Hey friends,

Like hundreds of thousands of families across the United States, you enrolled your child in an elite youth soccer club, and you trusted the process. However, months have gone by, and you still can’t objectively assess whether your child is actually getting better or just getting more games. You're not alone. Many parents have never seen a single page of their child's Individual Development Plan (IDP) because their clubs don’t even have one. For the parents who are fortunate to receive IDPs, many are often left with more questions than answers. The IDPs feel like general feedback, allowing coaches to check off items on their to-do lists rather than providing detailed roadmaps to develop their players.

The Clarity Moment

There is a critical difference between a team training plan and an Individual Development Plan (IDP). A team plan serves the group. An IDP serves YOUR child by identifying their specific strengths, their specific gaps, and providing a measured path to improvement. Elite programs in Europe build extensive IDPs for every single player. In the US pay-to-play model, most clubs skip this step or provide watered-down versions because IDPs can be expensive and time-consuming. The result? Parents pay thousands of dollars to a system that treats all kids the same.

At the very least, an IDP should answer three questions:

1. Where is my child right now as a player?

2. What specific skills does my child need to grow?

3. How will we measure progress over time?

If your club can't answer those three questions for YOUR child, your club isn’t serious about developing your child in the long term.

The Parent Action (Empowerment)

There is no development without a clear plan, and elite youth soccer clubs are supposed to prioritize development. Consequently, if your club hasn’t shared an extensive IDP for your child, we recommend that you take urgent action. This week, email or message your child's coach and ask two simple questions:

1. “Can you share what areas of the game you're specifically focusing on developing for my child?”

2. “Can you share the plan to help my child develop those areas?”

Rest assured, you are not being a “helicopter parent.” You are being an informed parent. Your child’s coach’s answer or non-answer will tell you a lot about the club.

If this information brought clarity, consider sharing it with another parent navigating similar questions.

See you next time!

AROUND THE YOUTH SOCCER WORLD

Each week, we’ll bring you youth soccer news and stories, so you don’t have to search for them.

1. Soccer is a game that demands players read and understand situations, constantly scan, and make countless rapid decisions based on what they perceive around them. Decision-making is not a small part of the game — it is the game. Read more →

2. The U.S. Under-15 Girls’ National Team fell to the Netherlands, 4-1, in the first of two games during this European training camp... Read more →

3. US Youth Soccer has partnered with IberCup to fund the registration costs for 20 State Technical Leads to attend this year’s IberCup Convention. US Youth Soccer CEO Tom Condone believes that this is an opportunity for U.S. coaches to receive an education abroad... Read more →

COMPLETE PLAYER DEVELOPMENT ZONE

The Player Development Zone is the place where players and parents take control and ownership of the path towards becoming complete players.

Each week, resources will help you design individual development plans tailored to your specific areas of improvement.

RESOURCES FOR THIS WEEK

(1) Technical Ability

This First Touch Opens the Entire Field

Source: LB Performance

View HERE🎥

ADDITIONAL 5-STAR RESOURCES

Ready to dive deeper with more soccer resources and training tools? Visit our ASU 5-Star Resources page to explore our full library of articles, guides, and resources.

This is your go-to hub for development support

(2) Tactical Understanding

This fixed my blocked shots

Source: Efford Elite

View HERE 🎥

(3) Physical Ability

Lower Body Mini Band Workout For Footballers

Source: Futbol Fit

View HERE🎥

(4) Mental Strength

The Secrets and Science of Mental Toughness

Source: TEDx Talks

View HERE🎥

(5) Creativity

Become More FLUID With The Ball

Source: 7MLC

View HERE 🎥

THIS WEEK'S POLL QUESTION

Individual Development Plans

Has your child's club ever shared a written individual development plan (IDP) with you?

1. Yes — we get regular updates

2. Somewhat — it's been mentioned once or twice

3. Not really — general feedback only

4. No — never shared

We'll share the results of the poll in our next issue!

LAST WEEK'S POOL RESULTS

When you watch your child play soccer, which best describes your primary focus as a parent?

1. Whether they are having fun and loving the game – 39.4%

2. All of the above — it's a constant balance – 24.2%

3. Whether they are improving over time – 21.2%

4. Whether they are performing well in each game – 15.2%

Thank you for reading this week’s Advance Soccer Brief. See you next time!

— Thony and Kevin

Advance Soccer USA

P.S. We like to think we’re doing a good job—but we know we’re not perfect. Got feedback on the newsletter? We’d love to hear it! Just hit reply or email us at newsletter@advancesoccerusa.org.

©The Advance Soccer Brief, the official newsletter of Advance Soccer USA.