Mission Statement

The mission of the CRUSA Youth Academy soccer program is to provide age appropriate skill development and a competitive youth soccer experience for motivated players in the Bucks County area. At CRUSA we want to emphasize a high level of individual skill, team play and sportsmanship. Age appropriate training with quality coaching is fundamental to developing a quality experience for all participants. The Travel Program’s philosophy is to achieve success in each area of player and team development. 

Youth Academy Purpose 

The CRUSA Youth Academy encompasses the U7-U8 ages and welcomes players of all ability to develop a love for the game and the foundation of skills necessary to play in our travel program. 

How Do I Sign Up?

Go to the registration link on our website, sign into your household account, and select the program "CRUSA Academy"

What Does Registration Cost? 

The registration cost to enroll your child in the Academy program for the full 2019/2020 soccer year (fall through spring) is $360.00.  For those players joining for 2020 winter/spring, cost is $225.00.  For those players joining only for 2020 Spring, cost is $160.00.  This cost includes Fall and Spring intramural at no additional cost for those playing full year academy and 50% off spring intramural for those playing winter/spring or spring academy.

Beginning Fall 2017, all new players in the Academy program were also required to purchase a uniform, consisting of one jersey, one pair of shorts and one pair of socks. If the registrant is a second year participant, purchase of the uniform is optional.

What Does Registration Cover? 

Included in your registration cost are:

• Weekly festivals in both the Fall and Spring. The festivals will be typically held on Sundays in the Fall and a mixture of Sat/Sun in the Spring. Start times will typically be around 1pm for the U7 teams with U8 teams typically starting after the U7 teams are complete at 2-3pm. 

• Twice weekly training  in the Fall and Spring. (Training times are typically Mon/Wed or Tues/Thurs at 5pm)

• CRUSA Academy Training shirt

• Once weekly indoor training sessions in the Winter (typically at a local school gym and/or SMG) 

Additional Fees? 

Additional fees will vary by team and age group. On average parents should expect to pay between $20 - $100 per year in additional fees. This will pay for items like coaching equipment and Teamsnap fees. Items that are outside the scope of the Academy (like Winter leagues or tournaments) will be paid for by the families that choose to participate in them. 

During the summer, a budget for the year will be put together by the coaches and put forth for review by parents. 

How Are Teams Formed? 

“Teams” are not formed in the at the U7/U8 level. For the weekend festivals, kids will be placed on teams for that weekend by the parent leaders of that age group. Kids will be mixed in with different kids and different coaches every week. Using a website (Teamsnap or similar), the organizers will collect information about which kids are available for the upcoming festival. They will then form multiple teams with 5-8 kids per team (shooting for 6-7 per team) based upon who is available. 

Other Commitments? 

We recognize that kids and families lead very busy lives and have a myriad of interests and we fully encourage other those interests. Our focus is to provide as many quality opportunities to play, practice, and get better as possible. However, all of these opportunities (practices or games) are optional. Come to what you can or want to. At no point will you be asked to place soccer at a higher priority to other commitments. The only thing we would ask is for you to let your coach(es) know when you will miss an activity (particularly games) as soon as you can, so that they have a chance to adjust appropriately. 

What is the Game Format for the Travel Academy Teams? 

The games will be focused on small-sided 5v5 (4 plus a goalie) festivals. 

A “festival” consists of several short 15-20 minute 5v5 games in a 60-120 minute time period, where no scores or standings are kept. U7 teams will play two games at each festival in the Fall. In the Spring, kids interested in playing 3 games at each festival will be given that opportunity. U8 teams will play three games in each festival. 

Why Small Sided Games (SSG)?

The movement of emphasis to Small-Sided Game (SSG) festivals is a relatively new one for our club, but is a movement that the country is evolving towards and something that has been used throughout the world for many years. 

It is recognized that to develop skills, repetitions are needed. The more the children touch the ball the better their touch will be! Soccer coaches of all ages use small sided game environments to develop the technical aspects of their teams. 

The more a child has the ball (touches), the more engaged he/she is in the activity- the more fun he/she has!  Benefits of SSG’s: 

• More repeated touches of the ball by all players 

• More touches throughout all areas of the field 

• More passes attempted 

• Repeated decision making in a confined area 

• More opportunities to play on both sides of the ball (Offense & Defense) 

• More involved playing time and less opportunity to hide from the ball 

• Keeps all players engaged in the game

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