Focus on Player Development:

The principal objective of the Grasshopper FC program is Player Development. Through disciplined, organized, consistent and age-appropriate training methods, the players will develop into a group capable of playing purposeful, intelligent and mature soccer. With this progression, and the steadfast adherence to the curriculum and key concepts of play, the ability to play winning soccer will also develop. This program is for players who want to be skilled, smart, dynamic, impact players at higher levels.

Progressive Curriculum:

Essential to any player development program is an organized, structured, and Progressive Curriculum, yet most youth soccer programs do not follow any specific developmental milestones. Grasshopper FC staff work in a coordinated way, utilizing a detailed teaching program with specific milestones for development of players based on age, and the four qualities of a player. In this way, we can target and track achievement over each age level in technical, tactical, physical, and psychological aspects.

Age-Based Player Development Model:

Although incorporating various methodologies to teach the curriculum, the GFC approach is centered on the Youth Player Development Model promoted by Horst Wein, the renowned German-born youth player-development expert with the Spanish Federation (RFEF). The model is based on the philosophy that “Children will only learn quickly, effectively, and thoroughly when the demands of the training sessions or competitions they participate in match their intellectual, psychological, and motor skills.” For more information about this model please read Developing Youth Soccer Players by Horst Wein.

Extended Nurture Period:

Players develop and mature at different rates. GFC acknowledges this fact within our programs in ways that profoundly impact the development possibilities for young players. GFC Academy (for u7-u10 players) is a registration-based program, meaning that all players are welcomed to enroll. A difference in maturity between two u8 players, for example, must be expected where player age varies by up to 12 months, and exposure to soccer ranges from 1-4 years. GFC Academy does not select, stream, or cut players at this age and allows every child to develop in a productive learning environment. Within our Teams programs, GFC strives to select players based on potential (various qualities of athleticism and personality), as opposed to current level of maturity or athleticism. We then make long-term commitments to providing consistent, ongoing, and undifferentiated development experiences for all players under GFC leadership.

Key Concepts of Play:

Another important supplement to the curriculum is a clear statement of the "general rules" of how to play the game, the Key Concepts of Play. Grasshopper FC staff weave the key concepts into the program each and every day, making these essential ideas part of the soccer psyche of each player. These concepts range from early basics such as no aimless kicking, and one player on the ball, to more advanced concepts like playing in certain situations to make opponents face their own goal to provide an attacking advantage and a disadvantage in transition to attack for the opposing team should the ball be given away. GFC players from the earliest age will play toward all points on the compass, not strictly north. Deceptive 1v1 attacking habits and proper 1v1 defending habits will be in the make-up of GFC players. Essential tactical habits, such as playing the way one faces under pressure, winning the ball to teammates as opposed to oneself, and various other uses of deception are further examples.

To view Key Concepts document

Dominant Soccer:

Important to both success and enjoyment of the game is a mental state that fosters effective and attractive attacking soccer. The orientation around a dominant state of mind begins early with, for example, a clear focus on individual ability on the ball at the youngest ages, and progresses to the older ages with, for example, superior tactical organization, both when in possession and out of possession of the ball. As Louis van Gaal (Ajax Amsterdam, AZ Alkmaar, Dutch National Team) has said, “Dominant Soccer means that you are the team that decides the flow of the game. Meaning creating more chances than the opponent, playing offensively and doing this based on technical and tactical capacity, whereby the will to win plays an essential role. You therefore assume an offensive rather than defensive organization. The core of this is that you decide what happens on the field.”

To view Dominant Soccer document

Team Coaching Model:

The Grasshopper FC coaching model revolves around Team Coaching. All aspects of the development process are worked by our staff in a collaborative way. Daily training sessions and matches are planned and run in teams of 2-3 trainers. In this way, we can get our staff members "on the same page" regarding all aspects of delivering the program, and the learning experience is standardized and consistent. Through constant collaboration, our coaches make each other better as well. After all, involvement in sport should be a growth experience for the coaches as well as for the players.

Player-to-Coach Ratio:

An additional benefit of the team coaching model is a doubling of the many-to-1 Player-to-Coach Ratio typical of most soccer environments. It is obvious that this greatly enhances the ability of our trainers to demonstrate, observe, and generally interact with the players.

Training-to-Match Ratio:

Players must develop a training mentality, meaning that they understand, appreciate, value and even love the training environment. Training is where the proper habits are instilled, and most of the learning takes places. Matches are the test of what has been learned. Both are important, but the ratio of training exercises to matches (or competitive free-play for academy players) needs to be right, and right for each age level. GFC is in line with the recommendations of the US Soccer Federation and MYSA with respect to Training-to-Match Ratio for Premier Teams. The GFC core program is organized around the following ratios: u7-u10 2:1, u12-u14 2:1 with additional optional training sessions, and u15-u18 3:1 with additional optional training sessions.

Quality Over Quantity:

GFC recognizes a problematic trend in youth soccer as summarized by US Soccer Federation, "Today’s challenge is to balance the quantity of playing and training opportunities to ensure the player has both a healthy and workable schedule and quality, competitive experiences. A dangerous trend is showing itself in youth soccer. Player’s schedules become overloaded when multiplied by the number of teams on which he or she plays. There becomes a tug-of-war between various coaches, and the player gets caught in the middle of a battle over loyalty. An overloaded schedule can easily lead to frustration, stress, burnout, over training, and injury." We have structured our program to provide the highest quality learning environment. In addition to offering great training, and maintaining optimal training-to-match ratios, this means striking the appropriate balance of high-intensity and low-intensity activities, as well as limiting the number of soccer sessions per week to 3-5.

Commitment for Training & Matches

To play for Grasshopper Football Club Premier Teams requires a significant commitment from the player and parents as there are many opportunities for conflicts. With your participation in our GFC program we also assume that soccer has an appropriate place in your list of priorities. Regular training, matches and tournaments should only be missed for emergencies or important school events/responsibilities. In addition we strongly encourage the players to take advantage of the various team and social events like functional clinics, bagel runs, street soccer and team outings. GFC believes that most development takes place in training. This is where the players learn and understand the concepts of individual and team play and where we review and analyze specific game situations. Most players understand that their ability to contribute to the team effort and their personal development will be limited the more training sessions they miss. We recognize that training sessions are missed occasionally but it is the responsibility of the player or parent to inform the coach in a timely manner. Injured players are still encouraged to attend training to see with what the team is working on. Players should wear GFC gear during training sessions.

One Team:

Players in the team programs (not academy programs) are encouraged to commit to this soccer program ONLY in order to maximize the potential of the program in a variety of ways.

Confident learning takes place in an environment where rules are consistent and information is presented in a controlled and coordinated way.
Player ownership of the activity is fostered by offering a base program with various optional activities which allow the player to make participation decisions and feel more in control.
Physical readiness and energy levels are maintained better in a program that does not encourage high intensity activity 7 days per week.
Motivation is in the end the key to any program. Well rested, confident, eager players who feel in control of their soccer will train better, perform better on the field, and enjoy the game more.
In order to maximize the quality of the GFC program, players should be able participate in additional optional training activities (guided street soccer, goalkeeper training, and other functional training), but cannot if they are not over-scheduled.
Playing for GFC requires a high level of commitment and dedication which may make dual rostering difficult – a player’s primary commitment must be to the GFC program.

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Grasshopper Football, Grasshopper FC, Grasshopper Academy, and GFC Academy are trademarks or service marks, or registered trademarks or service marks for Grasshopper Football Club.