The Da

Welcome to The Development Academy! A non-profit soccer club dedicated to breaking the status quo of youth soccer in South Florida by making the game to the kids, instead of the adults. The protagonists in our stories are the players. The coaches and the club are facilitators who guide and support the players through their learning process. This is why we do what we do. It is why every decision we make as a club first starts with answering the question: What is best for the individual player? This “Player First” framework does not mean catering to the player’s whims and making things easier for them. Quite the opposite: it challenges the player more and empowers them to learn to manage themselves and their surroundings. Our club model is an expression of the style of soccer we want our teams to play. It is our club-wide soccer identity which incorporates the principles our teams demonstrate on and off the field. Combined with our player first focus we are able to develop our dual mandate of development and competition: striving to develop individual players within a competitive team environment. We are able to accomplish this through our leadership structure that has established a clear soccer philosophy and game model, as well as our professional coaching staff that executes this vision. This model is based on wanting to play an inspiring, expansive, offensive possession style of soccer with calculated smothering defensive pressure. But our club ethos, is about more than just developing players to play this style of soccer. It is about spreading the beautiful game of soccer as wide as possible and leaving a positive mark in the lives of our kids: A mark that goes well beyond soccer. Our priority is the growth of the individual kid, within a team context. It is not about winning trophies. It is about the personal development gained through the journey of well guided self-discovery. Welcome the the DA!