What is Youth Select?
Players transition out of the GEA Academy onto the youth select soccer level, which begins the next phase of their development. This is the first year of club tryouts and teams are formed during these periods. Teams are created by grouping similar player abilities together in order to provide every player with the appropriate level of competition and the optimal learning environment. Movement between rosters can occur based on individual players level/speed of learning but teams are selected with the full soccer year in mind (August-June) and each team is assigned a coach for that time period.
Expectations of Youth Select soccer:
- 2 training sessions per week throughout the year (Fall & Spring)
- 1 practice a week in Winter inside the Gretna Sports Complex until outdoor fields are open
- PRE ECNL team players will be provided additional training sessions throughout the winter season until outdoor fields open
- Participation in local league play (9 v 9 format, rosters of 13-15 players)
- Participation in 3-4 tournaments in a soccer year (some of these may be out of town)
The Youth Select program’s focus is to continue to provide foundations and fundamentals to all players looking to begin or continue along with their development in preparation to play at their desired levels. Our emphasis is player-centric, we'll prioritize the technical, tactical, physical, and psychological development of individual players on a pathway towards maximizing their full potential.
COST
$1,425 (plus team fees)
$1,650 (plus team fees) for Pre-ECNL
Team Fees = tournament costs & additional indoor training (teams get one session a week indoor included November 1 - March 1 )
Why Youth Select?
This is the “start of us” stage of the GEA Development Pathway. During this stage players begin to focus on how units can help each other out and looking at whole unit ideas.
Our Youth Select level team coaches under the guidance of our Director of Coaching will foster and create an environment where players are able to grow, develop and improve as they continue to learn the game. A balanced approach to winning, competing and developing allows the players to be introduced to several positions so that every individual becomes a more complete player.
