Q. Where will the Academy Program take place?

A. At Goshen Elementary School on Warfield Road.

Q. When does it start – date and time?

A. The starting date is Saturday, April 14, 2012.  There will be 3 sessions each day. The first, for Pre-K (3 and 4 year olds) will start at 9:00am. The second, for Kindergarten aged players will start at 10:00am and the First Grade at 11:00 AM.

Q. How will the players be divided in the sessions?

A. An e-mail will be sent out to all participants that will include a list showing what field/time your child is scheduled for  The DSC Academy Director and the Academy Manager will have a list at the field each week just in case. After a few weeks, the coaches will be making assessments of the players and may divide them into groups based on ability. We want the players to be with others who they can match up best with and give them the best chance of success. This most likely will not happen for 3 year olds, and possibly 4 year olds. Also, depending on the size of the game that is being played, we will be moving from small grids to larger grids.

Q. How do I get my child's uniform?

A. 1st graders will get uniforms on April 11 at the first training session at Ovid Hazen Wells Park.  The Pre-K and Kindergarten players will get them on April 14 at Goshen Elementary School. In both cases, please arrive a half an hour early.

Q. What are the objectives of the Academy Program?

A. Our number one goal is for the players to have fun! The Academy Program is designed to have our players learn from professional coaches from the outset of their playing 'The beautiful game.' From a technical perspective our goal is to teach our players correct habits from the first time they set foot on the organized soccer playing field. We also want them to understand the playing field and its boundaries and get a start with some of the laws of the game. The program is run by our Academy manager Jonathan Frias. Our Academy staff consists of a number of our high level coaches and trainers and also some of our Select players who have a great ability to demonstrate and work with young children. We feel that the skill that it takes to play soccer is a long term goal. It will not come overnight or even in one entire season. It takes continuous practice, and patience. Our hope is that by the time these players reach the 3rd grade, they will have a very solid base of skill and knowledge of the game. To check on whether our players are gaining that skill, we are putting a new program in place that allows us to assess each player on a set number of skills. For the youngest ages (3 and 4 year olds), we only introduce the skills. At 5 and 6 years, we begin to track how they are doing via a website tool (www.isoccer.org). This program is being done throughout the USA and will be done at various times during the season. Parents can think of it as a progress report, or report card.

Q. How many coaches will be present at the sessions?

A. It is our goal to have a Head Coach and Assistant Coach on each grid, with approximately 8-10 players on each grid. The head coaches will be overseeing the entire session on each grid. They will get in and demonstrate all of the skills, and they will pull players aside who need a bit of extra help. Our assistants are very capable with young children. You will see them at times working with a child individually – for instance, placing their hand on the child's foot to show which part they should be using. We are very confident that the coaches will make this not only a learning experience, but also a very enjoyable one. The coaches will also explain to the parents what will be concentrated on in each session.

Q. What are my general responsibilities as a parent?

A. As with anything we do in life, the more we do it, the better we become. The Academy sessions are available online for anyone who would like to use them as homework for your child. If further explanation is needed, just email or talk to one of the coaches. We want to make sure that all of our players arrive a bit early for each session so they are ready to go on time.  Please allow 10 minutes between your arrival and start time of the session.

Your child should have adequate rest the night before. It is best that they come to each session with shin-guards (mandatory), suitable footwear (cleats/sneakers), a size 3 ball and definitely, definitely, bring water. Cleats are not mandatory, but recommended, especially on days when the grass is wet or moist. First aid kits will be at the field in case of any minor injury.

While at the practice sessions, parents are encouraged to cheer on their child, but not coach. On occasion, some of the parents may be asked to help out. We do ask that by the time players are 5 years old, that the parents move a bit further away from the field. We hope that this will give them a sense of independence and encourage them to focus on the coaches and what they are being asked to perform. We also encourage parents who might be interested in coaching to identify yourselves to us and think about enrolling in a coaching course. For info on such courses, please speak to one of the head coaches (more on that next).

Q. Hey, what if I really want to coach my child in the future?

A. The Academy Program is designed to build a strong foundation of love of the game and skills for our players. Once this foundation is firmly established, our players will have the opportunity to join either a recreational team or a select (travel) team, depending on their abilities and interests.  Within our recreational program, we encourage (and depend on) parents to volunteer as coaches. At Damascus Soccer Club, we firmly believe that players should be given the best chance to succeed by having programs that will challenge them to further their knowledge and enjoyment, and to have coaches in place that will become qualified to teach them properly by getting their soccer education. We think of it the same way as having qualified teachers in our schools and tutors for that little extra. To that end, we offer many options for our potential coaches. The simplest course is an intro to the DSC philosophy – it’s a 2 hour course that we will run several times a year in Damascus. Each new coach will be required to attend this course before or during their initial season. Once a coach decides that they want to continue, there will be other courses available. Depending on the coach, there are many, many levels to attain along the way, with each of them geared towards a certain type of player or age group. DSC provides many opportunities through clinics and our in-house coaching certification to get you started. The Maryland State Youth Soccer Association (www.msysa.org) also runs the State E and D license courses during the year. And the National Soccer Coaches Association (www.nscaa.com) offers many state and regional level courses throughout the year. DSC hopes to host some of these courses each year, either in Damascus or at the Germantown Soccerplex. Please, if you are interested in coaching, take some of these courses, so our players can continue to develop after they leave our Academy program.

Q. What is the entire spring schedule?

A. The Academy will meet on the following dates:  to April 14, 21, 28, May 5, 12, 19, and June 2, 9.  Dates for the mini tournaments are April 28 and May 19.

Q. Now that 3 year olds are in the program, are there anticipated changes to the program?

For this spring season, there will be no change to the program. The 3 and 4 year olds will be grouped on age specific “teams”. For the future, we plan to change a few things in the program. Because we are adding another age to the Academy, we are going to transition the 5 year olds to playing games in the spring, starting in 2012. This will mean that they will have one practice a week, again, with the training being done by our club trainers. As we go into fall of 2012, we 5 year olds will go to this same format.

We are also going to implement the iSoccer assessments on a larger scale throughout the club. We feel that this will give us, and you, a good measuring stick on the skill level of all of our players.

Q. How do we celebrate the end of the season?

A. In addition to participating in the tournament play, all Soccer Academy players will receive a medal from the Head Coaches to commemorate their completion of the program.

Q. What happens if we have bad weather?

A. Check the DSC website (www.damascussoccer.org) and also call the DSC hotline at 301-253-1473. We will attempt to have a cancellation notice posted by 7:30 on Saturday mornings. Also, check your e-mails. An e-mail will be sent out if a session is cancelled.

Q. How do I contact the Academy Director?

A. Primary Contact:

Jonathan Frias – This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Secondary Contact:

Gene Orndorff DSC Academy Director, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

And the Club can always be reach through This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it