the first week). 

STAFF
The Academy will be under the direction of Glen Buckley (NYSW Director of Coaching).  The Academy staff is currently being identified, but will consist of members of the NY West ODP Coaching Staff. 

COST
The cost of the program is $190 per player.  This price includes all tuition, facility rentals, a training kit (uniform) and Academy workbook.

Parents and players should carefully consider the Academy schedule to determine any possible conflicts.  ANY PLAYER THAT MISSES MORE THAN TWO SESSIONS MAY FORFEIT THEIR PLACE IN THE ACADEMY.  NOTE:  NO REFUNDS WILL BE AVAILABLE.  If you feel that this program is for your child, then select the Online Registration link to secure your child’s place.  The online registration opens on Monday, March 12th and will close on Monday, May 28th or when the program is full.