Development Programs for Youth Trainees
ELITE-LEVEL
PLAYERS ONLY
PARTICIPATION BY SELECTION
The Academy is a professional development platform for elite-level (female) youth players only, and participation is primarily by selection. Its technical director will attend showcases and tournaments and will select players based on their respective performances at such events. If you received our business card (and, thus, were selected to join our Academy), then click the button below to receive your invitation letter, which explains in elaborate detail our development programs for youth trainees, including the Academy's membership fee and costs.
SOPHIE CASTRO - OUR FIRST YOUTH TRAINEE TO TURN PROFESSIONAL
UNIQUE TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES WITH PRO PLAYERS
UNCANNY TRAINING ENVIRONMENT
The Academy provides a unique training environment for young kids (ages 11 through 16) to train and scrimmage with our aspiring professional players. Besides learning tactics, such as how to beat certain matchups (1v1, 2v1, 3v2, etc.), our youth trainees will be trained like professionals, including doing (i) soccer-specific fitness training (adjusted for youth players), (ii) speed and agility drills, (iii) technical drills (A) to hone their footskills. (B) to sharpen their fundamentals, and (C) to improve (or learn) how to shield and protect the ball properly; and (iv) film study after games and practices with the technical director.
The focus of our technical training sessions is, above all, (i) ball mastery, (ii) ball control and protection (learning how to shield the ball properly), (iii) optimal fitness (both aerobic and anaerobic), and (iv) building good (technical) habits. And our methodology, which is based on repetitive drills, promotes "muscle memory" for soccer-specific acts, which will allow a player to be composed on the ball - always - despite being under pressure.
SOPHIE'S ACCOLADES:
Sophie Castro, one of our youth trainees, has been the co-captain of the ODP Virginia State Team for three years (2018-20); she is the only player in Virginia in the Girls ODP 2004 age-group to be selected in 5 consecutive years to the ODP East Region Pool and in four consecutive years to the Top-18 of the ODP East Region team (2016-19). In 2017, Sophie was selected to the ODP National Training Camp; also, in 2017, she traveled to Iceland with the ODP East Region Girls (2004 age-group); in 2018, she traveled to Holland with the ODP East Region Girls (2002-2003 age-groups); and in 2019, she traveled to Costa Rica with the East Region Top 18 players. In 2018, she led Virginia to an ODP East Region Championship vs Maryland. scoring 7 goals and 5 assists in 5 games, including 2 converted 0-1 Pks (one in the semifinal and one in the final). She was the top goal-scorer and points-leader in that tournament. In 2020-21, Sophie played club soccer for the U-19 (02-03) VDA ECNL Girls Team. In November of 2020, she trained with the Academy's first 12 professional women soccer players for several weeks while she was still in high school. In November of 2021, she did European trials with C.A. Osasuna (Div. II in Spain), Athletic Madrid (Division I in Spain), Deportivo Alaves (Division I in Spain), CP Cacereño (leader of the South Group of Division II in Spain) and C.D. Getafe (leader of Group 5 of Division III in Spain), which the Academy arranged for her. She received oral contract offers from each of these European soccer clubs but decided to finish high school (doing 11th grade and 12th grade at the same time to be in a position to play professional soccer in Europe in 2023). In November of 2022, she did trials in Real Madrid and Levante U.D. She was offered a contract by Levante and trained with them in Valencia, Spain, for 2 months to acclimate. But, unfortunately, Sophie suffered from chronic exertional compartment syndrome and had to return to the U.S. to get operated in June of 2023. She will announce in June of 2024 the club for which she will be playing professional soccer in the upcoming 2024-25 season.
DIRECT "PATHWAY TO PROFESSIONAL SOCCER" FOR OUR YOUTH TRAINEES
TRIALS IN EUROPE
If a youth trainee wants to be challenged and proves to the technical director of the Academy that she is ready - technically, tactically, and fitness-wise - for elite-level competition, the Academy could provide a trial in a top-level soccer club in any European country, but especially in Spain.
Our shareholders have invested an extraodinary amount of money in business trips to Europe (2018-23) in order to foster and strengthen our relationships in that continent. The Academy certainly has the best relationships with general managers of soccer clubs (as well as top-level coaches, scouts, and agents) in Spain in comparison with any other academy in the U.S. Yet, we also have strong contacts and good relationships in other European countries and could provide trials for our youth trainees in top-level soccer clubs in any country in Europe.
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PICTURES OF SOPHIE AT HER MOST RECENT TRIALS IN SPAIN (Real Madrid, Atletico de Madrid, Levante, Osasuna, and Getafe)
Real Madrid
C.D. Levante
Atletico de Madrid
Sophie having fun at her trial with C.A. Osasuna, which, in 2021, was the leader of Group 2 of Primera Nacional (Division III in Spain).
Sophie at her trial with C.D. Getafe, which currently plays in Segunda Division RFEF (Division III in Spain).
BESPOKE SERVICES
PREPARATION FOR ELITE-LEVEL I.D. CAMPS
We also provide customized fitness and technical training plans for our youth trainees whom are preparing for (i) U.S. Youth National Team training camps; (ii) ODP state team, ODP regional team, or ODP national team training camps; (iii) college I.D. camps; or (iv) any other elite-level identification camps. (This preparation takes 3-4 months of hard work and sacrifice.) We have unique success stories in this regard.
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WE TRAVEL TO YOUR STATE TO TRAIN YOUR DAUGHTER AND PREPARE HER FOR THESE I.D. CAMPS.
Sophie at ODP National Training Camp in Phoenix, AZ, in 2017 (pictured with Sophie Reale).
Year 1 of ODP East Region Camp (Tryouts) after an inter-squad scrimmage with the Top 18 of the Region Pool.
Sophie at the Invitational Interregional Tournament in Boca Raton, FL (2016) after scoring the winning goal vs the West Region in a 1-0 win.
Sophie in Costa Rica at the ODP East Region International Trip (2019) (pictured with Maya McDermott, a Top 18 East Region teammate).
ODP Pathway: State Team Pool → Region Pool (Top 50 players) → National Pool (Top 18 players of the East Region), including international trips. Sophie traveled to Iceland, Holland, and Costa Rica with the East Region teams.
Sophie dribbling against East Pennsylvania ODP in the ODP East Region Tournament in 2018. That year, she led Virginia to an ODP Regional Championship vs Maryland. (She scored 7 goals and had 5 assists in 5 games (including 2 converted 0-1 Pks, one in the semifinal and one in the final). She was the top goal-scorer and points-leader in the tournament.
ODP EAST REGION CHAMPIONS!!
Only 4 ODP Virginia State Teams have won the ODP East Region Tournament. Sophie's team won it in 2018.
OPEN TRYOUTS
Logo in the U.S.
ACADEMY
TRYOUTS
The Academy is a meritocracy. Although participation in the Academy is primarily by selection, we encourage any youth (female) soccer player to come to Virginia to prove - in an open tryout - i.e., a pro-soccer combine, or a private trial - that she has the technical quality and fundamental skills to compete in top-level European soccer leagues. If you want a real challenge, register for our next open tryout by clicking the Register button below.
The next tryouts are scheduled for July 11, 2023 through July 14, 2023. (Only 25 players will be accepted on a first register, first served basis.)
