Valparaiso United FC - (888) 391-1430

Welcome to the official Facebook page of Valparaiso United FC competitive youth soccer club located in the North Phoenix area.

Our Vision

Our vision is to become the premier youth soccer club for student-athletes to create positive opportunities in life through competitive soccer.


Our Mission

To develop competitive soccer players and teams of excellence through top quality coaching and training based on the four pillars of soccer development – technical, tactical, physical, and psychological – in an environment of mutual respect that gives active priority to efforts required for school success, that cultivates good citizenship for a positive impact on the community, and that shows commitment between the club and its loyal players and their families.


Our Core Beliefs and Goals

The Club is dedicated to the overall development of the player. This includes the four pillars of soccer development which are the physical, the psychological, the technical and the tactical development of the player. The philosophy of the Club is that the development of the individual player leads to the development of the team and to success on the field. The Club is a competitive soccer club and the idea is to produce competitive players and teams. Winning, however, is not the end goal in-and-of-itself and the interest in winning will not supplant the development of the individual player. Winning should be the natural byproduct of doing all of the other things right. The psychological side of player development includes not only the mental skills and mental preparation of the athlete, but also the respect of the players by the coaching staff and the other players.


The development of good citizens

The Club is committed to the development of the whole person, not just the development of the athlete. Concepts like responsibility, commitment, focus, time-management, dedication to task, loyalty and working towards individual and team goals are all life skills developed by the Club that should translate into good citizenship.


The development of the student athlete

The Club recognizes the importance of education as an indispensable compliment to the soccer experience. While teaching soccer skills is the focus of the Club, the Club recognizes that the opportunities that soccer may create are only as good as the opportunities that education will allow. Also, for many of the kids in the program, soccer is an athletic choice for the child but is not the focus of the child’s life nor is it the means or method for moving on into higher education. In that instance, it becomes a complimentary activity to academics. In recognition of the fact that good grades and a quality education are an indispensable element to maximizing the soccer experience and opportunities created by soccer, the Club is committed to maintaining a focus on the academic performance of the players. This goal is achieved through the following: (1) recognition by the coaching staff that kids need time to do well in school. Therefore, school conflicts (which include things like homework, exams, large school projects, parent/teacher nights and SAT’s) represent legitimate reasons for missing practices, and if necessary, games. While there may be a consequence to missing the practice or game (for example, it may effect the immediate playing time of the child) it will not be the source of stigma, ridicule or punishment; (2) players in the Club will all be required to submit their grades to their coach starting with middle school so that the coach can monitor their performance in school and be an effective partner with the parents in making sure the child has addressed his or her academic responsibilities; and (3) the Club has a “C” grade requirement. If a student falls to a “C” grade in any subject, the coach will intervene at that point by contacting the parents to see if they want to work out a cooperative program to use soccer as the leverage to improve classroom performance or dedication to schoolwork. While a “C” grade will not get a child automatically suspended from the soccer club, it will be the point at which the Club intervenes by contacting the parents. The idea is to have the Club partnering with the family to make sure that the family objectives at school are being met to compliment the soccer experience at the Club.


The creation of a family-friendly environment

The Club is dedicated to getting the families involved as volunteers and ensuring that the experience is inviting to the family as a whole. This means, for example, that team rooms while traveling out of state for tournaments are not required at any age, and the Club is sensitive to travel and financial burdens in general in planning the soccer experience. For younger kids the emphasis is less on travel and more on local games and tournaments and on player development rather then wins and losses. It means that parents are welcome at practices and games, although parents must continue to respect the boundary between encouragement and coaching. The Club recognizes that the commitment to competitive soccer is a family commitment and in order to make it an experience worth participating in over many years, the Club must be sensitive to that family experience.


Commitment to families and players who are loyal to the Club

The Club is sensitive to the fact that it is an all-too-common experience in youth soccer that kids are displaced throughout the season, and from season-to-season for children who are brought in to be successful in the short term but have made no long term commitment to the Club. Since player development is a central tenet of the Club, then in order to achieve that objective, players must stay with the Club for multiple years. The practice of forgoing long-term player development and commitment to players in exchange for winning in the short term is not only counterproductive to the goals of the Club but it is alienating to players and families. Valparaiso is committed to developing the players selected at the start of the season and adding players only to the extent they are committed long-term to being part of the program. As part of that commitment, Valparaiso has a policy that after January 31 of each year, no new roster additions can be made to a team for purposes of participation in State Cup. The idea is to play State Cup with the kids who have committed to their team through that point of the season. Those are the kids who have dedicated themselves to the program and in whom the program has invested. No kids will be displaced in terms of the State Cup experience or State Cup playing time by new roster additions after January 31.


Social Purpose

The Club is committed to having a social purpose and to being a contributing member to the community at large. Within the limitations of business viability, the Club is committed to a strong scholarship program for financially-in-need families, at risk children (where there is a commitment of the child and a desire by the family to take advantage of the opportunity presented) and low-income political refugee children who have relocated in the Phoenix metro area and who can benefit from the Valparaiso soccer experience to effectively and productively integrate into U.S. culture and society. The scholarship program not only recognizes the value of the opportunity for the scholarship kids, but also promotes the value of diversity (cultural, ethnic and socio-economic) for the other more fortunate kids in the program.


Strong Alumni Network

Valparaiso seeks to develop and maintain a strong alumni network. The Club is committed to its kids, not just while they are playing at Valparaiso , but even beyond that point. Staying in touch with graduates of the program is an important part of the investment in the kids and families and an important part of the long term business model of the Club. By staying connected with the families the hope is that they will remain connected to Valparaiso.


Sustainable Business Model

The Club recognizes that in order to achieve the objectives of the Club and to provide the best experience for the kids, it must be financially viable. What makes the club financially viable involves far more then its pricing structure. It also involves the creation of a family friendly environment and a commitment to the families and players who are loyal to the Club. It also means a scholarship program that achieves the goals of creating opportunities for families with greater needs and creating a diverse soccer community, without compromising financial viability.

2104/15 SEASON TRYOUT SCHEDULE

http://www.valparaisosoccer.org/Default.aspx?tabid=260816&mid=290361&newskeyid=HN1&newsid=23971&ctl=newsdetail

Tags: Youth Organization