Academy Philosophy 2 of 4

2. Foundation Phase Academy Philosophy


The Foundation Phase – 5 to 11 year olds

This is the age of fun, ‘ball mastery’ and developing individual technique
In the Foundation Phase it is the Academy philosophy to ensure that the players have fun and enjoy their experience. This is the age of ‘ball mastery’ and developing individual technique. We want all of our players to be technically proficient and to be able to beat an opponent with ‘clever play; a trick, a step over, with ‘disguise’ or with speed and agility. In this development phase it is our philosophy to rotate the players playing positions and we try to develop the players so that they are comfortable playing in every position and so that they develop their knowledge and understanding.
We encourage the players to dribble when in possession of the ball, to try to beat an opponent with skill, quick passing or pace and we allow them to experiment and to problem solve. If they get tackled when they are dribbling then they will work out for themselves whether to pass or dribble next time and how best to get past their opponent in each situation.