Led by our Senior DOC--Sam Alden--the U17-19 Program was revamped in 2018 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 Coaches

• 02 Boys Academy: Adrian DuBois
• 02 Girls Academy: 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.

Note: with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, we are unsure about whether showcases will happen and/or whether we will be able to travel to them even if they do. We will plan for regional travel only, with the below schedule. However, we may need to adapt and get creative in order to find competitive match outlets.

November/December -- Focus: Showcases

• Training: Outdoor turf time to prepare for events (schedule based on availability).
• Events:
  • Boys: NEFC - Nov. 20-22 (Boston, MA area) & FC Stars - Dec. 5-6 (MA)
  • Girls: NEFC - Nov. 20-22 (Boston, MA area) & FC Stars - Dec. 5-6 (MA)

January/February -- Focus: Self-improvement

• Training: 
  • Boys: Sunday & Wednesday evenings
  • Girls: Sunday & Monday evenings
  • Add-on's
    • Strength & Conditioning 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 (schedule based on availability).
  • Indoor: same as Jan/Feb
• Events:
  • TBD

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:
  • TBD
• League Play:
  • U19 VSL

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

• Training = Available, but optional
  • 1x a week. Attend when you are in town, don't feel guilty when you are not.
• Events:
  • TBD

Mid-August - October -- Focus: HS Season

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

You can find a complete schedule of trainings & events at the following link. Simply navigate to the tab with the appropriate birth year.

Master Schedule Link

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. All of our coaches at this age group have played and/or coached at various levels of college soccer and are more than willing to help interested players navigate this difficult process. But, we feel strongly that this process needs to be driven by the player. If you think college soccer is something you want to commit to, reach out to your head coach to get the ball rolling.

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: $1,250/yr ($200 deposit followed by monthly payments Sept. 1 - Apr. 1).

Extra Fees:

• Futsal: $70/session
• Strength & Conditioning: TBD
• Tournaments: TBD, roughly $115/each