11U Pre-ODP Program

About the 11U Pre-ODP Program

The NYW Olympic Development Program will conduct its 2024/25 training program for players in the 11U age group (players born in 2014 and 2015) beginning in December 2024. The program is for both boys and girls and will be conducted in four NYW districts: Buffalo, Cortland, Rochester and Syracuse. 

The 11U Pre-ODP cycle will include five training dates, each of which will consist of a 75 minute indoor training session and a 30 minute lecture. Training sessions will focus primarily on improving each player’s technical ability and tactical awareness, via small sided games and activities.  Lectures will cover topics such as proper training habits, age appropriate tactics, team building and group dynamics/problem solving/socialization activities.

Each district program will be under the direction of NYW ODP staff coaches. The program will conclude with an outdoor event on Sunday, May 4, 2025,  where all four district programs will assemble and participate in a round-robin “Play Day”.  The Play Day site will be Lakefront Basket Road Fields, which are located at 695 Basket Road in Webster, New York.

Program Rationale

The goal of the 11U Pre-ODP Program is to provide player development opportunities for youngsters in this age group. By keeping larger player pools, more players can partake in an ODP experience where they will receive high level, age-appropriate training and also get exposure to some of the best coaches in NYW. Utilizing a model that places 11U programs in selected districts will ensure convenient training locations, familiar training environments for youngsters and minimal travel for everyone.  There will be no tryouts and all age-appropriate players will be accepted into the program. Having said that, the program is geared toward serious and committed players who wish to experience the high-quality coaching associated with the Olympic Development Program.

11U Pre-ODP District Programs

Registration Fees

Registration Fee includes program tuition.

• Buffalo District: $245 (Rosters printed at 4:00 PM on Thursday, Dec. 12, 2024)
• Cortland District: $245 (Rosters printed at 4:00 PM on Thursday, Dec. 12, 2024)
• Rochester District: $245 (Rosters printed at 4:00 PM on Thursday, Dec. 12, 2024)
• Syracuse District: $245 (Rosters printed at 4:00 PM on Thursday, Dec. 5, 2024)

Additional Information

• All Sites: Rosters are printed at 4 PM on the Thursday prior to the start of each respective program. Online registration will remain open right up until the start of the first session at each site. Players who register after the above posted deadlines must bring a copy of their tryout registration confirmation to show at check-in (IE. All players must register online).
• To Register Online: Please Click Here (Registration will be open November 1, 2024)
• Training Kits:  Required ODP training kits are to be ordered online.  Approximate cost of the Nike kit is $65 (includes jersey, short, and socks).  Kits should be ordered in a timely fashion to ensure delivery prior to your first training session. Kits ordered closer to the start of the program may inevitably be delivered after the first training session. 
• PLEASE NOTE: We are moving to the new version of the same kit that we have had for the last four years (IE. same color scheme, same exact shorts and socks, but we will move to the newest edition of the same Nike jersey).  The end of the four year cycle for our current jersey has come to a close and Nike has created a new edition of the same jersey.  We recommend purchasing this new jersey as it is noticeably different than the old one. Moving forward and consistent with our past practices, we plan to stay with this jersey for its production shelf life so should families have the desire to utilize the jersey for more than one season, they will have that option.. 
• To order your Training Kit: Please Click Here

Register early to ensure placement. NYSWYSA reserves the right to close registration when capacity at any site is reached.

11U Pre-ODP Policy For Accepting Underage Players

While the 11U Pre-ODP program is primarily for children born in 2013 and 2014, we will consider accepting players born in 2015 only if the child meets the following conditions.

• The child, from a physical standpoint, is in no danger of injury (i.e. he/she is big enough so that they will not be in harm’s way from playing alongside older and presumably bigger players).
• The child is emotionally, socially and psychologically comfortable in an environment where they are the youngest player in the group.
• The child, from a soccer standpoint, is able to keep up with the group.

We will allow 2015s to register online per normal and pay the full tuition. They will then be allowed to participate in the first training session. Our coaching staff will evaluate and determine if the child meets the criteria listed above and they will then notify the child/parent immediately following the session if they can continue on in the program. Anyone turned away will be refunded their money less a small administrative fee.

We just want to be sure no one is out of place or in over their head. We want all participants to have a positive experience.

Goalkeeper Training Philosophy, Academy And 11U Pre-ODP

Goalkeepers are welcome and encouraged to participate in both the NYW Academy and the 11U Pre-ODP program. It is important to point out that all participants in these programs will still work primarily on their footwork/technical ability per player development “best practices” designed for players in these younger age groups (regardless of whether they are GK’s or field players). Goalkeepers who attend will train as field players for the first half (approximately) of the training session. In the final stages of the training session when games are played to end-line goals, they will in turn be utilized as goalkeepers.

The philosophy of the Academy/11U Pre-ODP is that all players in these young age groups need to be better and more comfortable with the ball at their feet, including goalkeepers. If a player commits him/herself exclusively to the GK position at such a young age and subsequently receives the majority of their training exclusively in the form of GK training, when they get older, they often become GK’s who are good with their hands but deficient with their feet.

Playing in the field in the early years is critical in developing foot skills (which the game dictates the modern GK needs more than ever before), decision making (a critical dimension that is commonly deficient in GK’s that have minimal field playing experience) and cultivating a player’s overall tactical understanding of the game.

If you are looking for position specific goalkeeping training, this may not be exactly what you’re looking for (in that the GKs will not be off to the side with a position specific GK trainer engaging in specific goalkeeper training exercises). We feel though that the training they receive and the manner in which we integrate them is age appropriate for 11U GKs (and younger). We begin position specific goalkeeper training in our ODP program with the 12U age group. Please feel free to follow up with your Academy/11U Pre-ODP site director regarding more specific information as to how he/she integrates GKs into their training sessions.