Academy General Information

What is the Sparta Academy?

The Sparta United Soccer Club Boys/Girls Academy, ages U6- U12, consists of the following 3 groups:

U6-U8 Grassroots (4 v 4)
U9-U10 State X-league (7 v 7)
U11-U12 X-league (9 v 9)

What is the Philosophy of the Sparta Academy?

Our philosophy for the Sparta United Soccer Club Academy is that winning is not important now. Winning will come later when it is important.

Our emphasis is placed on the technical skills of the individual. We want to make sure that the individual always has a ball at his feet and is always learning new techniques. It is important that the individual player at U6-U12 can dribble out of a tough situation even if takes many attempts. We realize that at times the he may lose the ball to the other team, but the important thing is that the child keeps learning and can one day get out of these tough situations on their own. We know that if we teach them now we will not have to teach them later, because later may be too late.

As our academy approach has proved, winning becomes common place for our teams from U13 and above.

Academy Coaches / Staff

What are the Qualifications of Sparta Academy Coaches?

Each Sparta Academy Staff Coach holds at least a USSF "D" license or higher and some coaches also hold the USSF "National Youth License". The "National Youth License" is designed for coaches that work specifically with children, ages 5-11.

Our team coaches have the UYSA grassroots license in an applicable format: 4:4, 7:7, 9:9 and/or 11:11.

Who Runs the Sparta Academy?

Academy Director for Boys

Nic Koelliker
nickoelliker@spartacademy.org
801-518-5789

Academy Director for Girls

Mitchell Hart
mitchellhart@spartaunited.org
385-455-3288

Are All Sparta Academy Coaches Qualified to Coach at this Level?

At Sparta United Soccer Club, our belief is that our academy is our future. You will find that throughout our Academy Program your child will not be coached or trained by a volunteer parent. Your child will receive the most extensive training there is in the State of Utah.

Each one of our "academy" teams is trained by one of our "staff coaches" and coached by someone who has had extensive training in youth soccer and holds a USSF License. Each coach is carefully interviewed and observed in a coaching environment before they are hired as a coach in our academy.

Academy Teams

How Many Teams are in the Sparta Academy?

U6 - U8:

7 Boys Teams
2 Girls Teams

U9 - U12:

19 Boys Teams
6 Girls Teams

What Leagues to Sparta Academy Teams Participate In?

U7 & U8 play in a local league that consists of clubs throughout the Salt Lake Valley, including teams from Blue Knights, Avalanche, AFC Apex, Cottonwood FC, USA, Impact and many others. All games are played at varying parks in Sandy.

U9 - U12 participate in the Utah Youth Soccer Association (UYSA) X-League. They also play teams throughout the Salt Lake Valley, however they play a more extensive list of clubs. Games are played all throughout the Salt Lake Valley, including Tooele. U11/U12 Premier teams in the X-league can play state-wide from Logan to Spanish Fork.

How Many Players are on Each Team?

In our U6, U7, U8 & U9 age groups, we like to keep 10 players per team. Our U6, U7, and U8's play with 4 on the field and no goalkeeper, whereas the U9 & U10 play with 6 on the field and a goalkeeper.

Our U11 & U12 age groups usually have 11-13 players per team. They each play with 8 players on the field and 1 goalkeeper.

Academy Games / Practices / Tournaments

How Many Practices are Held Each Week?

Each team will practice a minimum of two times a week during the fall (Aug-Oct) and spring (Mar-May) seasons.

During the summer (June-July) each team will practice a minimum of one session per week. This session will be run by a Sparta Academy "Staff Coach" or by an academy "team coach".

In the summer Sparta also organizes a 3:3 street soccer tournament and or a technical clinic.

During the winter (Nov-Feb) there will be a minimum of one session per week. However, these sessions are optional for U7 and U8.

How Many Games are Held Each Week?

During the fall (Aug-Oct) and spring (Mar-May) there will be one game per week. Usually a total of 10 games per season.

The summer months (Jun-Jul) will consist of friendlies and/or tournaments which will determined by each individual coach so the number of games will vary.

Throughout the winter (Nov-Feb) each team will participate in an indoor league, if available, with usually one game per week.

Do Academy Teams Participate in Tournaments?

Our U9-U12 teams participate in a number of tournaments throughout the year. Each team in these age groups are required to participate in the United Champions Cup in July every year. They will also participate in a few in-state tournaments which may include some summer tournaments and President’s Cup in February.

Our U11/U12 Premier teams are required to participate in State Cup in May.

Unfortunately, it is very difficult to find tournaments for our U7 and U8 teams. If we by chance find one, we will evaluate whether or not it is in the best interest of the players and the team to participate.