Led by our Senior DOC--Sam Alden--the U17-19 Program has been newly revamped for the 2018-19 Season with a new schedule and format that better serves our oldest players.

Gone are the days of having 7-10 players at training. We plan on having separate Senior Boys & Girls player pools, which ensures a critical mass for trainings, allows for players of different commitment levels to participate without diluting the experience, and ensures a competitive environement for players irrespective of age. Further, the new calendar reflects a periodization model that allows for a critical balance between trainings and competitive matches, prevents player burnout, and ensures that they are peaking/resting at the right times. 

Below, you will find a complete overview of this new program, including:

• Staff
• Objectives
• Schedule & Events
• Cost

Our Staff for the U17-19 Program has coaches with experience playing and coaching at all levels but, most importantly, are all very well connected and experienced in pushing players on to find the right college fit--whether soccer is a part of it or not.

Senior DOC: Sam Alden

Head of College Soccer: Adam Pfeifer

Head Coaches

• 2002 Boys Premier: Jared Cipriano
• 2002 Girls Premier: Noah Goss-Woliner
• 2001 Boys Premier: Sam Alden
• 00/01 Girls Premier: Gene Smith

Vermont is a unique place in the best possible way. Unlike other areas, high school soccer is a large part of your playing experience and we do not want to fight this; we want to complement it. We also understand that our player pool in this state is much smaller than other areas, and that players at this age will inevitably have different reasons for playing. We want to serve you all.

The current model does not serve our oldest players. Here is why we feel there is a need for change:

• HS-aged players have different goals
  • Some want to play in college, some don't--or aren't sure yet--while others play multiple sports. Carrying a large roster and not forcing players to attend events allows us to serve players with a variety of goals and commitment levels while not diluting the experience for those that want to do more.
• Prevent Burnout --> Introduce Periodization Model
  • Give players rest/recovery time after a grueling HS season
  • Indoor season is very long and does not necessarily serve these players
  • Make sure they are peaking/resting at the right times
• Not enough opportunities for players in July/August
  • Players can still travel, attend camps, etc., but we can provide consistent training opportunities for those that are around over the summer months.
  • Allows for players to be better prepared for their high school seasons.
• Vermont weather
  • Why fight the weather? Instead of training on a small space indoors when we have no immediate need to prepare for any events, we want to shift our season so that we are taking advantage of the nice weather and training outdoors through the summer.

November/December -- Focus: Showcases

• Training: Outdoor turf time to prepare for events (2-3 sessions). NO indoor training.
• Events:
  • Boys: NEFC - Nov. 16-18 (Boston, MA area) & Massapequa - Nov. 30 - Dec. 2 (NYC)
  • Girls: NEFC - Nov. 16-18 (Boston, MA area), NEWSS - Nov. 23-25 (NYC), & *maybe* CASL - Nov. 30 - Dec. 2 (Raleigh, NC)

January/February -- Focus: Self-improvement

• Training: 
  • ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​Saturday afternoon: warm-up, technical/rondo, 8v8.
  • Add-on's
    • Senior Academy
    • Strength & Conditioning Session
    • Technical Session
    • Futsal: coaches present, but games managed by kids. Play for fun.
• Events:
  • No travel.

March/April -- Focus: Spring Prep & Showcases

• Training:
  • Outdoor: Turf time to prep for events.
  • Indoor: same as Jan/Feb
• Events:
  • Boys: Manhattan Kickoff Classic - Mar. 1-3 (NYC) & NEFC March Showcase - Mar. 22-24 (Boston, MA area).
  • Girls: Manhattan Kickoff Classic - Mar. 1-3 (NYC) & NEFC March Showcase - Mar. 15-17 (Boston, MA area).
• League Play:
  • 1 team each gender in EDP New England Regional League (if enough of the group is interested)

May/June -- Focus: Tournaments/Showcases

• Training: 2x per week team training (the U17-19 pool will have a full field), with an optional 3rd session & also optional Strength/Conditioning.
• Events:
  • Boys: Empire Cup - Early May (Batavia, W-NY), GPS Memorial Day - May 24-27 (Boston, MA area), EDP Cup Spring Showcase - June 14-16 (Fort Dix, NJ), Mad Dog - June 21-23 (Saratoga Springs, NY).
  • Girls: GPS Memorial Day - May 24-27 (Boston, MA area), EDP Cup Spring Showcase - June 14-16 (Fort Dix, NJ), Mad Dog - June 21-23 (Saratoga Springs, NY).
• League Play:
  • U19 VSL

July/August -- Focus: HS Pre-season Prep & College ID Camps

• Training = Available, but optional
  • 2x a week. Attend when you are in town, don't feel guilty when you are not.
• Events:
  • No Regionals (It's in WV again)
  • NYC Cup Worldwide Showcase - Mid July (NYC)

Mid-August - October -- Focus: HS Season

• Coaches & Senior DOC will attend games, check in with coaches, and track progress.

Players in this age group are approaching a critical juncture in their life: college. With this comes a lot of uncertainty, questions, and anxiety about how to find the right social, academic, and--for many--soccer fit. While we do not force kids to play soccer in college, we want to make sure that every single Far Post player has the opportunity and resources available to them.

100% of Far Post players go on to go to college. Every single player that graduates from Far Post is also capable of playing college soccer at some level, it's just a matter of what their priorities are and also making sure to not sacrifice their future in order to have this opportunity.

All of our coaches at this age group have played and/or coached at various levels of college soccer. We have also brought Adam Pfeifer in as the Head of College Soccer to help with the process. Adam played at BC, was the Asst. Coach at Northestern for 8 years, then Asst. at Middlebury for 2 years, and is now the Head Men's Soccer Coach at Norwich University, so he has plenty of experience and connections at all levels of the game. Adam is available to meet individually with all FP players/families to help them through this process if that's the direction you choose to go.

We've stripped down the cost for these age groups so that you are only paying for the level of commitment you want. Every player will pay the base membership price with all additional events and extra trainings being available a la carte.

Program Fee: $1,000/yr

Extra Fees:

• Futsal: $70/session
• Sr. Academy: $100/yr
• Strength & Conditioning: TBD
• Tournaments: $115 each (covers tournament entry fee and coaching expenses)