The Academy Program is sanctioned by the Georgia State Soccer Association and is designed to offer an opportunity for advanced development for boys and girls age 8-12. Players are surrounded by and compete with those players who have shown to have a gift in soccer and a commitment to improve. Players will have the opportunity to develop in a enjoyable and rewarding environment within a competitive arena, while emphasizing on player development, and not on winning and losing.
Our Academy Program objective is for players to enjoy the game, emphasize individual development, and motivate players to play. It is our goal for the players to have fun and enjoy playing the game of soccer so they can learn to love the “Beautiful Game”. We strive to make every aspect of our program enjoyable for all players. At the same time, we want players to take responsibility for their own development because we believe it is the key to their success.
Our Academy Program philosophy is to ensure that both players and parents understand that commitment leads to success. We believe that training is the most important ingredient on players’ development, and it should take priority over numbers of games. We believe that “winning” in Academy means that players’ gave their best, enjoyed their game, performed individual skills taught in training, and learned thru success and/or mistakes.
During their Academy experience, there are so many games played that each player will have the chance to experience different positions on the field and different formations. In order to maximize individual development as well as team development we will place players in a position that suits their strengths, place players in position to give the team success, place players in a position in order to teach the role of the position, and place players in a position according to the players on the team.
The Macon United teams will compete against other soccer clubs in Georgia who also field Academy teams in a non-results oriented format. Typically, an Academy team will play one or two matches on a weekend (mostly Saturdays), and have 9-10 game dates. The season wraps up in November. Spring season begins in February and ends in May. Academy teams may also attend Pre-season and Post-season tournaments depending on teams’ commitment. These tournaments will consist of a result oriented format.
All teams are trained by appropriately licensed, professional Club coaches to provide the players with the best possible foundation of skills and knowledge of the game.
Each Academy Team will have a parent volunteer that serves as a Team Manager. The team manager works closely with the teams’ trainer and the Academy Director. The team manager registers the team for tournaments, books hotel rooms, collects team fees, and facilitates a line of communication between trainer and parents.
Season Fees:
Academy (U9-U12) Total Cost per Season : $475
Academy Registration Payment Plan:
The payment plan will consist of the following;
1- An initial $200.00 payment must be made by July 31st; a $25 late fee will be applied after this date.
2- A 2nd Installment for a total of $138.00 will be automatically charged to your credit card on September 15th.
3- A 3rd Installment for a total of $137.00 will be automatically charged to your credit card on October 31st.
Multiple Children Discount:
For every additional child that a family has playing in Academy/Select, you will receive $25 off the registration fee. In order to claim this discount, you must e-mail Ruth Lancaster at [email protected] after performing your first installment.
Uniforms:
These are not included and must be purchased thru soccer.com. Uniform cost is around $90 and includes 2 jerseys (home and away), a pair of shorts, and a pair of socks.