u8 Pre-Academy
Our u8 travel academy is for 7 year-old boys and girls born in 2016 and is the next phase of development towards our competitive travel academy. The program is a fall and spring commitment with optional winter training and tournaments.
u8 Travel Pre-Academy Program Details
Program Overview
- For boys and girls born in 2016 with 30-36 players for each gender group
- Fall program runs 10 weeks beginning the week of Sept. 12, winter training and tournaments are optional, Spring program begins early-March and runs to mid-June
- Two 90-minute training sessions and one weekend game festival each week
- Weekend game festivals consist of 4v4 small-sided games played in a round-robin format
- Game festivals organized with local teams throughout the fall and spring season
- Optional EDP competitive festivals for advanced players
- Pre-Academy program is lead by our Foundation Phase Director of Coaching, Rick Breheny (rick@maroonssoccer.com)
- All training sessions and games coached by Professional MSC coaches
- All participants must adhere to our safety guidelines
Schedule & Costs for Fall 2023+Spring2024
- Program Cost: $600 + trainer fees (est. $200/season)
- Training: Tuesday & Thursday, Veteran’s & Citizen’s Field
- Festivals / Games: Saturdays, Veteran’s Field
Registration via CommunityPass
All MSC programs can be registered through Ridgewood’s CommunityPass platform. Visit CommunityPass > from organization select “Maroons Soccer Club” > from activity select your program. For help with registration, please contact Carolyn Muccio, carolyn@maroonssoccer.com.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do the weekend festivals work?
We will form 6 teams to play against each other. Teams will be formed equally to ensure all are competitive, but the coaches reserve the right to switch players between teams at any point for continued development. Games will be played 4v4. Fields will be 30 yards by 20 yards with 5’x3’ goals, no GK’s. Coaches will act as referee’s and coach the tactical side of the game.
How do I receive updates on practices and games including cancellations and schedule changes?
All communications is through TeamSnap, please ensure that you have accepted the invitation from the club (sent to the email you used for registration in CPass) and have the app downloaded. Please also make sure your profile and contact information is up-to-date so we can contact you in the event of an emergency. If you have not received an invitation or need help with TeamSnap, please email Carolyn at maroonssoccer@yahoo.com
Do the teams wear uniforms?
Our teams will wear Adidas training shirts that can be used in future years. Each player should order one black training shirt and two grey shirts from Soccer.com. Go to Soccer.com > click ‘Find My Team Store’ in the top right corner > Search and click on ‘Maroons Soccer Club’ > Select ‘U8 Training Academy Kit’ from the drop down. Note, you can input any name in the name field since the training shirts are not customized. For more information on uniforms, click here.
What is EDP?
EDP is an organization that hosts competitive 4v4 tournament-style weekend festivals for the u8 age group. At these festival days the Maroons will play 4v4 against other top flight clubs in the area. There will be travel involved as much as up to 1 hour. Teams will play four 20 minute games in a 2 hour period. This is dependent on coach availability and is an optional cost