FCKC Academy
Structure
Club Director
Academy
Director of
Operations
• Support
staff
• Uniforms
• Media
• Marketing
• Finance
• IT
DOC North
Director
*
Coaches
GK Coach
North
DOC South
DOC East
Director of First
Touch
Coaches
FT Staff
GK Coach
East
Coaches
GK Coach
South
*See next slide for Academy System breakout
Academy:
Top Team in
each birth year
Pre-Academy:
Premier East:
Formed if enough quality
players per birth year
Top team in the region
Feeder to the Academy and
Pre-Academy teams
Premier North:
Top team in the region
Premier
South:
Top team in the
region
Feeder to the
Academy and
Pre-Academy
teams
Feeder to the Academy and
Pre-Academy teams
FCKC Academy
Mission Statement
• The FC Kansas City Academy system will identify
and develop top players to compete at the highest
levels of competition by implementing proven
coaching and development techniques in
conjunction with regular assessment and review by
the club and academy directors.
• The goal of the academy system is to create teams
that play following the 3A model:
- Attractive
- Attacking
- Aggressive
FCKC Academy
Philosophy
General
• Following the style and tactics of the senior team, the
FCKC Academy system will focus on developing players
and teams who are comfortable playing a possessive,
attractive style of soccer based on good build up play
and without solely relying on direct overhead balls to
generate offense. The club academy director will work
closely with the coaches in this system to ensure that
training and tactics are consistent and effective across
all the age groups.
• Selection into the academy system comes with higher
expectations and a deeper level of commitment by
players, parents, coaches, and staff.
• Player development and team performance is the
utmost focus of the FCKC Academy system; winning
will come as a by-product of that focus.
• The FCKC Academy system will develop players after
the wholistic style focusing on the complete player
who is commited, classy, coachable, competitive, and
confident.
Players
• One of the primary goals of the academy system is to
create a culture that develops complete, high-level,
players in a challenging team-based environment.
• Players consistently pushed during training sessions and
should expect to work at the competitive edge of their
comfort zone in order to excel. A “high anxiety”
environment is crucial to learning and creates the focus
and edge players will need to improve and perform
under pressure.
• FCKC Academy players will focus on long term success
over short term, placing emphasis on competing at a
high level while still allowing for trial and error as well as
individual creativity as part of the learning process.
Families
In many ways, the family behind the player is as
important as the player itself. Youth sports rely on
parents and family as the engine that drives the program
forward. They are critically important to our success and
as such have similar expectations placed on them as
members of the academy system. We expect the
following from our parents, families and fans on the
sidelines:
• Let the coaches coach, you support your athlete. Words
like “shoot”, “cross”, or “pass” are coaching terms and
shouldn’t be part of the fans vocabulary. Cheer on our
players in a positive manner and let them learn from the
game while the coaches address the right (or wrong)
behaviors.
• Parents and families are expected to remember that they
are representatives of FCKC and their team wherever they
go. Unruly, selfish, or otherwise detrimental behavior will
not be tolerated and may result in the removal of the
offending party from events or the team itself in extreme
cases.
• A pattern of disrespect is a non-negotiable and will not be
tolerated for the sake of protecting the integrity and culture
of our program
Coaches and Staff
• FCKC Academy system coaches and training staff will
be selected from the most qualified personnel in the club
and potentially from coaches outside the club with strong
consideration given to coaches in the club already.
• Academy coaches will be closely monitored and
evaluated both before they are given a team and
continuously during their tenure with the academy
system.
• With intentions to help insure Academy coaches are not
over-extended to be able to properly service their teams
in the first season we will strive to have each Academy
level coach carry no more than four teams in the club as
head coach.
• Coaches are expected to seek out opportunities to
advance their education through licensure or other
means. Before the end of the 2017 season, all Academy
level coaches will be expected to have obtained at least
a USSF C license. These requirements are in place
because FCKC is committed to the development of their
program as a whole. It is critical that coaches and staff
in the academy system realize that the quality of our
players will not improve if the quality of our coaching
does not improve.
• The potential of rotation of coaches is every 2 to 3 years
is a strong targeted reality.
Once selected, coaches in the academy system should shape their
training and environments around the following:
• Proper technique is crucial to develop confidence and tactical e
• Fitness training should include a ball.
• Training sessions must be functional and directional.
• Possession means possession WITH PURPOSE.
• We encourage players to be creative individually, and they and their
teams should be given the freedom to take risks.
• Guidelines for a training curriculum will be provided to all coaches,
and coaches will have freedom within these guidelines to train and
develop their teams.
Coaches and training staff will adhere to the same expectations and
standards to which the players are held, this means:
• Coaches will be early to training sessions with a plan in place and
have the field prepped for practice before session starts.
• Coaches will be early to games and prepared to help their teams
warm up for their match.
• Coaches will be dressed appropriately for each team event in FCKC
gear or other attire that presents a clean and professional image.
• Coaches will behave in a professional, respectful, and courteous
manner at all times. Coaches who display unprofessional or
disruptive behavior will be sanctioned by the club. In no case will
any tolerance be shown for a coach who arrives at a game or team
event impaired by alcohol or other substance.
FCKC Academy
Strategy
Academy Team Creation
• The FCKC Academy system is an elite level of play that
is part of our overall success as a club. As such, only the
club is allowed to form or name teams at the “academy”
level. Those teams will be formed out of yearly tryouts,
and no coach or manager is allowed to use the academy
name on any team not created by the club.
Training
The FCKC technical and academy director use the club curriculum and
determine general methodologies for training. This is designed to ensure
the quality of training and environment is the same across all teams and
age groups. In general:
• FCKC Academy teams will train at least 3 times a week. Players who
desire additional sessions are welcome to inquire with their coach as
to where and when a fourth session is available.
• Following the same philosophy as US Soccer, FCKC Academy team
trainings will target a 3:1 training to match ratio.
• Training sessions will be at least 75 minutes long in outdoor and a
minimum hour long during winter months.
• Goalkeepers will attend at least one position specific training
session provided by the club per week.
• FCKC will work with the coaches and staff to ensure the facilities
they use are appropriate for their age and level.
• Regular feedback is an important part of player development both
from coach to player / parent and vice versa. It’s important that we
establish open lines of communication between all the members of
the academy system.
.
Coaches
FCKC Academy system coaches have the full support of the technical /
academy directors and the club as a whole. We will develop and
enhance our coaches and coaching skill by:
• Continuously assessing coaches against the curriculum and
standards set forth by the directors.
• Recording and assigning each coach the analysis of match video in
order to improve their ability to identify soccer problems and correct
them.
• Helping the coach set appropriate goals for their players and teams
along with regular assessment of their performance against those
goals.
• Setting regular educational and developmental goals for each coach
and providing routine feedback about progress against those goals.
Players
The FCKC Academy system will develop top level players by:
• Providing world class coaching and a competitive environment in
which to develop their technical skills and tactical abilities.
• Setting and providing regular feedback in a club standardized format
on individual goals and milestones to each player
• Providing access to elite leagues and tournaments that will expose
the player to a high level of competition
• Providing regular access and exposure to high quality coaches and
teams at the next level of play
FCKC Academy
Age Groups
The club will form teams in both genders
according to the following age matrix:
• U13-2004
• U14-2003
• U15-2004
• U16-2001
• U17-2000
• U18-1999
• U19-1998
Players must try out in their own age group but can also potentially be
recommended to try-out or play in the age group above.
*u12-2005 will have a system put in place where age groups and coaches work together with training and some matches to prepare
the players for their first year of Academy
Academy Teams will participate in the following venues and
events:
• League Play: MRL as the baseline goal and National League as a
potential league
• Tournaments: 7 per year for year-round teams and 4 per year for HS
teams. Each season the Academy Director will select one event that
all teams do.
• State Cup: In addition to the tournaments above, State Cup play will
be required with the potential for Regional and National
Championships
• Winter season: Each team will participate in a futsal league as well as
1 other league (indoor, winter outdoor, or another futsal league,)
Academy Teams will participate in the following training
venues:
• Team training sessions: 2 per week year round
• Technical Training: 1 additional technical training session per week
in the fall and spring seasons for year round teams and either fall or
spring for HS teams
• Training locations will be determined by the club. The goal is to be
at Swope Soccer Village.
FCKC Academy
Coach Selection
Criteria for Selection of Academy and/ or PreAcademy
• National D License or minimum or 5 years professional playing
experience
• Coaching experience
• History of effective communication and management of players,
parents, and team admins
• Willing to immerse themselves in coaching education
• Able to work towards their next coaching license
• Willing to establish working relationships and connections with
college coaches
• Able to motivate players
• Flexibility to handle the rigorous schedule demands
• Good reputation in the following traits: proven character / role
model, loyalty, humility, being a team player, hungry to learn
• Evidence of upside potential
• Forecasted longevity
• Only coach teams within FC Kansas City
Timeline
•
October: Initial Academy System meeting with selected coaches
•
November: Revelation of Academy System to all club members and
club-wide training session by birth year on 11/29 *
•
December: Club-wide training session by birth year on 12/19 *
•
January: Club-wide training sessions by birth year on TBD date *
•
February: Club-wide training sessions by birth year on TBD date * and
Announcement of Academy Coaching Staff
•
March: Birth year training sessions with the specific Academy Coach *
•
April: Birth year training sessions with the specific Academy Coach *
•
May: Birth year training sessions with the specific Academy Coach *
•
June: Try-outs
*Sign-up and fee required
Player Requirements and Expectations
• Soccer as the first priority as displayed by actions and attitudes
• Display the needed effort to be successful in developing as a player
and person
• Commit to the rigorous training, match, and travel schedule
• Show up for each event prepared to play when the whistle blows
• Arrive early and be ready to go on time.
• Be physically and mentally focused at each event
• Potentially participate in a mandatory Academy fundraiser
• Represent the club well both on and off the field
• As a family, sign a player / family code of conduct
Why Academy?
• Play with top players who are also committed to the game
• More training scenarios available
• Higher level leagues and tournaments
• Stability of a collaborative, quality coaching staff
• More opportunities for college exposure