Andy Lee Soccer Academy
Academy Structure

We believe that players in the United States play too many games in short seasons with little time to practice and develop their skills. Playing two games a week unfortunately (but necessarily) dictates what a coach will do during their limited practice time. Coaches of teams naturally coach team based concepts like shape and tactics, and therefore have little time to develop individual skills in all their players. Unfortunately it is also often the case that the pressure to win games forces coaches to focus more on the better players, which leaves certain players dissatisfied with their soccer experience and unable to reach their potential.

At the ALSA our aim is to work alongside our clubs and schools to fill the void with a practice only environment, based around developing technical skills and tactical awareness to the individual player. Without the pressure of games we can follow a progressive curriculum where players can develop at their own pace. Players will be grouped with others of similar age and ability therefore coaches can plan sessions to be relevant to each player. The training groups will be kept as small as possible to allow for maximum individual attention.

We plan to provide weekly training sessions in blocks throughout the school year, combined with summer camps and individual coaching sessions. The structure of the ALSA will begin with regional coaching centers in a variety of local communities for children who are just beginning to play soccer. From there we hope that players will progress through our academy and follow our curriculum all the way up to our U18 advanced and high school academies.

We are well aware that at some point in their development a player may decide that they want to play only for fun, while others may decide they want to be a competitive player and aspire to play in college or beyond. Our goal is to provide an experience for both those players, and our coaches will understand the different needs of each player. We will have advanced academies at each age group (beginning at U12) designed for the more competitive player, where we can develop not only their technical ability but also their desire to win and be successfull.