Hello SLSG Members!  Welcome to Volume Seven of The SLSG Touchline Newsletter.  This month’s edition kicks off with the announcement that men’s pro outdoor soccer is back in St. Louis with Jeff Cooper’s latest adventure - AC St. Louis!  The SLSG Touchline will then spotlight it’s new off the field community outreach

Please support our newsletter sponsor - Twin Lake Trucking. 

program with it’s involvement in the Southside Soccer Club.  A US Development Academy update comes next, Athletic Republic tips and then the Touchline finishes up with a Holiday Wish from the board. 

Please help spread the word on our SLSG Winter Camp Programs, Spring Tournaments, the January SLSG Parent Social and Athletica / AC St. Louis Season tickets.  The Touchline is sponsored by Twin Lake Trucking, their company contact information is listed at the end.  Thank you in advance for taking the time to read The SLSG Touchline.

The St. Louis entry into the newly formed North American Soccer League, NASL, will be called AC St. Louis. Jeff Cooper, chairman of St. Louis Soccer United, made the announcement at a press conference conducted at The Anheuser-Busch Soccer Park. The logo for the new franchise was also unveiled.

AC St. Louis also announced it has reached a partnership agreement with Heemal Vaid and Sanjeev Vaid of the United Kingdom. The two brothers will serve as directors with the club.

Furthermore, AC St. Louis announced that Claude Anelka has been named head coach of the club. Claude Anelka recently served as head coach of FC Trappes in France, and has coached at a variety of levels over the past decade in Europe and the United States. Claude Anelka is the older brother of current France international Nicolas Anelka who plays for Chelsea FC.

“It is very exciting for us to reveal the identity of our new team,” said Cooper. “I am also extremely proud to be able to announce that Francisco Filho will be the director of player development for our club, and that Claude Anelka will be our head coach. We are incredibly excited to have someone of Francisco Filho’s stature coming here to work with our young players in St. Louis. Plus, we have a very experienced head coach that is passionate about player development. The future for young soccer players here in our community has never been brighter.”

AC St. Louis also announced that former Manchester United Academy director Francisco Filho will serve as director of player development for the club. Filho previously instructed youth players for the French Football Federation at their prestigious academy located at Clairefontaine. Filho has overseen the development of such international stars as Cristiano Ronaldo, Thierry Henry, Eric Cantona, Jean Pierre Papin, and Nicolas Anelka. Filho will now be responsible for the development of youth players for both AC St. Louis, and its sister franchise, Saint Louis Athletica of the WPS.

AC St. Louis is one of the charter members of the recently formed North American Soccer League. The NASL will begin play in the spring of 2010. The NASL currently has 10 founding members including: St. Louis, Miami, Tampa Bay, Carolina, Atlanta, Montreal, Vancouver, Baltimore, Rochester, and Minnesota.

St. Louis Scott Gallagher is proud to announce the latest facet of the SLSG Community Outreach Programs with it’s involvement in the the Southside Soccer Club which is a part of the Catholic Charities Community Services Southside .

Founded over twenty years ago as a collaboration of area St. Vincent de Paul Conferences, Catholic Charities Community Services Southside (CCCS Southside) has become one of the St. Louis Area’s leaders in culturally competent outreach and services among the diverse immigrant and refugee community.

The mission of the CCCS Southside Youth Services Department is to provide culturally competent services to children, youth, and their families by implementing low cost year-round quality youth development programs which address the academic, physical, social, and emotional needs of each individual through organized activities provided in a safe, structured, and inclusive environment.

Based on a needs assessment conducted among CCCS Southside immigrant and refugee families, 70% of parents and guardians of students currently enrolled say that health and fitness are important goals for their children.

Unfortunately, parents say there are very few resources that these families can access to meet these goals, because youth athletic programs in Missouri (1) are too expensive, (2) are too competitive to allow their child access, (3) do not provide transportation, and (4) do not have staff which speak the primary languages of parents.

Based on this fitness need assessment the Southside Soccer Club was formed and is available to any South City youth player from a low-income family, regardless of soccer skill level, charges registration fee of 5 dollars per player, provides transportation to youth players in Catholic Charities vans with licensed drivers, and Youth Services staff speak the primary languages of the majority of parents of youth players.  

For $144 dollars per player (at 25 players), the outside expenses are covered for the Southside Soccer Club. This amount excludes the final field trip.  Including the field trip, the amount comes to $150 dollars per player. The budget below does not reflect all staff time and equipment needs, but outlines the most basic expenses needed to run the program.  The complete budget can be provided upon request - click here.

Become a Fan: facebook.com/ACStLouisFans

The Southside Soccer Club will grow the sport of soccer in an underserved community in the St. Louis metropolitan area by offering very low cost and high quality soccer training to 25 immigrant and refugee teens that live in South City.

The Southside Soccer Club will help 6th-12th graders of diverse skill levels, countries of origin, and life experiences build community through sport. The Southside Soccer Club is currently the only such program of its kind in the St. Louis Metropolitan area and the results have been very positive.

St. Louis Scott Gallagher provided in kind donations of jerseys and soccer balls to each player, so they could continue their practice at home. The trainers planned a field trip to a St. Louis Scott Gallagher game to help participating youth feel part of the larger soccer community here in St. Louis. Finally, the program culminated in a Family Field Day, where Southside Soccer Club players played an exhibition game for family members and friends in the community.

Last weekend, SLSG’s sent it’s four US Development Academy teams to the first event of the season at the Reach 11 Sports Complex in Phoenix. 

The event was the Development Academy Winter Showcase and International Friendlies where all 77 Academy teams, plus four Under-17 international teams, played three games over the course of the extended

weekend, testing their everyday preparation. Every game between Academy teams at the Winter Showcase counts toward the season standings, which will determine the final 12 teams with the best points per game that will advance to the 2010 playoffs.

Throughout the weekend, ussoccer.com had been highlighting the theme for the 2009-10 Development Academy season of Everyday Training. The Everyday theme, which includes individual training, team training, off-field routines and games, was highlighted in video content featuring members of the Men’s National Team and youth national team coaches, and player education opportunities found inside the Athletes’ Lounge. To learn more about Everyday Environment, click the USDA image above.

SLSG Illinois’ Director of Youth Program Development - Dale Schilly on the experience, “The Academy Showcase events continue to get better.  When you think you have seen the best the youth game has to offer, the Academy presents with this very high quality facility, an extremely high level of competition and fields lined with college coaches.  It was another great event.”

“It was a good first weekend for the U-16 USDA team.” says SLSG Missouri’s USDA U16 Head Coach Tim Leonard,  “3 quality opponents, our first competitive games together, and we walked out of there with a bit of confidence that we can take into the regular season.  Looking forward to working with this group the rest of the way.”

Here is wishing you a safe and happy holiday season.  Good luck in 2010!

~St. Louis Scott Gallagher Board of Directors

Earlier this fall, St. Louis Scott Gallagher recently started the SLSG Performance and Therapy group which is Athletic Republic St. Louis, Orthopedic Center of St. Louis, and Rehab.

The Athletic Republic arm of this group is to help our athletes become faster, fitter and more powerful. Athletic Republic will improve your running mechanics, your

stride, your knee drive, your arm swing, your leg turnover and even the way you carry your head. You’ll be fluid and

efficient, far more powerful and sustain your effort far longer than you ever thought possible.

Click on the image to the right to learn this month’s special tip. For more information go to SLSGsoccer.com and click

on the Performance and Therapy button.

Catholic Charities Community Services Southside Adopt a Player Form - click here

For more elaborate program structure / detail - click here

SLSG Parent Social

Date: Saturday, January 30, 2010

Time:  8:00 p.m. - midnight

Where:  Sheraton Westport

For more information, click the ad to the left.

Mark Dorsey, Head Coach of the U18 SLSG Missouri USDA says, “The Academy Winter Showcase was a wonderful venue for our players to show their skills & talents against the top players in the country. The experience of playing soccer on an elite stage in front of hundreds of college & professional coaches was unlike any showcase that our players have participated in. Hats off to US Soccer for putting on a top notch showcase.”

“As a club it is very important our involvement in the community and the dedication to reaching out to those in need and less fortunate through the game of soccer.  We are proud to be a part of the Southside Soccer Club project where as an organization we can assist in the efforts of providing an opportunity for many children to enjoy the game, says Mark Santel, Executive Director of SLSG.  “Your support of this cause is greatly appreciated.”

AC St. Louis and Saint Louis Athletica will call The Anheuser-Busch Soccer Park home, and will have expected home schedules of 14 games and 12 games respectively. 2010 Season tickets for AC St. Louis and Athletica are on sale now.  Combo season ticket packages are also available.  Simply call 1-888-STL-GOAL.