US Club Soccer to Host Inaugural Player's First Summit

SOURCE: US Club Soccer

Industry leaders in soccer, education, advanced technologies, business development and player health & safety make up the talented lineup of presenters during the Players First Summit, Dec. 12-14 in Miami Lakes, Florida. The Players First Summit is an educational and collaborative experience exclusively for Players First-licensed clubs. 

While Players First-licensed clubs in attendance are the rightful stars of the show, the story of Players First will largely be told through a variety of panel discussions, lectures, breakout sessions and a keynote speech. Jessica Lahey, a teacher and New York Times best-selling author and columnist, will deliver one of the most anticipated sessions of the Summit during her keynote speech on Dec. 13 about her book: “The Gift of Failure.”

Brian McBride, an ESPN soccer analyst and USMNT legend, is also headlining the talented roster of presenters. McBride will be the opening presentation on Dec. 13 in an impactful Q&A session with Positive Coaching Alliance about his experience as a youth soccer player and how that prepared him for his professional career and life beyond the field.

LaLiga methodology experts – and clinicians of LaLiga Formation Methodology – Carlos Casal and Felipe Vega-Arango are delivering a pair of classroom sessions and a field session to challenge the attendees’ translation of principles learned off the field to implementation on the pitch.

Additionally, there will be three panel discussions throughout the weekend:

• Dec. 13: “Player Health & Safety” with 11+, Player’s Health and Storelli Sports
• Dec. 13: “Technology to Enhance Soccer Development” with Beast Mode Soccer, SportSessionPlanner and TopYa!
• Dec. 14: “Establishing a Stronger Sense of Community” with SoccerParenting, Christian Lavers and two Players First-licensed clubs directors TBA

Further complementing the Summit are lectures from Beyond Pulse, SafeSport and ScoutingZone. A detailed itinerary of the event is available here. While Players First-licensed clubs will experience the first-hand benefits of attendance at the Summit, US Club Soccer is offering continuous coverage of the inaugural event leading up to, during and afterward. Inspired clubs not yet in the Players First-licensed community are encouraged to apply here.

Players First licensing is youth soccer’s “Good Housekeeping Seal,” as it holds clubs accountable to creating a holistic culture that improves the youth soccer experience for players and parents. Players First was founded on five pillars: Club Development, Coaching Development, Player Development, Parent Engagement & Education and Player Health & Safety. Clubs that apply for Players First licensing must prove their commitment to all those facets.

A total of 82 clubs have been approved as Players First licensed in the past year, and within the Players First ecosystem, 13 best-in-class partners are sharing their resources to back the initiative.

ABOUT US CLUB SOCCER: 

A National Association member of the U.S. Soccer Federation, US Club Soccer fosters the growth and development of soccer clubs in order to create the best possible environment for players of all ages.

Anchored by Players First and its five pillars of Club Development, Coaching Development, Player Development, Parent Engagement & Education and Player Health & Safety, US Club Soccer offers registration, league- and cup-based competition platforms, player identification and a variety of other programming, resources and services. 

US Club Soccer is sponsored by Nike and supported by LaLiga through a technical partnership.