Chatham Soccer Academy

CHATHAMS ONLY YEAR ROUND SOCCER ACADEMY

Part of Southwest United FC

Welcome To Chatham Soccer Academy

The Chatham Soccer Academy Is The Only Year Round Soccer Club/Academy in the Chatham Area. We Are Focused On Developing Soccer Players. The Chatham Soccer Academy is part of Southwest Utd FC. We offer players age 6 and up the opportunity to train and play year round at a variety of appropriate levels.

We offer both internal play, Inter Academy play vs our Lakeshore Academy location and Travel Soccer in Ontario and Michigan. All players will be placed and play on a team throughout the season.

Teams and training environments are fluid throughout they year to enable players to train and play at the level they are currently at rather than being locked into one team or group. Our focus is on teaching players HOW to play the game and the fundamentals they will need to take their game to whatever level they aspire to in the future.

A Different Approach & Philosophy

Equal Opportunity

All players who join our Academy get access to the same number of training sessions each week and are taught how to play soccer the same way based on the Fundamental Principles Of Play. Players get access to 2 training sessions per week plus the chance to play on a variety of teams and competitive matches.

Boys & Girls

We offer an equal number of spaces for boys and girls in our Academy. Boys and Girls are integrated and both get the same level and standard of coaching. We believe it is important that we treat all of our players equally in terms of the opportunity they get and the education they get.

Player First

Every player comes before the team. At the grassroots and foundation stage the focus must be on each individual player and developing their understanding of the key principles of "HOW" we play soccer, not on creating teams that win at any cost without using the key principles of "HOW" to play.

Coaching Teams

Our Academy coaching staff works as a collaborative pool and are involved with as many players at different age groups as possible. This fosters a club atmosphere and gives players a chance to learn from all coaches. This also ensures all players get a chance to work with our mots qualified coaches.

Coaching Standards

All coaches must complete our 16 Hour Academy Coaching Course and spend time as an assistant on the field before taking charge of their own group. Our Academy Head Coaches have also completed additional Ontario Soccer Licenses, USSF Licences and we have one of the only Canadian Childrens A Licence Coach in the region.

Training Groups

We believe in trying to give players an opportunity to practice and play with a variety of players. Groups are not set in stone, sometimes we may have balanced groups, best with best groups, groups with friends and groups with different ages. This approach is best for every players overall development.

No Tryouts

We do not use tryouts as a method to select players or place them on teams. All players are welcome to join our Academy and then they are placed on a team that suits their current needs. Our goal is to develop as many players individually rather than to only collect the best players in order to put together winning teams. We believe in a holistic approach and trying to develop all players.

Varied Game Formats

Game formats are not designed for the adult spectators or the coaches, they are used to provide the most enjoyment and learning opportunity for the players. The game formats are designed to encourage learning of the principles of how we play soccer.

Academy Program & Season

Our season is 10 months long it starts in September and runs through to the end of July with scheduled breaks in December, March, April. Soccer is not a 3 month summer sport, it requires consistent training over a long period of time in order to develop players understanding of How to play and their technical skills, this can not be done playing 3 months a year and taking 9 months off. We offer players consistent training and lots of opportunities to play matches throughout the year and get adequate time off and breaks. We aim to play as many matches internally as we can throughout the season and we also play Tavel soccer when available. Travel soccer teams will play in the Windsor Essex region in the Spring/Summer fo 2021.

What Is Included?

Training

All players get access to 2 Practices per week through the whole season. Practices are currently held on Monday and Wednesday nights.
There are two sessions every Monday and Wednesday one from 5.30 – 6.30 and one from 6.30 – 7.30 Your session time will be the same every week but we have some flexibility if needed.
Days and times may well change as we get into the indoor part of our season in January.

Matches

Games are played throughout the season. Due to the current Covid situation we will be running our own Internal Academy games on Saturdays from September until the weather no longer permits us to play. We plan to run a number of indoor Futsal events through the Winter (dependent on space available) and we will run our own Internal matches in Chatham in the Spring/Summer 2021

Travel Teams

If permitted we will field Travel teams in all ages for all players. Teams will play in the Windsor Essex and Chatham Kent regions against other Travel teams. A small fee to cover registration costs to play may be required we will look to run some fundraising events to offset the cost of Travel soccer for every player in the Academy and Club. Our goal is to try and provide every player who wants to play an opportunity to do so at no or very low cost.

Want More Info On Joining?

We operate with a set capacity for boys and girls which is based on the facilities we have available and the number of qualified coaches we have on staff at any given time. Please complete the form below with your players details so we can check and see if we have space for your player at this time and send you current Academy Membership Rates. Please include your players gender and year of birth in your message so we can see if we have space available.

Inquire Today

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Teams

Inter Academy Teams

All players will get the opportunity to play on one of our Academy teams in our Fall Academy League and in our Winter Futsal Tournaments. Teams will play against teams from the Lakeshore Soccer Academy. Teams are created to balance players ability levels and also playing with friends. Players are afforded the opportunity to move between teams to give them different challenges throughout the year.
The goal is to facilitate players development and help them to put into a game what they learn at practice. Players will be placed an a team that plays at their specific level , we don't subscribe to grouping players solely by their year of birth.

Southwest Utd FC Travel Teams

Travel Teams are formed in January of each year from players at our Chatham and Lakeshore Soccer Academies. These teams are for all players who want additional external play and competition outside of our academies. We do not hold tryouts teams are selected from the existing players in the Academy and all players are eligible to play. Once a team is formed we then work together with our parent group to determine where the team will play and what competition is appropriate for each team. Our goal is to find the right level of competition and fit for each team.

CHatham Soccer academy

Testimonials

★★★★★ 5/5

Focusing on skills has helped develop my boys into better all around soccer players. Very professional and competent coaching staff who are extremely knowledgeable and a passionate about the beautiful game. I would recommend to anyone who wants their kids to learn how to actually play the game and have a deeper understanding of the sport itself.

Jack

SWU is truly a gem of a club. The coaches are so committed to individual training and team building. The approach is unique in the region and I truly was happy to have my sons be a part of the club. SWU forever!!

Chris

Great coaching at an exceptional level. I wish I had that when I was playing. Jon and his team are wonderful.

Lalit

★★★★★ 5/5

If you’re looking for your children to learn actual soccer skills, not just how to kick the ball the furthest, this is the place for you! Emphasis is on passing and ball control, and the 3 versus 3 format during games is fantastic for them having lots of playing time to practice. Coach Jon also notices and compliments players on seemingly small things that would be overlooked by other coaches, like a great pass, instead of just focusing on goals! So good for developing confidence in young players when the focus isn’t on the REALLY fun stuff like goals.

Ashley

My kids have been with Southwest for almost 3 years now. We belong to a fantastic club, with incredible coaches who truly care about the kids and helping them succeed. We all look forward to soccer each week, especially Thursdays when we get to be involved in the sport with our children! Thanks Jon, Luc and the rest of our Southwest family!

Kayla

Academy FAQ's

What Ages Do You Accept?

We currently accept players age 5 to 13 in the Academy Program. Our 5 to 7 year olds will start out in the Academy Prep Program where they will focus more heavily on development of Technical skills so they are able to follow the Academy training curriculum. Players are moved up into the Academy program as soon as they are ready.

Do I Have To Join For The Full Season?

Yes our program and season runs from September to the following July with plenty of time off and scheduled breaks. We are looking for players that love soccer and are committed to our club for the season. As long as there are spaces available you can join part way through the season.

Do You Have Travel Teams?

Yes our Academy combined with our Lakeshore Academy fields travel teams for boys and girls 2008-2012 under our parent club Southwest Utd FC. we do not do tryouts, players are simply selected from those attending our Academies. We have the option of playing in the Michigan Youth Soccer League or in local Ontario travel soccer competitions.

Is There A Cost For Uniforms?

All players need to get started is an Academy Training shirt these are $15. The approximate cost for the Academy Travel Team kit is $50. We run a fundraiser program called the Odd Job Fundraiser where players will participate and are expected to raise $50 on their own to pay for their kit.

Do You Have A House League In The Summer?

Yes and No !!! We run our own Internal Leagues/Tournaments in the summer though they differ greatly from House Leagues run by recreational volunteer clubs. This program is included for all of our Academy players in addition to their weekly practices in the Summer. We place a great emphasis on teaching players HOW to play rather than the outcome of the games.

Can I Join And Play For Another Travel Team?

No. Once you register with our Academy you can only play within our Academy or for our Travel Teams. Ontario Soccer Association rules are that a player can only be registered with one grassroots club. If you wish to play for another team then you must register with that team and participate in their programs.

CHATHAM SOCCER ACADEMY

Our Location

We use several locations depending on the time of year and availability of spaces. Our current training sessions are being held at the Chatham Christian School on Keil Dr South.