Annual Commitment

Players commit to participate for the entire year and are expected to participate in all team events during that time.

• Preseason training begins in August, Typically the second week of August.
• Fall season concludes around mid-December.
• Winter indoor league play and team training will begin in January and extend through February.
• The spring season begins in late February.  (U15-19 teams will have limited play during the springs season, and will focus on college recruiting events during this time period.)
• Springs season concludes in late May.
• Summer play is possible for teams that qualify for June National Championship play.

Players commit to participating for the full year at the time of registration. Exceptions are only made for medical reasons or family relocation.  Players are expected and required to attend all matches, events and team activities to remain in good standing with their respective teams.

Training Sessions

The emphasis of Elite training is on technical, tactical, physical and psychological development. Elite teams are intended to be competitive at the highest level and to prepare players for advancement beyond youth soccer.

• Teams train 3 times per week.
• Most weeks during the season also have a 4th tactical session, done though Zoom or online platforms
• One training session per week is dedicated to functional or positional training.  Players will participate in these sessions across multiple age groups and focus on the technique of specific positional play.
• All teams will train in the fall season (August through December) regularly.
• All teams will have winter training and futsal sessions in January and February.
• U15 and Older teams will have limited training in the early spring (Jan-Feb) before high school teams begin training.
• U15 teams will continue to train twice per week in the spring season.
• U13 & U14 teams will train regularly for the spring season, March through the end of May.
• Players are required to attend all sessions whenever possible.

Match Analysis & Tactical Understanding

A major component of team training is developing players’ tactical understanding of the game.  Skyline Elite is committed to making a significant effort to helping each player grow their tactical awareness through on-field training and off-field activities.

• All Skyline Elite matches are recorded via Veo sports camera technology.
• All Skyline Elite matches are analysed by INSTAT
• Allowing for Match analysis and tactical learning throughout the season.
• This technology also allows for the creation of player highlight videos and College recruiting videos.
• Tactical learning is guided by the Skyline Elite coaching staff, and is tailored to suit the different age groups within the club.  Players will learn in a supportive team environment.

Techne Futbol App

Each Skyline Elite player is provided with free access to the Techne Futbol App.

This app is designed to help players develop essential technical skills.  Techne provides guided training sessions with skill progressions and technique breakdowns designed by professional coaches.

Techne offers:

• Technical Training
• Physical Performance Sessions
• Mental Training Excercises
• Performance Tracking
• Competitions between users
• Rewards for achieving set workout goals

App is provided free to all SOCA Travel players.

Click here to read more.

Periodization

Periodization is used to create a systematic training plan for teams over the course of a soccer year.  This involves using progressive increases and decreases of different training components, such as strength, power, speed, endurance. The training differs for each period of the season and reflects different training goals specific to that time of the season. The concept helps players reach their peak performance at targeted competitions or times of the year.

For Skyline Elite teams, there are many matches and competitions throughout a soccer year.  Team plans involve measures to prepare for the start of the competitive season, maintain fitness throughout, and peak at critical points during the season.

The Skyline Elite coaching staff develop and maintain periodization plans for all teams in the club.  The inclusion of rest and recovery periods within a seasonal calendar and annual plan is critically important and is taken into consideration in team plan development.

High School Soccer

Participation on U16-U19 Skyline Elite teams is NOT mutually exclusive with, nor should discourage players from, playing high school soccer. Players are expected to attend limited team training preparing them for high profile spring college showcase events, which are vital for the college recruiting process.  Significant efforts are made to avoid interference with regular season high school play.