Introduction
The BRSC Pre-Academy concept and the widely accepted player development philosophy behind it have achieved great success across the world. Many clubs have adopted the academy approach across all of their age groups. The Academy Mission is to…
• make learning the game enjoyable for young players,
• placing the development of each individual player above all else,
• help retain players through their years of cognitive and physical growth,
• focus on the technical development of each player,
• de-emphasize results as a measure of success at such an early age,
• reduce pressure on players and coaches to earn results,
• to educate parents and players on emphasizing player performance rather than team outcomes,
• create a soccer community focused on the kids
Pre-Academy Concept
Kids grow, learn and develop as players at different rates. Some grow physically faster, and some develop cognitively faster than others. The pool concept allows young players to grow at their own rate in a fun and pressure-free environment. The Academy is open to 8U and 9U players.
Curriculum. The Club’s academy curriculum is designed to teach technical skills in a fun and age-appropriate manner. “Fun is the single largest predictor of sport commitment and sustained participation in childhood and through adolescence…” (see: The FUN MAPS: A Youth Sport Scientific Breakthrough, Amanda Visek, PhD. 2015).
Pools. Players are placed in pools and can be moved freely in and between pools. Pools diminish the importance of results as a method of defining success and put the focus on individual development.
Staff. The Academy will be managed by an Academy Director. Training will be conducted by the Academy Director, the Club Technical Director, the Club Girls and Boys Directors and the Executive Director. The Club believes an investment in training our youngest players by exposing them to our most experienced and knowledgeable coaches is an investment in their future and the future of the Club. Training will be conducted two (2) times a week. The Academy Boys and Academy Girls will train at the same time, but not together. This way Academy coaching staff may rotate from gender to gender.
Competitions. The US Soccer Player Development Initiatives call for a training to competition ratio of 4:1. This means in order for a club to achieve an optimum player development pathway, a team should train 4 times for every game. This ratio is critical at our youngest ages. Too often we ask our players to compete before they know how to play. The Academy pools will not be entered into a SCYSA league. Doing so requires families travel often and quite far. Instead, our Academy pools will play in friendlies with other clubs closer to home. Competitions will be most often in a jamboree style (multiple short games in a day). Academy teams can be balanced, be in an A/B format or players from different Clubs can even be scrambled. If the Club determines the Academy pools have developed well during the course of the seasonal year, they will be placed in an appropriate invitational tournament.
Pre-Academy Director: Gabriel Gutierrez
Gabriel was born and raised in Phoenix, Arizona. He played soccer through high school and then attend Arizona State University from which he earned his degree in business management. He has 8 years coaching experience in both clubs and schools. Most recently, Gabriel was the Head Coach of a 2012 Boys team with Phoenix Rising FC, a USL club. He is presently a candidate for his US Soccer D-License. Gabriel and his wife have recently moved to Bluffton to join the family restaurant business.