Thursday 8/4/11:  Group Training in Wilmington  U-14 girls only

6:00pm - 8:00pm  @ Cape Fear Soccer Park 

Friday 8/5/11:       Final HYA match - Kickoff @ 4pm

HYA U-14 girls vs. JASA Select 97's  @ Legion Stadium

Many thanks to all of the HYA families who travelled to Richmond for the US Club Regional tournament this weekend.  In years past families complained about the lack of competition and too many easy games when we travelled.  This weekend was a very different experience for most involved but I could not be prouder of the effort put in by the players and coaches from start to finish.  We sought out the toughest test of the summer for our teams and took a few lumps at this event.  Each team I watched over the weekend, however, improved with every game.  In some cases we played against teams more than 2 yrs older than we were but never failed to compete.  The U-12 boys, in particular, showed what a quality group they are in posting a 1-1-1 record for their 3 games in the U-13 bracket.   Great job by Antonio and the boys!  While we stress the importance of quality training, it is also important to measure the results of that training in competition.  Each team we brought had at least one game against a team that will be playing for a US Club national championship in Idaho later this summer.  Some fared better than others, but no one backed down from the challenge.  It is important to learn from these experiences.  Let’s aspire to play at the level of the best teams we saw this weekend, not satisfy ourselves w/ average play against average competition.  On behalf of the Hammerheads professional organization I want to say thank you for representing our club in the fashion you did.  You made us all proud.

Sincerely,

Kevin Johnson

Coach/Director of Hammerhead Youth Academy

The Hammerheads Youth Academy is a collaborative effort between four clubs from a vast demographic area bringing you the best that our region has to offer. We are aligned with the Hammerheads professional organization and, as such, strive for the highest standards of coaching and play. We are a developmental academy priding ourselves on the quality of the training. We will no longer rely on US Club Soccer’s Southeast Regional League this summer for match play, but will look to enter one tournament and arrange at least one home match at Legion Stadium. You may be invited to travel with us to play in one of these games, but what you are paying for is training. The focus of this program is to have the best players from each region TRAINING together 2x per week with a professional coaching staff.  

Training will officially start the last week of May and end the last week in July...two training sessions a week…one at local training facilities in Myrtle Beach, Jacksonville and Wilmington, and the other a group training session in Wilmington. Local training will be technical training while groups session will focus on both technique and tactics.        

The cost to participate is $400.  Everyone who attends the combine will be notified within the week of their standing.  Those on the bubble will be invited back for another look along with those that were not able to attend the combine.  This will be at the first training session. We will hold at least two training sessions in Wilmington prior to official start in June.  If you are selected to participate in the academy you will be asked to make a $50 down payment to hold your spot. The entire $400 balance must be paid prior to May 24th to participate. Special considerations for payment plans will be made upon request and need.

Cost of program includes:       10 weeks of professional training

            Kit…two jerseys, two pairs of shorts and socks

            US Club Pass / registration Fee

            Team Coaching / GK trainer Fees

            Free season pass to Hammerhead home games

           *Does Not Include Travel*

                            Wrightsville Beach, NC 28480

                           *When remitting fees, make all checks payable to Hammerheads Youth Academy