Developmental Academy

For players ages 5–7 (U6–U8) who want to take their soccer skills to the next level. Players will receive instruction from licensed coaches and compete in organized games against teams in the Recreational Program. No travel is required, and all games will be played at the club's facility.

Focuses on technical skills development & some team tactical elements to help make gameday fun, functional, and productive.

The primary focus is on the player developing age-appropriate skills and knowledge of the game.

The training environment is fun but focused.

Players should want to learn how to train.

What is the Developmental Academy?

  • This is a program for players and families who want their player(s) to learn how to train in an environment focused on individual development. Coaches from our Select staff organize and run practices with the assistance of Select Mentors and Volunteer Coaches. Volunteer Coaches (often parents) lead the teams on game days. 

  • Using our Stones River FC Coaching Curriculum, our staff will make sure players are introduced to topics and activities that reflect our Development Model for U6-U8 players. The objective is to provide a structured, consistent, and skills-based environment which will allow for maximum growth and development at these pivotal ages of growth in the game. 

  • The goal is to be able to do this while also fostering a fun and exciting experience for our young people. 

  • All games will be played in our traditional Recreational league here at the Rotary Soccer Park. Games will primarily be on Saturdays. 

What it is not…

  • It is not Select soccer.

  • It is not daycare.

  • It is a division of Recreational soccer organized and run by nationally licensed soccer coaches.

  • Practice will not be geared toward winning on Saturday.

  • Our goal is long-term player development.

  • Players that do not want to train and/or those that distract others from being able to train will be removed from training or potentially the program. 

What to Expect

  • Two practices during the week organized and run by our licensed club coaches.

  • Introduction to a higher (age-appropriate) level of soccer language and tactics presented during practices.

  • 8 Games played at the club’s facility against Recreational Youth teams with a volunteer coach on gamedays. View Recreational Calendar.

  • No travel required.

  • No previous playing experience is required, but some is suggested.

Additional FAQs

  • Maybe. Every player and child is different and at a different place physically, mentally, emotionally, etc. It is absolutely the right place for a potential Select Academy player, if they are in a place where they are ready to learn how to train. If they just want to have a great time out there, the Recreational program is probably the best place for them. If they are the type that is going to chase butterflies for an hour, this is not the program for them. If they want to listen, learn how to effectively train, and develop individual skills that will form the foundation of their soccer skill set, it is the right program for them. 

  • Fair question. Stones River FC aims to make soccer Fun, Accessible, Meaningful, and Lifelong across all of our programming. We 100% want the Developmental Academy to be a fun environment for our young people. We believe Soccer is the most fun and amazing thing going. We just believe some players are able to strike a balance between having a great time and learning a great deal. We trust that families can figure out where their players fall in that equation. This program serves U6-U8 players. We absolutely know they are still very young kids. Kids act silly and do silly things. We completely expect that to be the norm. What doesn’t work in this program is the young person that has the silly switch turned to the highest setting 100% of the time. 

  • Players arrive at training and there will be a sign with their team name on it. There will be a stack of training bibs laying in front of the sign. They will put that on and head to training. We will begin each session with a 15-20 minute skills-based warmup. Many of the skills will be repeated each night. This is a great way to track growth over the course of a season or seasons. We will then move on to an exercise. Some nights, we will have multiple exercises for the groups to rotate through. Some nights they will build upon an initial exercise. Training will typically finish with a game. The game may not always be a 4v4 game like they will play on Saturdays. It will at times, but others will be games where they can apply or reinforce the skills and techniques they work on in training.

  • It is a typical recreational soccer game day. A Volunteer Coach will lead the team, handle substitutions, and everything else. These Volunteers are welcome, but not required, to participate in training with our Select Coaching Staff to get to know the kids they will be working with on Saturdays. We believe Recreational game days are fun-filled days where they get to show off the things they learn in training. Our goal is for it to be just that.