About the Crossfire Premier Academy

Crossfire Premier is one of two clubs in Washington and four total in the Pacific Northwest to field U-15/16 and U-17/18 boys teams in the U.S. Soccer Development Academy—and of those four, Crossfire Premier is the only non-professional club.

Crossfire Premier is also the only Academy of the four to provide its players with a complete development pathway, by including a professional training environment and top-level Zone 1 development opportunities within the U-12 Development Academy, giving Crossfire DA teams at U-12, U-13 and U-14, as well as the U-15/16 and U-17/18 squads. Crossfire’s was also among the first clubs in America to field three teams in the U.S. Soccer Girls Development Academy, which will begin play in fall 2017-18. Whether boys or girls, the Crossfire Development Academy operates a programming philosophy based on increased training, fewer total games and more meaningful games, all designed to provide the top players in the state and region with the best development opportunities available.

Already an elite program, competing at the highest possible level of youth soccer in the United States, Crossfire Premier offers even more opportunity for its Academy players, creating what we believe to be the best possible option for top players looking to develop into future college and/or professional athletes. Below are just some of the highlights that set the Crossfire Premier Academy apart.

The Crossfire Premier Academy coaching staff includes an ex-professional head coach, two current college head coaches, three current college assistant coaches, multiple former professional players and four coaches who’ve led clubs as directors, giving our players a range of coaching experience and expertise.
Crossfire Premier operates an official affiliation with AS Roma of Serie A, one of the most recognized professional soccer clubs in the world. The affiliation includes a player identification program for top players interested in a professional career in Europe, as well as supplementary tournament and training opportunities in Europe. In the past year, Crossfire has sent more than 85 boys and girls players to Europe for training and competitions. Additionally, the partnership incorporates a complete coach-development profile, including coaching exchanges, continuing education and advanced player-development resources. Crossfire Premier Academy staff regularly interacts with AS Roma coaches and share curriculum and player identification criteria.
Crossfire Premier operates a comprehensive college preparation and placement program, which includes a unique interactive website guide to the recruiting process. With a nationwide reputation for developing collegiate soccer players and strong ties to college soccer programs across the United States, we believe no other Academy club offers more assistance and guidance to its players looking to move on to NCAA soccer.
Crossfire Academy coaches maintain a network of professional soccer relationships and contacts, including formal partnerships with AS Roma and Nike, which are utilized to provide top players with trials and other opportunities to move directly onto the professional level.
Crossfire Premier coaches follow a complete player-development program from the earliest ages of premier soccer (Zone 1) on through the U-17/18 Academy (Zone 3), ensuring Crossfire players gain the technical skills and tactical awareness necessary for advancement to higher levels of play. Our program’s success is demonstrated by the number of former Crossfire players who’ve gone on to great success at the collegiate and professional level.
Crossfire Premier has begun a new performance-training program, partnering with Force 10 Performance to provide its athletes access to professional, high-level training in a state-of-the-art facility, training meant to accelerate physical development and augment the Crossfire Academy’s team- and technical-training programs. Beyond the total athletic component, also included in the program are player nutrition and sport psychology elements, which are mandatory for Academy players. As a part of the overall program, all Crossfire Academy players undergo quarterly testing and physical assessments.
Crossfire Premier Academy players follow a Code of Conduct that mirrors exactly the standards required at every one of the major professional academies in Europe. At Crossfire, it is believed that adherence to a clear standard of behavior and personal appearance is essential to the overall social, psychological and personal development of each player, which means players who emerge from the Crossfire Academy have developed as confident, upstanding young men and women, not only as soccer players.
The Crossfire Premier Academy teams adhere to a club directive to maintain manageable roster sizes, so all Academy players see considerable game time over the course of the 10-month Development Academy season. We believe it’s vital for young players to play in games as part of their overall development, and our programming ensures each player receive adequate match time, whether as a Full-Time Academy player or as a Development Player who may play for a Crossfire club team while augmenting their match program with Academy games.
Crossfire Premier has a track record of playing players in the Academy up one to four years, when it is appropriate for the development of the player, regardless of whether it adversely affects the results of the team. In the 2015-16 Academy Playoffs, for instance, Crossfire had 7 players eligible for the U-15/16 Academy team on the playoff roster of its U-17/18 team. Three U-15/16 players started in all the U-17/18 playoff games. In the very recent past, Crossfire has also played a U-14 player in U-15/16 matches and one even in six U-17/18 games.
Crossfire Premier provides every Academy player, as well as A team players from Zone 1 through Zone 2, with an Individual Player Plan that details the player’s personal development pathway and target benchmarks, and then provides quarterly evaluations for each player on an A or Academy team, with a coach meeting with the player and a parent to go over the evaluation, enabling our players to concentrate on personal development over the course of the season.
Crossfire Premier has instituted a player leadership group and mentoring program within its Academy, teaching leadership qualities and lessons in individual accountability that will pay dividends for players long after their soccer careers are completed. The program is also meant to grow and foster a sense of community and player-ownership throughout our club, letting everyone from the youngest Zone 1 players to Zone 3 Academy players ready to matriculate out of Crossfire Premier that they are important and have an equal stake in the club’s success.
Crossfire Premier maintains strong relationships with clubs in the local area, working together in the best interests of players and looking to extend Academy opportunities to deserving players across Washington State.
Crossfire Premier believes in, works for and completely supports further development opportunities for our players within U.S. Soccer Youth National Team identification programs, including hosting numerous U.S. Soccer Market Training Centers for the Seattle area, as well as identifying and promoting prospects to Academy Technical Advisors and additional U.S. Soccer National Team scouts. Participation in U.S. Soccer Youth National Team programs is a vital component of the development for elite players, and every year Crossfire Premier sends multiple players to camps and tournaments as members of U.S. YNT teams and player pools.