Welcome to the 2024-25 EMFC Junior Academy !
The EMFC Junior Academy is our full-year competitive, development program for focused, committed players born in 2015 and 2016. The Academy may also be open to younger players born in 2017, who show that they meet the demands and standards of the program. Our intent is to provide a competitive but not exclusive environment for these developing youngsters.
The Junior Academy is meant to be both fun and competitive. Players benefit from game-based exercises, technical training, agility/coordination exercises, goalkeeper/finishing training and ongoing skill evaluations. Our graduates will be confident, competent and respectful players of the beautiful game of soccer. See answers in the Calendar and FAQs at the bottom of this page.
Registration & Player Assessment
Our 2024-25 Player Assessments (tryouts) take place May 13 and 15, 2024 at Lane Community College Track field. Please register your player online here.
If you missed them and are interested in having your child assessed, please read Frequently Asked Questions Q1 & Q6 at the bottom of this page and contact our Junior Academy Director.
Once assessed and accepted, we ask for a full commitment and participation to our year-long program. Youngsters train twice per week for 90 minutes (Mon & Wed at 5pm) in groups of 15-player training groups which are divided into 7v7 teams for a summer tournament and both fall & spring leagues. To inquire, please email Jurgen Ruckaberle at doc@emfc.org
Calendar
Our projected calendar for the 2024-25 season is below. This is a year-long program in four seasonal phases with short breaks between and during seasonal phases.
- Summer: May 20 – June 30; July 8 – August 7
- Fall: August 26 – November 6
- Winter: December 2 – December 20; January 6 – January 30, 2025
- Spring: February 17 – March 21; March 31 – May 3
Sponsors
Our proud program title sponsor is SUMMIT BANK, “Oregon’s Local Business Bank”. With their support we are able to provide these youngsters with a holistic, comprehensive development program that will prepare them for u11 competitive soccer in the statewide Oregon Youth Soccer Association (OYSA) League! https://www.sbko.bank/
And we are so grateful to our supporting sponsors below:
Willakenzie Animal Clinic (Silver Sponsor)
Boone Insurance Associates (Bronze Sponsor)
Coaches
Girls Coaches: Seb Trickett, Jose da Silva, Sara Klott
Boys Coaches: Thomas Bingham, Ryan Chamberlain, Leslie Monjaras, Mikhail Budris, Jose Carrillo, Chey Gonzalez
Academy Director:
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Q1: How do I register for the 2024-25 Junior Academy, who do I contact, what’s the cost?
To have your youngster evaluated for our Academy, start with an email to Jurgen at doc@emfc.org. He will want to find out a little about your child’s soccer history and focus level. Then your youngster can attend two consecutive training sessions with our players to determine whether it is a good fit for her/him (and you!).
The Academy year/season goes from May to May. We do a rolling entrance to the Junior Academy throughout the year for any youngsters and families who are new to the community or new to our club!
The full year tuition for the Junior Academy costs $950 * plus an additional cost for a summer tournament (approx $80/tournament.) After a required down payment, any remaining tuition can be paid off over a five month period if desired.
*Scholarships are available for families who qualify. Pro-rated tuition is offered to families who enter the Academy later in the year.
Q2: My child is nervous about being assessed for the Junior Academy. What is the assessment process like?
Dealing with nerves is normal and our staff doesn’t make snap decisions or hasty judgements. We all have weaknesses and we look build on your child’s strengths while improving their weaknesses. Player assessments take place in a regular training session. If for some reason, the time isn’t quite right for the Academy, our club still has a program which will fit your child. Let’s keep the game in their life! We’ll keep our eye on him/her and continue to see how they develop – changes can happen so fast at these ages.
Q3: How do I know if my child is ready for the Junior Academy?
Talk to your child, trust your intuition and observations of her/him. Then send an email with your questions to Jurgen at doc@emfc.org
Our program follows best practices and our coaches are experienced in developmental appropriateness in physical, technical, emotional and cognitive domains. We know that enrolling and evaluating children in higher-level programs involves some calculated guesswork and we offer gradual introductions for players or parents who are unsure.
Q4: Can my child play other sports or activities while in the Academy?
Yes! Definitely. We support a child’s exposure to a range of activities and pursuits. Does this sometimes involve some compromising? Yes, and our coaching staff works very well with coaches and teachers of co-occurring sports and activities. Contact our Academy Director to discuss your child’s particular situation.
Q5: What does the 2024-25 Junior Academy calendar look like?
Summer phase Begins in May with players training twice per week (Mon/Wed) for 90 minutes per training. In this first phase, we introduce our Academy training curriculum and our performance expectations. We compete in one summer tournament (sometimes two). If a vacation must happen for your family, we will support your plan. There is a 2-week break in late June/early July. The summer phase ends mid-August with a 2-week break before the beginning of the fall phase in late Aug/early September.
Fall phase Restarts in late August/early September with training twice/week (Mon/Wed) and teams play games on 4 Saturdays in a competitive regional league with some travel in a 7 v 7 format (2 games per team on each game date = 8 total fall games). This schedule allows for some open weekends for families. The fall phase ends with a 3-week break before the beginning of our winter indoor phase.
Winter phase Restarts after Thanksgiving or early December. Players train indoors, twice/week (Mon/Wed) on hardwood gym floors, focusing on futsal-style training and small-sided intrasquad competitions. Interested players are sometimes grouped together to compete in a local indoor soccer league (extra cost). There is a 2-week break during late December-early January and the winter phase ends with a 2-week break before the beginning of spring phase.
Spring phase Restarts in mid-February. Players move outside once again to train twice/week (Mon/Wed) and play games on 4 Saturdays in a competitive regional league with some travel in a 7 v 7 format. Just like the fall, our spring league includes 4 game dates (2 games per team on each game date = 8 total spring games). This allows for some open weekends for families. There is a 1-week break during Spring Break week and a 2-week break after our spring phase ends before players try out for U11 teams or our younger returning players come back for the start of another Junior Academy season in mid-May.
Q6: I just found out about the Junior Academy! Can my youngster still register for your program?
Youngsters are eligible to enter our Junior Academy “mid-stream” during the year, after they are assessed over two consecutive team training sessions! Anyone with questions or interest in the Junior Academy at any time during the year should contact Jurgen at doc@emfc.org
EMFC Facebook Page