We believe in a long-term project to help develop skillful, creative and most importantly, intelligent players that have the capacity to work in any formation or structure that any future coaches will require them to play. This is known as the 'principles of play', which are the basic fundamentals of penetration via dribbling, passing and supporting runs (attack) and delay, cover, compactness and supporting players (defence).

Like in a classroom, we will do our best to deliver the content and just like all individual learners in a classroom, all players in the KDC Soccer School will learn these principles in their own time. This will ultimately depend on their dedication to the game and their desire to reach a higher level, based on their own ambition and grit. For this to occur, we strongly believe that all sessions involve the ball and decision making to give players the opportunity to solve their own problems on the field. Part of this skill development involves dynamic functional technique, which is best described as the key basics of passing and receiving the ball with all parts of the body in isolation, before adding passive pressure, and finally moving onto full pressure or match play. The 11v11 game will eventually become the best teacher, but we believe that there are certain elements that are best developed with feedback and correction to fast track learning.

When a young child is given a book to read, the process of learning does not simply involve them picking up the book and reading it with complete understanding. In order to understand the book to its fullest, the child needs to first know the letters, then the sounding of the letters, followed by grammar, conjugation, verbs etc. It is these details or 'skills' that will allow the child to understand the book and then learn from the book. Without the skills, it is impossible for the child to enjoy the book to its fullest and engage with it. That is the process that we apply to the skill development of players so that they can eventually experience the game in the best possible way. Once these fundamentals have been developed, it is up to the player's themselves to apply this dynamic functional technique in training games and then finally, in competitive matches. Of course there are ways to do this that encourage the child to have as much fun as possible on their journey of development.

We appreciate that the delivery of soccer to young players is a vast and highly diverse topic, and we don't profess to have all of the answers to the best way to develop a player. Our program will always evolve and will improve as our knowledge and experience grows. What we do believe is that by understanding our players needs, and having empathy for their mental health as well as their physical health, we can create the best environment for our students to learn. This is why our sessions and our matches will be filled with children making mistakes by challenging themselves to reach for something that is just out of reach but they can almost touch it. It could be particular passing style, a dribble that they have been practicing or a shot from an uncomfortable position using their opposite foot. These mistakes are the cornerstone of a player's continual growth as a footballer and as a person. Many of the greatest minds, athletes and success stories throughout the history of humankind have come from failure and the learning that comes with it.

On the other side of failure lies success, and this is the journey that we want every player in the KDC Soccer School to take during their time with us. We love taking that journey with them and we believe that by instilling grit and determination into each student will ultimately help them have success in the future.

Meet our students