Shenandoah Valley United

Program Sponsor

Challenge - u7-u12 Age Groups

Challenge Program:

Our primary objective is to provide U7-U12 players a competitive and fun learning environment that encourages individual development, creativity, and understanding of the game. This program is Shenandoah Valley United’s bridge between recreational and travel soccer. Through this program, our players will compete via intra-squad scrimmages and versus other club teams (e.g. Regional league opponents) with similar motivation to improve their game.

Challenge is an 8 week program, which provides two training sessions each week, and a minimum of 1 external match per season. All training and match sessions are run by professionally licensed SVU Coaching Staff.

REGISTRATION & FEES

There are NO REFUNDS of Challenge registration fees after the registration deadline, a player’s registration is a commitment to participating in one season of play.

As a convenience to our families, SVU offers two payments for the Challenge program. Players are register individually for the Fall and Spring seasons. Challenge participants are welcome to make both payments at the time of the Fall registration. Once registration has been completed for each season, all players are expected to reasonably participate in all Challenge program activities. There are no refunds after the registration deadline. Payments can be made on-line via personal soccer accounts, or at the Shenandoah Valley United office if required.

Fees include: registration costs, Adidas uniform, coach background checks (VYSA mandated), coach education, SVU staff management, league fees, club overhead expenses, equipment, field maintenance, certified referee fees, VYSA state association fees and other operational costs.

Challenge (Advanced Development Program)

Challenge Curriculum

Technical Development: Ball Mastery/Control (Dribbling), Receiving & Passing, Striking the Ball, Shooting, Crossing & Finishing
Introduction to Individual/Small-Group Tactics, Principles of Attacking & Defending
System Development, Positional/Functional Development

Challenge Commitment

Fall Season: September-November (8 week program)
Spring Season: March-June (8 week program)

Challenge Matches

Age Groups: Coed U7/U8, COED/All-Boys U9/U10, All-Girls U9/U10

U7/U8: format is 4v4 or 5v5

Intra-squad Matches (Meaning games versus SVU participants)

U9/U10: format is 7v7

Minimum of 3 Club-to-Club Academy Matches (i.e. CVU, Culpeper SC, Dynamo SC)
Referees for Matches
Optional Tournament Opportunities upon evaluation

Challenge Coaching Model

Coordinated by Licensed Coach
Volunteer/ Parent Assistant Coaches
Volunteer/ Parent Team Managers
SVU Staff Support

Challenge Program Dates - Fall 2022

Important Dates: U7/U8-U11/U12

June 11th - Registration Opens
July 4 - Early Registration Deadline
August 7- Late Registration Deadline (Late fee of $15 applies if you register after August 1)
August 8th- Team Meetings (Open House) @Horizons Edge Sports Campus
August 22 - Practices Begin
August 27- Games Begin
October 15 - Last week of Games

Contact the SVU Support Team with Questions: [email protected]

PROGRAM COST

2022-2023 Challenge Program Fees

9-Week Program; One rain-date reschedule (Team Training & Matches) - $145

* 7 games guaranteed!

Uniform - Additional fee $20

* All families who purchased a uniform in Spring 2021 will not need to repurchase a uniform.

FAQs

Who is the Challenge Program for? Your child who is searching for professionally led coaching in an organized and competitive environment, excels in their current program, or is interested in playing travel soccer in the future; Challenge program is perfect for them.

Is there any Tryouts? No. With no tryouts, parents/players are free to determine whether Challenge is right for them based on player athleticism, soccer experience, and potential interest in further soccer development.

Are there a minimum and maximum number of registered players? Yes. Registration is limited to 80 Players. Minimum Registration for each division (U7/U8 and U9/U10) is 25 players. If player interest is low, then parents will be called and offered placement on recreational teams and refunded the difference of program fees.

Practice Information: Challenge program trains twice per week, with one game per weekend. Practices will take place at Horizons Edge outdoor turf.

Are games inner squad format? Inner squad (COED) games are the majority of games played in the Challenge Program.

What Academy games? Academy games are for the U9/U10 age groups only. The pathway from U7/U8 age group introduction "learning to train" to Academy's philosophy of introduction "training to compete" is where we begin to see the differences between training and games. The U9/U10 age group, along with playing intra-squad games, teams will also participate in Home/Away games vs. regional CCL clubs (e.g. VBR Star, CVU, Culpeper SC, New River United, etc.) this is to serve as an introduction to our Travel soccer program.

Does Challenge travel? What days do they travel and how far do they travel? Games against other opposing teams may be scheduled, minimal travel required. All games are on Saturday and the majority will be local to Harrisonburg. Families will not travel more than once, if at all, or over an hour and a half distance. (For example) Within the 8 week program, SVU will communicate prior with CCL (opposing travel club academies U8-U10) teams to schedule friendlies to provide a holistic approach to the program. Challenge is preparation for the next step in SVU's player development model, being travel soccer.

Request for a refund and to withdraw from the Rec program must be made through an e-mail or written notice prior to the first game of the season. Refunds will be issued minus a $20.00 processing fee, if communicated ahead of the first game. Refunds will be sent in the form of a check and will take about 3 weeks to be processed.