About us

Player Development

Jr. Irish Soccer Club Academy Program Overview

It is the mission of the Jr. Irish Academy Program to develop and promote premier youth soccer throughout the Michiana area. It is also the aim of the Academy Program to help develop a foundation of values on and off the field to prepare our players to become successful personally and athletically as they grow as individuals and function within a group setting.

Our Academy Program’s primary focus is on Team Development. Soccer is NOT an individual sport and to train that way would be incredibly counterproductive. We offer age appropriate training dedicated to Communication (verbal, non-verbal, visual, awareness), Decision Making (Game Insight), and Execution (the physical action of the decision made) . During competition, we primarily play in a non-result-oriented league and tournaments, with the proper level of competition, which provides players the opportunity to experience all positions to learn the game through the principles of play and not just learn a specific position. Rotating through multiple positions provides players a holistic approach to their development. Learning the game and beginning to make their own decisions is our motto meaning we want our players to play the game the right way and have success. We focus on proper training mentality and making sure every activity is as close to the game as possible.

We will offer an 8 and under 4 vs 4 Competitive program for the 2017 & 2016 birth years. The 4-aside league is ideal for this age as it promotes player involvement and touches on the ball. We also field both Boys and Girls Teams for 9/10 and under for the 2015 & 2014 birth years.

We hold tryouts and evaluations in June for the following year August through May. However, we have a rolling registration which provides anyone at any time the opportunity to request an evaluation for placement during our calendar year. Initial rosters are set in the 3rd week of August but our program is very fluid and we float players from team to team to insure they are in the best soccer environment possible. Everyone trains at the same time and play dates for games so all Academy teams attend together. Teams are defined by age and ability. We run an 11-month soccer curriculum. Our fall season begins in early August and runs through late-October. Winter 1 training is a 6-week session where every JI team trains 1 time a week indoors. This begins in early November and lasts until mid-December. Winter 2 is a 12-week session that includes two training sessions a week which starts in January and runs through March. Indoor leagues and futsal leagues are available throughout the Michiana area at an additional cost. Our Spring Season begins in April and finishes up at the beginning of June. We expect players to participate in all practices each week during the Fall and Spring Seasons, and all trainings during the Winter Training Program. Additional practices are possible, either “Free Play” or “Skills Training” during the Fall and Spring Seasons. We also offer basic Goalkeeper Training separate from Team Training. We expect all players to attend all schedule matches and events. Traditionally we play on average 8-10 league matches and participation in 1-2 tournaments per season depending on age and ability. Over the course of the year, your child will participate in at least 75 hours of training, and play upwards of 25 games.

Jr. Irish Soccer Club 11U – 12U Youth Program Overview

It is the mission of the Jr. Irish Soccer Club to develop and promote premier youth soccer throughout the Michiana area. It is also the aim of the Youth Program to help develop a foundation of values on and off the field to prepare our players to become successful personally and athletically as they grow as individuals and function within a group setting.

Our Youth Program’s primary focus is the development of players in small groups playing the game within the team. We offer age appropriate training dedicated to Communication (verbal, non-verbal, visual, awareness), Decision Making (Game Insight), and Execution (the physical action of the decision made) . During competition, players should be provided opportunities to play a primary position and secondary position in our regional league and tournaments outside of our immediate region which enables players the opportunity to develop as a team as it evolves toward the 11-aside game. Rotating through a couple of positions provides players a holistic approach to their development as well as the Teams’ growth.

We hold tryouts and evaluations in June for the following year August through May. However, we have a rolling registration which provides anyone at any time the opportunity to request an evaluation for placement during our calendar year. We attempt to field 2 teams per age group averaging 12-14 players. The players are placed by ability, and team registered in our league which strikes a balance between the challenge for development and an eye on promoting confidence playing the game individually and collectively. We believe that rosters are fluid so we can adjust based on a players’ development and success in the games. We utilize club passing in order to give players added experiences throughout the year.

We run an 11-month soccer curriculum. Our fall season begins in early August and runs through late-October. Winter 1 training is a 6-week session where every JI team trains 1 time a week indoors. This begins in early November and lasts until mid-December. Winter 2 is a 12-week session that includes two training sessions a week which starts in January and runs through March. Indoor leagues and futsal leagues are available throughout the Michiana area at an additional cost. Our Spring Season begins in April and finishes up at the beginning of June. We expect players to participate in all practices each week during the Fall and Spring Seasons, and all trainings during the Winter Training Program. Additional practices are possible, either “Free Play” or “Skills Training” during the Fall and Spring Seasons. We also offer basic Goalkeeper Training separate from Team Training. We expect all players to attend all schedule matches and events. Traditionally we play on average 8-10 league matches and participation in 1-2 tournaments per season depending on age and ability. Over the course of the year, your child will participate in at least 100-125 hours of training, and play upwards of 40 games.

Jr Irish Soccer Club 13U – 15U Youth Program Overview

It is the mission of the Jr Irish Soccer Club to develop and promote premier youth soccer throughout the Northern Indiana.

This is the age when players’ transition to the 11-aside game and game insight become a focal point of the curriculum. Players must have a solid foundation by the time they enter 13U in order to execute the game insight decisions. Players will be asked to understand different systems of play as well as positional roles and responsibilities. Players will still be asked to play in different positions and roles to continue their growth in the game. Other tactics that will be taught are zonal defending, attacking principles and combination play, attacking movements off the ball, Defensive shape and compactness, and building play from the back 1/3 of the field. A Professional coaching staff meeting the minimum coaching standards set by US Youth Soccer will be hired with oversight coming from the Director of Coaching. By the end of a player’s 15U season, all players should be prepared to compete at their high schools.

This is also the age in which US Soccer starts to put an emphasis on results and a premier level of competition. 13U is the first age group in which a State, Regional, and National Championship is crowned. It is also the first year for state wide ISL Premier and 1st Divisions competition. It is also the first year a team can compete in the National League Great Lakes or Midwest Conference (formerly MRL). Jr. Irish will attempt to place its top team in the highest competitive platform possible each year and a second team that will be developed to support that mission.

We run an 11-month soccer curriculum. Our fall season begins in early August and runs through late-October. Winter 1 training is a 6-week session where every JI team trains 1 time a week indoors. This begins in early November and lasts until mid-December. Winter 2 is a 12-week session that includes two training sessions a week which starts in January and runs through March. Indoor leagues and futsal leagues are available throughout the Michiana area at an additional cost. Our Spring Season begins in April and finishes up at the beginning of June. We expect players to participate in all practices each week during the Fall and Spring Seasons, and all trainings during the Winter Training Program. Additional practices are possible, either “Free Play” or “Skills Training” during the Fall and Spring Seasons. We also offer basic Goalkeeper Training separate from Team Training. We expect all players to attend all schedule matches and events. Traditionally we play on average 8-10 league matches and participation in 2-3 tournaments per season depending on team level. Over the course of the year, your child will participate in at least 125-150 hours of training, and play upwards of 40 games.

Because of the US Soccer’s switch to birth year age groups, the 15U age group is split by grades. Jr. Irish is committed to offering those 8th graders who are 15U’s a fall season. Depending on those numbers, we will offer one of three opportunities: 1) we will field a Jr Irish fall 15U team and play 11v11. 2) we will have those 8th graders play with the 14U team in the fall as trapped players. 3) we will play in a fall 7v7 league.

Jr Irish Soccer Club 15U – 19U Program Overview

It is the mission of the Jr Irish Soccer Club to develop and promote premier youth soccer throughout the Northern Indiana. The Senior program is designed to prepare and expose players to the collegiate level. Every effort will be made to hire current or former college coaches in order to give our players a true college feel. Advanced tactical play is something demanded at the collegiate level and our coaching staff will continue to challenge these players to learn and grow. Tactics, or “Soccer IQ”, is about understanding the whys of the game and being able to execute under pressure. Players will be asked to understand different systems of play as well as positional roles and responsibilities. Players will still be asked to play in different positions and roles to continue their growth in the game. Other tactics that will be taught are zonal defending, attacking principles and combination play, attacking movements off the ball, Defensive shape and compactness, and building play from the back 1/3 of the field.

A Professional coaching staff with collegiate coaching experience meeting the minimum coaching standards set by US Youth Soccer will be hired with oversight coming from the Director of Coaching. While US Soccer puts an emphasis on results and a premier level of competition, Jr Irish more concerned about exposing our players to college coaches for recruiting purposes. Jr. Irish will attempt to place its top team in the highest competitive platform possible each year and a second team that will be developed to support that mission. Due to High School obligations, the Jr Irish season begins in November with Winter Training Program through March and potentially a showcase or tournament. Our Spring Season begins in April and finished in Early to mid-June. The expectations to participate are 3 training sessions each week throughout the season. We also offer Goalkeeper Training separate from Team Training. Additionally, we have an expectation all players attend all Matches and Tournaments scheduled. Traditionally we play on average 8 - 10 league matches per season, which is scheduled by either the state or regional offices. Teams at this age group will compete in a minimum of three College Showcase events, a State Cup event as well as our club tournament the Memorial Day Invitational (MDI).

College Showcase Events are typically three-day events and may require players to miss school. The reason these events are set up this way is to assure players are fresh to showcase their talents for college coaches. This also allows college coaches to see more players over a three-day event. Most events will have a letter that players can turn into their schools for excused absences.