K1 Youth Academy and SLSG Metro Juniors Provide a Bridge to Select Soccer

SLSG Metro is proud to announce the return of the Metro East K1 Youth Academy. The Spring 2012 session will start on Sunday, April 15th and run for 6 consecutive weeks through Sunday, May 20th. The Metro East Youth Academy, started in 2010, has become the premier youth instructional league in the Metro East because of its' commitment to providing young players with the highest quality of instruction. While other instructional leagues rely on the use of college kids or recently graduated players to staff their training sessions, the Metro East K1 Youth Academy uses nationally licensed coaches who possess years of experience in teaching the game to players of all levels. According to K1 Staff Coach, John Van Buskirk "Our staff consists of former Division I and professional players, but this is not what makes our program the best in the area. Sure, our playing experiences are important as they inspired our love for the game. I played professionally for 14 years in Germany and there is no question it has shaped me as person, but it is our experience as coaches, first and foremost, that makes our program and staff different from other programs. Our coaches have experience coaching and teaching the game at the youth, high school, college and professional levels and it is this experience of teaching the game that is most important when dealing with players who are brand new to the game."

In addition to staffing, unlike other instructional leagues, the Metro East K1 Youth Academy provides a pathway for players from 4 to 18 years old because of its' connection to the SLSG Metro soccer club. Since its' inception, the K1 Youth Academy has seen countless players progress to play at the select level within the SLSG Metro Program. Starting in the spring of 2012, SLSG Metro is proud to announce the return of a formal Juniors Program for U6 and U7 players. The SLSG Metro Juniors program will be implemented by K1 Staff Coach and SLSG Metro Youth Director, Zach Evans. Evans has worked with metro east players in the 6-12 age range for nearly a decade and was a part of the original Youth Academy program at Metro United. According to Evans, "It's been refreshing and inspiring to watch the younger players progress through the program over the years. A lot of them have older siblings that play, and you can see the excitement and pride on their face when they are finally old enough to be on a team. Many of the current U11 Girls have been in the club since they were seven-years-old and it is amazing what some of them can do with the ball, which allows them to play an excellent brand of soccer. I am thrilled that we are starting the Youth Academy back up as I was able to personally see the positive long-term impact the program can have on players last July when I traveled to Boise to watch the 13 and 14 boys compete at US Club Nationals. Several of the players who won the National Championship with the U14s in July started as 6 and 7 year olds in our Youth Academy. I still remember the first time I saw some of them on a ball and it was a very powerful experience to see them all those years later achieving something so great."

With the Juniors' Program now providing a bridge from the K1 Youth Academy, the premier instructional league in the Metro East, to SLSG Metro, the premier soccer club in the Metro East, local players in the Metro East now have a place to play from age 4 to age 18. According to Jeremy Alumbaugh, SLSG Metro Director of Coaching, "The Metro East K1 Youth Academy is an important piece to the overall club growth and development for SLSG Metro. For years in youth soccer clubs around the country players would receive instruction from various organizations and then eventually move to a club environment at age 13 or so based upon a desire for more competition or because a coach saw potential in a good athlete who needed more specific soccer instruction or training. In today's current youth soccer club model, it is more important than ever that players receive quality instruction at the youngest ages and that the instruction is in line with the beliefs, culture and playing style of the club at the older ages. By establishing the Metro East K1 Youth Academy and now SLSG Metro Juniors, players are able to receive consistent instruction beginning at age 4 all the way through the SLSG Metro U18 US Development Academy team. Just as important is that younger players are growing up in the club culture of SLSG Metro where they learn to take pride in the club, the jersey and the tradition of the quality players who have come before them."

For more information regarding the Metro East K1 Youth Academy or online registration for our 2012 spring program, please visit our website at http://k1youthacademy.blogspot.com/. If you would like information regarding the SLSG Metro Juniors Program, contact Zach Evans at zevans@slsgsoccer.com.