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7 Elite Academy looking to Futures Elite

By James Shaw, 07/06/20, 10:15AM MDT

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Players within 7 Elite Academy’s Futures Elite Phase will be urged to value collective success over individual achievement when the new campaign gets under way.

The Futures Elite phase covers teams in the Under-15 to Under-19 age brackets and includes preparations for players’ careers both within soccer and away from the game.

Tryouts across Utah saw scores of players return from last season’s teams, alongside new recruits, as soccer continues its cautious return from Covid-19 restrictions.

7 Elite Academy led a major home training initiative during lockdown, including an eight-week Home Technical Program, team meetings via Zoom, remote one-to-one sessions and Player of the Week Awards.

Jean Claude Gay, Head of Futures Elite at 7 Elite Academy, said: “Tryouts went really well for us and each player was given an individual plan prepared by our head of phase coaches.

“It was a huge challenge, but everyone from our players and their families to our coaches approached it with great determination. Because of that, our players at had a fantastic passion and joy for soccer.

“It is important that our teams are always as competitive as possible in our respective championships and tournaments, but always with respect to our values. We want to win, but not at any price.

“We make sure more importance is given to collective performance than to individual performance. The individual must blossom through the collective, which is the social reality outside of soccer.”

Young people and players at 7 Elite Academy are guided by a set of ETHICS, including Excellence, Tenacity, Honor, Innovation, Community and Sacrifice.

And as players prepare for the resumption of competitive games, the priority will turn to equipping young people wide-ranging skills from the organization’s long-term curriculum of learning.

Gay added: “We train, educate and push our players to grow up with our values and ETHICS. As part of this, we strive to not only develop high-level players, but also responsible and well-educated adults. 

“We can’t disassociate the player from the person. The quality of our coaches, the follow-up of their training and access to a program of training at international level is our guarantee of that commitment.

“I am personally determined to make that every single player we work with has a clear and effective long-term plan for their development. Wherever our players go after they leave us, they will always be part of 7 Elite Academy.”