Our Philosophy
FC Westchester believes part of becoming a great soccer player is becoming a great person. Our program begins and ends with character development. We continually strive to teach integrity, self-discipline, and sportsmanship and seek to instill a love for the game from our youngest emerging stars to those that are heading to college and beyond. In addition to our great staff, we rely on parent involvement to meet our goals for each player. While we know soccer is a team sport, we never lose sight of the fact that each player is different. We believe these differences enhance our program so, rather than attempt to suppress these differences and create mechanical players, we instead build teams that translate those differences into creative play.
On the field our major focus areas are technical mastery, soccer intelligence and creativity. Technical mastery begins with feeling comfortable on the ball. This is stressed at all levels. Players are encouraged to take responsibility for this aspect of their development by focusing their efforts during trainings and dedicating time outside of practice to continue to work. Soccer intelligence is knowing what to do with the ball once you get it or where to be on the field in order to receive the ball and positively impact the game. Creativity is finding different ways of solving on-field problems to help your team succeed.
Team tactics begin simple and advance in complexity as players gain experience. Through the implementation of tactics and in conjunction with soccer intelligence and creativity we build independent thinkers with sharp decision-making and problem-solving skills.
Our Approach
FC Westchester takes a long-term view to development. It is a process that takes dedication, patience, and support. Our coaches look to make each training fun and challenging. We expect players to put forth their best efforts. We do not focus on winning but rather on progress. We hold our players accountable for their progress and always provide feedback that seeks to build confidence and reinforces our core value of character development.
Our Method
FC Westchester uses cognitive development strategies and constraint-based trainings to develop each player‘s technical skills and their understanding of team tactics. We focus on what we did right rather than what went wrong. We focus on enjoying the game. Because winning is not our focus, we are not afraid of losing. We know we learn more from losing therefore, losing is not a negative but an opportunity. The winning will come but is temporary. Becoming a great player and person lasts much longer. Loving the game lasts forever.
Player development system
Stage I: U9 through U12
Our main focus at this stage is fun. If its not fun, why would a child this age want to come back? We have fun while also developing and honing the basic skills necessary to become a soccer player. From Day 1, we want our players to be comfortable on the ball. Therefore, we stress 1 v 1 skills and ball possession. All players should be comfortable attacking with the ball but they should also be able to maintain possession while under pressure. Time is spent at each training working on attacking technique (the lunge, scissors, step overs, change of pace, etc.) and shielding. We build a competitive spirit into each session but a supportive atmosphere is maintained throughout.
Players are exposed early on to tactics including basic team formations as we advance from 7 v 7 (1-3-2-1 and 1-2-3-1 formations) to 9 v 9 (1-3-3-2 and 1-3-2-3 formations). We also stress the importance of spacing on offense and defensive compactness, as well as defensive and offensive organization. We do all this while maintaining a safe and positive practice environment that builds self-esteem and confidence.
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Stage 2: U13-U15
We continue to expect the best from our players. Respect for teammates and opponents is mandatory. Enjoyment of the game is continually emphasized along with work ethic and personal responsibility. As players become more technically sound, more emphasis is placed on tactical intelligence and strategy. An in-depth understanding of different formations at the 11 v 11 level is instilled and players are expected to recognize the benefits and weaknesses of each. Players develop a greater awareness of team shape, as well as offensive and defensive transition.
Competition is encouraged. Although we do not directly equate success with winning, we do expect a level of commitment and skill at this level that will naturally lead us to success come game time. We begin to look for true leaders on the field as well as a greater understanding of each position.
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Stage 3: U16-U18
At this stage, all the hard work that has come before should lead to success on the field. Winning will be a natural result of the work that has come before. We continue to maintain our emphasis on our core values as we prepare our players for the next level of their careers.