Independence Staff Complete 3 Day Coaching Education Program

August 11, 2023

From July 27th-29th, Charlotte Independence Soccer Club staff embarked on a coaching educational experience. 

"It was great to welcome all our staff back after a well-deserved break in the month of July", said Director of Soccer Neil Roberts. "Our goal with our coaching development program is to provide environments for our coaching staff to grow and continue to build on the core principles of The Independence Way. It is also vital that we come together as a group to collaborate and share ideas so that we can all move forward as one in a productive manner. Our recent 3-day coaching ed and orientation program was fantastic and is going to help propel us forward to a great year at Charlotte Independence Soccer Club."

On Day 1, staff traveled to American Legion Memorial Stadium to watch the Charlotte Independence First Team train. During this time, they observed all aspects of the session and took notes. Goalkeeping Coach Blake Ellis participated in helping the First Team Keeps in drills. At the completion of the training session, staff met with Technical Director & Assistant Head Coach Dave Carton to have a breakdown session to discuss what happened. First Team players Clay Dimick, Miguel Ibarra, Joel Johnson, and Academy Contract player from the youth club, Amin Abrahim, conducted a Q&A to discuss their player pathway. 

Day 2 had Directors and Technical Staff travel to the Cornelius Office where the club’s values, The Independence Way, were reviewed. Topics included curriculum, pacing guide, and player behaviors that are related to the club’s core principles. A big emphasis for the day was on player behaviors that the club wanted to develop by position and age group. 

Wrapping up Coaching Educational weekend, staff returned to the Cornelius Office. This time to fully immerse everyone into the various areas of the club. Everyone was broken up into multiple groups and rotated throughout the day. Staff benefited by learning key pieces of methodology as well as understanding resources available to them at Charlotte Independence Soccer Club. To end the day on a high note, everyone had the opportunity to take headshots where each person was able to showcase their personality. 

“I am absolutely inspired by the organization and content that went into coaching education workshops over the last several days leading up to the new season”, said North Meck Junior Girls Director & Pre-ECNL Coach Stephanie Pezzullo. “The leaders of our club touched upon every aspect of the sport, but it was enlightening to learn how all the elements involved within The Independence Way evolved around how the individual player is our primary focus within a team sport. The depth into which we went over logistics, and the model used to describe our philosophy, identity, and style of play, was nothing short of meticulous. All three days of educational workshops provided us with an invaluable and abundant amount of resources/tools for all staff to use. As a new coach at the club, I am beyond impressed and excited to embark upon the CISC journey of helping players/teams achieve their goals!”

A special thank you to all the staff who helped organize and lead sessions. We welcome new staff to the club and look forward to continuing engagement with our staff through collaboration, education and sharing our love for soccer and The Independence Way. Go JACKS!

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