Developmental Academy

TEAMS

Players are placed on teams based upon who registers for the program. Teams will be filled out by the PSC Iowa Academy Director and will be selected to be evenly talented teams.

TRAINING

Developmental Academy teams will train from mid-August to the end of October in the fall and mid-March (after spring break) through the first week in June for the spring season. The training sessions will be conducted at the Prairie and Kirkwood soccer fields by PSC Iowa coaching staff.  Each team will train at least one (1) day a week, for 60-75 minutes per session, with their designated PSC Iowa staff coach.

PSC Iowa follows a specifically designed, age-specific, curriculum that will help the players develop their soccer skills and instill a love for the game. We will also offer playing and training options in January and February.

COACHING STAFF

All training is planned and overseen by PSC Iowa's Academy Director, Michael Robertson. He has over 30 years of coaching experience, including 17 years coaching college, 23 years of high school coaching, and over 12 years coaching club soccer. He holds a US Soccer National C License.

The main assistant coach to the Academy Director is Steven Robertson. Steve has an impressive background coaching soccer, including over 15 years coaching college, 25 years coaching high school, over 12 years coaching club soccer, and 5 years experience as a staff coach in the Iowa ODP program. He also holds a US Soccer National C License.

All other staff coaches will complete their applicable Grass Roots license before coaching for PSC Iowa.

LEAGUES

The Developmental Academy players will participate in the PSC Iowa Developmental League (PSC-DL). The PSC-DL is played on six (6) Sundays, and the dates for the Fall 2023 season are: September 7, September 14, September 21, October 5, October 12, and October 19. The make-up dates will be September 28 for the September dates, and October 26 for the weekends in October.

The Developmental Academy will also participate in intra-club "Friendlies" each season. It will be on three (3) weekends (one day of the weekend) and each weekend will be hosted by one of the participating clubs. These were created to give the Developmental Academy some competition against clubs in the area that train in similar ways and be able to see if the players are progressing as they should be during the season. The intra-club "Friendlies" with Cedar Valley SC and FC United will be scheduled in the beginning of August between the clubs after teams have been formed.

TOURNAMENTS

The Developmental Academy will also participate in one local tournament per season (one in the fall and one in the spring). The tournaments selected are local as to minimize the travel and costs for players. In the fall we will attend the Midwest Classic at Tuma Soccer Complex and in the spring we will attend the Moonlight Classic in Waterloo, IA. The costs of these tournaments (entry fees and coaches expenses) are an additional to the yearly/season fees.

UNIFORMS

PSC Iowa is a Nike Soccer club. The uniform kit, that players are required to purchase, will include: two (2) jerseys, one (1) pair of shorts, and one (1) pair of socks. The approximate cost of the required items is $70.00. Players can also purchase optional items, such as warm-ups and backpacks, at an additional cost. Each player is responsible for purchasing their uniform.

Players will also be required to wear practice shirts at every training session. This item is part of the Academy fees and will be provided to the players at the team meeting in August.

FEES

PSC Iowa Developmental Academy fee for the year is $345.00. The fee for the fall season only is $195.00.

The fees include PSC Iowa administrative costs and coaching fees. There are other team fees that are in addition (uniforms and tournaments) and those fees are highlighted in above sections.

TEAM MEETING

PSC Iowa will hold team meetings the first week of each season. These meetings will be used to discuss the upcoming season including the schedules, tournament selections, and other team specific items.

 

Basic Program

Schedule

For the Fall 2025 season, the program will start on Sunday, September 7 and run through Sunday October 19. There will be six (6) Sundays that we play on and we have two Sundays as make-up dates should there be a reason to postpone a day (i.e. weather issues). We will play a three week block in September (September 7, 14, and 21) and a three week block in October (October 5, 12, and 19). We will use September 28 and October 26 as make-up dates, with the first date being the make-up for the September dates and the second for the October dates. If we do not have any postponements, then those dates will be off weekends. 

Teams

Teams will not be pre-determined before the season. Each Sunday the PSC Iowa coaching staff will divide the teams, after the skills session, for the games. This is done so that each player gets to play games with most, if not all, the other players in their age group. This helps the players with their social development and also limits any "competitive imbalance" to a single game instead of the entire season.

Uniform

Each player will receive a PSC Iowa Developmental shirt as part of their registration fee. This shirt will serve as their uniform for each Sunday. Each player will be required to provide their own shorts, socks, shin guards, and soccer shoes. It is requested, but not required, that players wear black shorts and black soccer socks. 

Ball

Each player is required to provide their own soccer ball. This is necessary for the skills portion of each Sunday. Each age has a specific size ball that the players will need to bring. The following table shows what size soccer ball is required, by group:

Pre-Kindergarten/Kindergarten (ages 4-5) - Size 3

1st Grade/2nd Grade (ages 6-7) - Size 3

2nd Grade/3rd Grade (ages 8-9) - Size 4

3rd Grade/4th Grade (ages 10-11) - Size 4