Jr Irish Travel Program

Jr Irish is committed to helping each player get to the level they want to be at. Competition, hard work, having fun, and growing as a human being are our main components. We teach players how to think on their own and learn from their mistakes. We encourage players to be BRAVE and TAKE CHANCES. Soccer is a team sport and will be taught in such way from our youngest players to our oldest. We strive to make sure every activity we do is as closely related to the game as it possibly can be. Our main pillars of the game are Communication (Verbal, non-verbal, “seeing the field”, tactics), Decision Making (Game Insight, ability to read and understand the game and make proper decisions based on that), Execution (the physical act of putting their decision into play) and Football (Soccer) Fitness (the ability to make and execute high level decisions over an extended period of time).

Coaching

Jr Irish strives to have the best coaching staff in North Central Indiana. We currently employ many current and former college coaches, former professional players/coaches, high school coaches, and even former players of JI who have begun their coaching journey.

Our coaching staff communicates daily on players and their performances. We strive to reward exceptional play with training and game club pass opportunities for our players.

U8-U10 Players

Jr Irish does not believe in a cookie-cutter approach to players at this age. Every player has different abilities (physically and mentally) and will be taught to maximize their abilities. All players will be taught ways to become more familiar and comfortable with the ball. However, since soccer is a team sport the team aspects will be taught from a young age as well. Understanding shape (as a team), awareness of teammates/opponents/space/goals, having fun, working hard and being competitive will be aspects that are focused on in every training session for these players. Teams at these ages will train at the same day/time/location and will be grouped with players of like abilities. When players are showing improvement, they will be tested by training/playing with players of a higher current ability in order to help them continue to improve as a player. Rosters for games will be fluid throughout the year in order to put each child in the best possible environment to aid in their growth as a player.  

U11-U19 Players

Our teams in the U11-U19 age groups will be placed on teams at tryouts based on their current abilities. Movement from team to team, especially up a level, is something we strive for and will be attended to on an individual player basis as needed. We strive to put your child in an environment that encompasses growth, development and success. There will be failures along the way and we will look to embrace such instances and improve and raise our level to overcome them. Below is a break down of our levels of play form U11-U19.

Premier

Premier teams consist of the top players in each age group. Premier teams will compete at the highest possible level state wide/regionally for league play and tournament play. Premier team commitment level, training amount, travel, and price point will be higher than all other teams within Jr Irish.

Green/White

Second-level teams that will play in ability appropriate league play within the state of Indiana as well as ability appropriate tournaments within the region (Mainly IN, IL, MI, and Northern OH).