General Information

'Celtic Select' soccer is an all encompassing program for the more committed soccer player aged 8 years old and above. Boys and girls. For those players U14 and below the club offers a 10 month training program. August through May. Players will be offered 3 practices a week and if they choose they will also be able to attend other select team practices. Tryouts for U13 through U19 will be held once per year according to the guidelines handed down to us by Georgia Youth Soccer Association. For those players 15 through 18 years of age, we ask for your commitment through the Fall season and potentially and during State Cup at the end of Spring. 

Essentially the program is split into 2 different age groups. U9-U12, which we call the full time 'Celtic Soccer Academy'. And 'Celtic Select' which is for the players U13-U19. The differences are outlined below. Which ever age group you play, our core philosphies will always remain constant, philosphies that we not only preach but practice. It is the utilization of these ideals that we believe clearly distinguish ourselves from local competition.

Our Philosophy

As a club we believe in a positive learning environment with children benefiting from a structured curriculum of 'ability appropriate' learning. We believe soccer is a lifetime sport and aim to ignite our players with a true passion for the game. To keep children in the game, burnout must be avoided, which is so prevalent at select level. Therefore, tournament play will be kept to a minimum, especially if traveling considerable distance can be avoided. Our optional third night of training and the ability to join other team's practice sessions will give players the independence to choose how frequently they participate in a structured and organized environment.

In order to grow, a player must not only have discipline but also be able think freely and express themselves when playing.  We understand that soccer is a contact sport and instruct our kids on the physicality of the game. Although soccer is a team sport, with a healthy focus of individual player development, the product of that will be a more rounded and complete player resulting in teams that can compete with Atlanta's best - year in year out. This takes patience, perseverance, and hard work. As a famous coach once said " You need to learn the trade, before you learn the tricks of the trade".

Coaching

Celtic Select club coaches will hold a minimum USSF 'C' license or NSCAA equivelent. It is important to point out that the USSF 'D' licence is a no fail test. Our coaches will also undertake continuing on going education from the club Select DoC, the State DoC, the NSCAA State DoC and our club Coach Educator. The majority of our select coaches will be full time professional coaches. Our Select DoC 'Brian Okumu' holds a USSF A License and will conduct the majority of training sessions in the first season. There will be no parents in any head coaching role as this often leads to a conflict of interest and ultimately internal team politics. We only hope that the kids enjoy playing the game as much as our coaches enjoy teaching it.

Full Time Academy U9 - U12

The training that takes place in the Academy follows a technical program, carefully tailored to suit the developing bodies of young players. The method is based on a guided repetition style where skills are repeated continuously until techniques are mastered. Drills allow players maximum contact with the ball and emphasis is placed on individual progress rather than match results. Breeding a competitive attitude is deemed important, but not to the detriment of long term development.

On leaving our academy we would look for our players to have progressed to a point where they are comfortable on the ball in any situation, have a good first touch, and possess the ability and confidence to take on an opponent when needed. Our academy players should have lost their coach dependency and be able to make good decisions on the field. We want Celtic Academy players to be confident and respectful players.

The majority of games will be local. We will utilize the local RILS to provide regular games, but will add in several fixtures with other academy teams. These will be a split of local games and travel games within a 2 hour drive. 

The focus of this program is on individual player development, the bye product of which we believe will eventually be a winning and successful team. By de-emphasising the importance of winning trophies and cutting out unnecessary tournaments, we can apply the cost savings to hiring the best coaches. Players will not so much be selected as assessed and acceptance into the program will be based on their commitment to practice. If you wish to access a higher level of coaching and are prepared to attend practice in a non disruptive manner then this program will be open to you.  Players will be pooled for practice. Scholarships are available.

To register for this program click HERE

Select U13 - U19

Continuing with a focus on technical aspects, our club coaches will now start to work on the tactical nature of the game. At this point, teams will be asked to travel more often, with 3-4 visits per season outside of Savannah, usually to the Metro Atlanta area. Games will be competitive in nature and the teams will play in the State structured league. Players will be asked to tryout. Tryouts are free of charge and although they are not mandatory for acceptance onto a team, we would look for a valid reason as to why you could not attend. Cuts may be needed to form the most competitive squad.

To register for this program click HERE

Tournaments

As the game has grown here in the United States there has been a proliferation of youth soccer clubs and organizations. In turn, tournaments have often become a fundraiser for their hosting organizations. Of course, tournaments can still serve a purpose; an end of season wrap up, representing your city at a state level or even to allow potential college coaches to see you play, if indeed they are in attendance. It is our belief that tournaments are not the answer to developing great soccer players. Professional soccer players do not play 4 games in two days - why would we expect children to?

The physical endeavors involved in playing a tournament often leads to missed practice the following week due to fatigue. The commitment of time, the financial cost and the promotion of the need to win trophies as proof of success, are all considerable contributing factors to the burnout and drop out of potentially great youth soccer players. As a club we ask our select/academy teams to attend only one tournament per season. The cost for this is included in that seasons registration fees. If a team or individual player wishes to attend other tournaments, then we would look for the coach to advise us accordingly. All such requests will be looked at impartially by the club DoC.

Uniform

Our club select uniform will be Nike, and will include Home and Away Jereseys, 2 pairs of shorts, 2 pairs of socks and 3 practice tees. This uniform is new on the market and should have a 3 or 4 year run of availability.

Prices

Payment for the Celtic Select program will include a registration fee, training fees (coaching) and a uniform package. The registration cost is $125 per season. This includes field rental, referee fees, state registration, individual insurance policy and the cost of one tournament. The price of the uniform package will be listed shortly. Training fees depends on the age group. To view a breakdown of the training fees, click HERE

For further details please contact Select Doc Brian Okumu: Brian@savannahceltic.com