St. Mary’s Soccer is excited to announce our newly established Developmental Academy Program for the upcoming 2024-2025 seasonal year, which will encompass the U7-U10 age groups of the current Travel and Rec Plus programs.  Director of Development, Amy King, will lead the program which focuses on the USYS player development model for players of these ages.  

What is the SMS Developmental Academy concept?

St. Mary’s Soccers’ Developmental Academy concept is a club-centric, player-focused approach to developing a pool of players who learn the same concepts, principles, and terms.  Similar age groups train together with common objectives and planned curriculum each week.  The goal is to meet each player where they are and help them grow.  The entire age group staff will support all the players during training sessions.  Smaller breakout groups will be utilized during training sessions to allow for different challenge levels for the players. The logistics of the session allow for coaches to work and learn with other coaches and promote a positive coaching community.

What are the goals and benefits of the Developmental Academy Program?

• Emphasis on player development over individual team results 
• Ensure all players have a consistent experience and learn the same skills, techniques, verbiage and philosophy (implementation of club curriculum)
• Challenge players at all levels, while creating a fun and competitive training environment
• Provide resources and guidance to coaches to help them grow along with the players
• Allows coaches to interact with a larger pool of players and other coaches creating a sense of community 

What changes are expected to the U9-10 Travel Program next year?

In the last several years, SMS has sought to implement a “one team” concept with multiple academy teams in each age group for our newly formed travel teams each year.  The implementation of the Academy concept has differed from team to team and the club is looking forward to offering a consistent structure led by our Director of Coaching and Director of Development.  We also hope to offer joint Player Development Nights (PDNs) between our Travel and Rec Plus Academies, giving players different training opportunities.

What changes are expected to the Rec Plus Program next year?

The tri-county Rec Plus program will continue for U8/U10 age groups.  Despite some interest to expand the program, it is not currently sustainable above the U10 division.  Seasonal game structures will remain unchanged.

The training structure of the Rec Plus program will be different for the 2024-2025 year. The Rec Plus Academy will train all U8 boys and girls on Mon/Wed and all U10 boys and girls on Tue/Thurs.  Age group training will be co-located at one site, allowing for at least one training session each week to be run as a collective academy with emphasis on player development.  Our Director of Development will facilitate training session activities, alongside our Rec Plus coaches.  We hope to offer joint Player Development Nights (PDNs) between our Travel and Rec Plus Academies, giving players different training opportunities.

As previously mentioned, Hollywood Soccer Complex is in need of some restoration and not ideal for regular training at this time.  SMS is committed to providing a quality training surface for our Rec Plus teams, and will continue to seek options that are centrally located in the county.

In the past, Rec Plus teams were formed through a coaches draft.  In order to facilitate a communal investment in the development of each player, we have changes to our team selection process for the upcoming year.  Teams will be selected by the professional staff, based on a predetermined selection method from the tryout results, to ensure teams are equally weighted to provide a more competitive game environment.  Team rosters may be reassessed after our supplemental winter evaluations going into the spring season to ensure all games remain competitive. 

Our Rec Plus program is intended to be a year long program, so fees for the year will be collected up front.  There will not be credits for players who opt out of playing in the spring.  Players offered roster spots in our Rec Plus program will have the option to pay in full or in two installments.  Fees for the 2024-2025 seasonal year will be $350 for the full year, plus the uniform cost.  Fees include the fall and spring seasons, as well as winter and summer training on turf fields and associated light costs, professional staff, and entry into our Community Cup tournament.

We look forward to seeing you at our upcoming tryouts, which kick off starting this week!