Crossfire Premier Mission & Core Values
-Our values decide our character. Our character decides our value-
Mission
The Mission of Crossfire Premier is to promote the game of soccer by providing both boys and girls with the highest possible level of technical and tactical training, athletic development and competitive team play, as well as offering those highly-skilled and capable players with endless opportunity to further excel in the sport. It is Crossfire’s goal to become recognized across the United States as a consistently successful soccer club that provides model development for its players, both in terms of soccer development and personal growth. Over the past decade, Crossfire Premier has produced players that have risen to a variety of higher levels of play, from NCAA Division I universities to the U.S. Under-17 Youth National Team Residency Program, various other U.S. Soccer Youth National teams and pools, the full U.S. Men’s National Team, including a player who played in the 2014 FIFA World Cup, and on to professional careers in the U.S. and European leagues. There are truly no limits with Crossfire.
Core Values
Core values are guiding principles that dictate behavior and action. The way you behave will either bring out the best or the worst of your capability. Even more than the soccer tactics and technique we teach, it’s vital we think about, set and exhibit the values we hope to pass on to our young players, for these are the most critical lessons we can impart. Who our players are when their time at Crossfire Premier comes to a close, the people they become—that is the club’s legacy. If we are on the right path, if we create and follow an unwavering and unchanging guide, we will help develop better people. And better people make better soccer players. That is, by developing individual players and giving them the tools, skills and character they need to contribute beyond the soccer field, they will also develop the tools, skills and character to contribute more effectively on it.
Respect—the ability to see and celebrate the value in ourselves and others—is a fundamental part of sport; respect for others, respect for coaches, for parents, for teammates, and respect for the game—we must give and demand respect, as in soccer, the intensity of the moment heightens each action, magnifying the impact of every development. A player who values the contributions of his or her teammates, and who also displays the self-respect necessary to believe in oneself, will indeed make in impact, in soccer and in life.
Effort is a value that can take us to unthinkable heights, leading us to achieve targets and objectives that may at other times appear inaccessible. Effort—and the traits required for effort: Dedication, determination, sacrifice and perseverance—will take players further than they could even dream. Over the long haul, it’s effort that wins the day, not luck. Immediate wins are often fleeting and momentary; at Crossfire Premier we are preparing our players for the marathon of life.
Ambition is the desire to achieve the maximum performance, no matter the task at hand. It is not just about doing things well; it’s about doing everything as well as possible. Ambition is about improving every day—the Crossfire way. Other values, such as excellence, patience, discipline and motivation, are required as well, but ambition is at our core. At Crossfire Premier, we need to set targets and then set about achieving them. Ambition is the surest way, for it is the impulse to grow. If we want a higher performance from our players, we must first begin with a higher purpose.
Teamwork, at its base, is the commitment to a common goal. There are undeniable benefits to knowing that you are part of a group, and if our values and beliefs are aligned with the values and beliefs of the organization or the team, then we will work harder towards its success. In time, we want our coaches and players to understand that by acting to benefit the whole, they’ll reach new heights as an individual. Teams achieve what individuals cannot, as in the end success can be attributed to how a team works together under pressure, how they understand the importance of teamwork and loyalty, and how they were willing to do a hundred things just 1% better.
Often when athletes achieve the goals they have set for themselves, they start feeling superior, and this leads them to forget certain values that have helped them to achieve those very goals. Humility consists of knowing how to be clear about one’s values, and to maintain and defend them even in situations where you are clearly more superior and successful. Only with humility will a player continue to grow, and seek to grow, after achieving any number of goals. Be humble, and seek always to be better. If you are not growing anywhere, you’re not going anywhere.