The Background
Grove Soccer Academy (GSA) and Adrian Clewlow Goalkeeping (ACGK) are two independent soccer organizations based in Richmond, VA, and while each focuses on different aspects of youth training, they share a profound common belief: The youth soccer model at the club level is broken, and very few are willing, or able, to fix it.
When a common core of beliefs, philosophies, and values regarding youth soccer development are found in different organizations, it would only make sense to explore how a partnership might enhance the local youth soccer offerings, and how combining ideas and visions could truly impact a players development.
Deliberate Intentions
The Grove Soccer Academy works with soccer players and utilizes advanced technical, tactical, and speed training taken straight from European training methods to help players reach their full potential. The program focuses on each player’s individual development, with highly specialized training tailored to each players’ needs. The training supplements players’ club and school team training and matches with a mission to provide a high-performance training environment for players to develop their skills and reach their goals.
Adrian Clewlow Goalkeeping is a truly comprehensive goalkeeper coaching organization that is focused on the technical, tactical, psychological, and socio-emotional development of each individual goalkeeper, offering comprehensive goalkeeper specific programs that create a dominant sense of holistic well-being for each individual. Health, fitness, a strong presence, leadership, motivation, confidence, intuition, determination, and commitment are some of the by-products of the ACGK goalkeeper programs.
The Partnership
In early discussions with Justin Grove, Owner/Director of GSA, it was very apparent that we both have a common philosophy in terms of youth development, that key things are missing in the traditional youth soccer educational model, and that opportunity exists to make a difference and to fill the void. By combining field players and goalkeepers to run programs at an intensive, focused, and professional level, firmly rooted in game situation and performance focused activities, GSA and ACGK have created several High Performance Programs that focus on the wholistic approach to training the modern day soccer player, from understanding the technical and tactical applications of the game at both an individual and team level, to addressing the physiological, psychological, and socio-emotional demands placed on youth soccer players both on and off the field.
The Purpose
There is a loose thread in soccer developmental programming that needs to be pulled, unravelled, and rewoven into something stronger. At ACGK, the purpose has always been to offer the best goalkeeper training in Central Virginia that is affordable, fun, engaging, all in a professional environment. The High Performance Programs will enable youth players to be coached by professional coaches, and train them in sessions that mimic the professional training environment. The player development model will greatly enhance each individual player’s abilities, but the greatest gains will come through training in an environment that is functional, that combines goalkeeper training and field player training in game like situations so that technical and tactical execution is compounded with exceptional decision making and a complete awareness of the modern game of soccer.
This is an exciting time for youth soccer in Richmond and Central Virginia!
Keep up-to-date with ACGK on social media by visiting:
Facebook: Adrian Clewlow Goalkeeping
Instagram: @acgkllc
Twitter: @acgkllc
For more information on the Grove Soccer Academy, please visit:
Website: www.grovesocceracademy.com
Facebook: Grove Soccer Academy
Instagram: @grovesocceracademy
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