Davis Legacy Soccer Club
Mission/Philosophy
OUR MISSION
Davis Legacy Soccer Club
exists to provide the highest
levels of quality soccer
training for the players and to
enhance their
social/emotional and physical
health, in a positive and safe
environment.
OUR VISION
Davis Legacy Soccer Club will
strive to create and nurture a
valuable soccer learning
experience. To achieve this
goal we will make every effort
to insure that well-educated
coaches develop the skills,
fitness, teamwork and
sportsmanship and to foster
and perpetuate these
qualities at all levels of their
soccer growth. We will
endeavor to empower our
players with a life-long
passion and love for the
game of soccer.
OUR PHILOSOPHY
Davis Legacy Soccer Club will
create an environment where
our players develop a love of
the game of soccer and
continue to participate in the
sport throughout their lifetime.
To achieve this goal, we must
develop an environment
where we teach a creative,
attacking, and possessionstyle soccer built on a
foundation of strong technical
skills.
In adopting this style of soccer, we strive to foster an environment free
from the “fear of failure”, where our players can explore and be creative
without the fear of making mistakes. We believe that such an
environment, with no limitations is where our players can grow the most
and realize their potential both as players and people. The motivation to
play attractive soccer must be greater than the fear of losing.
“I am more concerned if we don’t play good soccer than if we don’t
win.”
Guillermo Amor, FC Barcelona Sporting Director
With this in mind, mistakes will be inevitable, and games may be won
or lost through players ‘trying things’ such as building up from the
back. However, we never benchmark our players’, teams’, or
coaches’ success purely on results, especially in U8–U13 where
players develop both physically and technically at much different
rates (e.g., the most dominant player or team at U9 is seldom the
most dominant player or team at U12).
In addition to developing technically and tactically sound players, we aim
to develop our players both physically and psychologically. In terms of
physical development, a strong emphasis will be placed on developing
psychomotor skills, which unfortunately have been on a rapid decline in
today’s youth, due to the modern environment, whereby free play
(playing at parks, unorganized sports etc.) is fast becoming nonexistent.
“Children have gone from the playpark to the playstation.”
Professor Vincenzo, Vergine ACF Fiorentina
To develop our players psychologically, we aim to teach our players
valuable lessons through competition and prepare them for the
challenges they will face both on the field and in later life. While we
stress that ‘winning is not always important,’ we also emphasize that
‘wanting to win’ IS important. Ultimately, we are a competitive soccer club
and will strive to win every game, BUT we always aim to do so in a
manner that is consistent with our philosophy as outlined above.
“No victory is worth a grey cloud hanging over it.”
Gordon Young, Motherwell FC Academy Director
Our club structure, outlined below, provides a clear pathway for players to
reach our ultimate goal in a manner that is consistent to our overall
philosophy.
ACADEMY
Open to any 5- to 9-year-old boy or girl. Players receive
professional level coaching once a week with the focus being on
developing a love and appreciation for the game. Each season
lasts 10 weeks with one starting in October and the other starting
in March. Our coaches will use the academy to identify players
suitable for our U8 development teams.
U8 DEVELOPMENT TEAMS
U8 players participate in a 7-month season, which consists of
two phases (March-May and August-November). Players receive
professional coaching 2 times per week during their season and
have the opportunity to play weekly games against other local
academy clubs. The focus is entirely on technical skills (comfort
with the ball) while also fostering an understanding of being part
of a team.
(4v4)
U9–U12
(7v7 and 9v9)
U9–U10 teams play 7v7 and U11–U12 teams play 9v9. Teams
participate in a 10-month season, training 2 times per week.
Teams will compete in the NorCal Premier League, NorCal State
Cup, and participate in several tournaments and/or play dates.
During this stage players must learn the principles of width and
depth within the formation they play and look to build out from
the back whenever possible. Players will also be expected to
work on basic skills such as juggling, etc., away from practice.
U13–U14
(11v11)
U13–U14 teams play 11v11 and participate in a 10-month
season, training 2 times per week. Teams compete in the
NorCal Premier League, NorCal State Cup, and play 6
tournaments. Our teams will play predominantly in a 4-3-3
formation with an understanding of the roles and responsibilities
of each position within this formation. Players will also be
expected to work on basic skills such as juggling, etc., and will be
responsible for completing homework tasks.
U15–U18
U15–U18 teams participate in a 10-month season and train 2-3
times per week. Teams compete in the NorCal Premier League,
National Premier League (NPL), and/or Elite Clubs National
League (ECNL). Teams will participate in at least 3 tournaments
and 3 college showcases with 1-4 tournaments/showcases being
out-of-state (including southern California). Players at this stage
should be able to adapt to various styles of play while
maintaining an attacking philosophy and have a clear
understanding of both offensive and defensive tactical principles.
(11v11)
U23 / FIRST TEAM
(11v11)
LIFETIME SOCCER
Davis Legacy alumni and college players have the opportunity to
participate in the NorCal Premier U23/Adult League. This takes
place in the summer and lasts 2 months.
Our ultimate goal is for all Davis Legacy players to have an
experience that drives and motivates them to continue to play
soccer beyond their youth. This may take the form of collegiate
soccer, college club soccer, intramural soccer, or recreational
soccer.