Pre-Academy
For boys and girls ages 10-12 born in 2015 and 2014
Our premier development program for the player who is looking for the best competition and training environment.
Capital FC’s Pre-Academy Program is for players U11 and U12 who are looking for top level training and competition alongside players of similar commitment level to the sport.
The program consists of 8 teams - 4 boys and 4 girls teams (Red and Black) - and is designed to prepare players for entrance into Capital FC’s Academy at U13.
PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS
3x Week Training from CFC’s licensed, senior coaching staff
Players train three times a week - 2 team sessions per week with US-Soccer Licensed coaching staff and one technical training session per week. CFC senior staff follow a periodized curriculum that is designed to prepare the players for entrance into CFC’s Academy at U13.
In addition, players train in larger pools to ensure the training environment is always challenging.
Premier League placement through Oregon Youth Soccer Leagues
Teams compete against the best players in Oregon through OYSA’s leagues. These leagues play in both the fall and the spring.
In addition to league play, teams enroll in Oregon Cup Play at the conclusion of the fall/spring season.
All-inclusive pricing
We’ve designed our Pre-Academy program so that you know from the start what the financial commitment will be and can make plans accordingly.
The club fee includes all costs for coaching expenses, uniforms, equipment, tournament entry fees, league fees, Coerver training, indoor soccer fees, and facility fees.
For tournaments that require travel, travel expenses are handled at the team level with support from the club. See below for approximate travel costs associated with each tournament/travel experience. Many teams will work to offset these costs through fundraising and sponsorship.
Not sure if you can afford it? Our club is deeply committed to making sure finances are not a barrier to participation and have many ways to help offset these costs.
Is this the right program for my child?
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The program is for players that were born in 2015 or 2014.
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$175/mo for June-April + $100 annual membership
The club fee includes all costs for coaching expenses, uniforms, equipment, tournament entry fees, league fees, Coerver training, indoor soccer league/training fees, and facility fees.
Scholarships of up to 75% of the fee are available for families based on need.
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This program is for committed players who have shown skill and potential for future growth.
Players are selected for this program based on evaluations performed by staff, and the best players from the club who would like this level of commitment participate with these teams.
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Season Length: 12 months, with several breaks built into the season. 40 weeks total.
Practices: 2-3 practices per week (1 to 1:30 hour length)
Tournaments: 3 tournaments consisting of 3-5 games on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday throughout the summer time.
League Play: 1-2 games per weekend in the fall and spring. Games are played on Saturdays and Sundays.
Cup Play: OYSA State Cup play after the Spring Season in April/May OR President’s Cup concluding the fall season (Black Teams)
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Practices are held either at Capital FC’s Complex, Pioneer Sports Park, or at Salem Indoor.
League games are played home and away within OYSA’s premier division and include teams mostly from the Portland area but may include one or two trips to Bend or Medford depending on who is participating in the league
Tournaments take place in Oregon, with 1 tournament in Washington which would require overnight stay. Travel will increase as players move on to Academy, and we want to prepare players for this experience in their future.
2025-2026 PROGRAM OVERVIEW
Though these dates are not set in stone, here is an overview of what you can expect for the year.
SUMMER
MAY - AUGUST
TRYOUTS | May 12th and 13th, 5:30-7 for 2015’s and 7-8:30 for 2014’s
All players entering Capital FC’s Pre-Academy Program must participate in tryouts. Please register in advance for the event online.
CFC Staff Coaches evaluate players based on the four pillars of the game –
Technical ability
Tactical insight (decision making)
Physical ability
Social (personality)
Players are placed on rosters after the tryout process. Players who do not make the Pre-Academy will be considered for spaces in CFC’s Competitive Program.
Upon acceptance of position, players and families will be invited to an organizational meeting to go over details for the calendar year.
Organizational Meeting Details:
GIRLS:
When: Monday, May 19th, from 6-7pm
Where: East Salem Community Center (1850 45th Ave NE, Salem, OR 97305)
BOYS:
When: Wednesday, May 21st, from 6-7pm
Where: East Salem Community Center (1850 45th Ave NE, Salem, OR 97305)
SUMMER TRAINING AND TOURNAMENT PLAY | June- August
Age groups will receive three 60-90-minute trainings per week beginning mid-late May. Summer tournaments will consist of one tournament per month for the months of June, July & August.
Summer Tournaments and Costs
Capital Cup (All teams) - Salem, OR (June 27-29, 2025). No additional travel expenses required.
PCU Summer Classic (Black) - Portland, OR (July 11-13, 2025). No additional travel expenses required.
Surf Cup NW (Red) - Redmond, WA (July 18-21, 2025). $300-$400 for transportation, food, hotel.
Northwest Cup (Black) - Spokane, WA (July 18-21, 2025). $300-$400 for transportation, food, hotel.
Mt Hood Challenge (Red) - Portland, OR (August 8-10, 2025). No additional travel expenses required.
FALL
SEPTEMBER - NOVEMBER
FALL TRAINING
Players will continue training 3x weekly through the fall. These sessions will be held at Pioneer Sports Park.
FALL LEAGUE PLAY
After Labor Day, teams will compete on the weekends in the Oregon Youth Soccer Association (OYSA) Leagues. Teams will play games on both Saturdays and Sundays and will be required to do some traveling.
Teams will compete in 10 league games within the Premier Division of OYSA leagues.
One important note is that rosters are “fluid” for the teams. Players may be asked to play in more than one game or to change rosters to fit the development needs of the player as well as the needs of the teams throughout the season. This may include playing with Competitive Program teams both for personal development reasons and to assist the competitive team.
PRESIDENT’S CUP (BLACK TEAMS)
Following the conclusion of the spring league, Black Teams will compete in OYSA’s President’s Cup Tournament, a multi-week tournament that includes group play and knockout rounds. This will continue through the month of November.
WINTER
NOVEMBER - JANUARY
WINTER TRAINING PROGRAM
After the fall season concludes, when the weather is cold players will turn indoors for training and playing small sided games either at Salem Indoor or utilizing local gym space for futsal. Training will be reduced to just once a week focusing on the individual player technique and receive one indoor game per weekend over 6-8 weeks. Unlike the Competitive Program, this is included in the Pre-Academy Program.
OPTIONAL WINTER OFFERINGS
Players have a little more flexibility in the winter. For those looking for more, the following options are available: Thanksgiving Tournament, Christmas Tournament, Coerver Performance Academy, Coerver Christmas Break Camp.
SPRING
FEBRUARY - APRIL
SPRING TRAINING
Players will resume training 3x weekly during the month of February. These sessions will be held at Pioneer Sports Park.
SPRING LEAGUE PLAY
Teams begin league play at the beginning of February through OYSA’s Premier Spring leagues.
Games and training will conclude in April.
STATE CUP (RED TEAMS)
Following the conclusion of the spring league, players will compete in OYSA’s State Cup Tournament, a multi-week tournament that includes group play and knockout rounds. The finals for the tournament are typically the first weekend of May. All players will then participate in competitive program tryouts for the following seasonal year, taking place in May.
OTHER INFORMATION
CONCLUSION OF SEASON
At the conclusion of the spring component, all players will then participate in tryouts for the following seasonal year, taking place in May. Depending on their age, players may be assigned to a roster on the Pre-Academy team for the following year, CFC’s U13 Academy Teams, or CFC’s Competitive programs.
BREAKS
Note that there are the following breaks that are built into the season:
Following Capital Cup
Week of Thanksgiving
Two weeks of Christmas Break
Spring Break
Last week of school
Any Salem-Keizer School District unexpected closure
TEAM, ROSTER SIZE, and PLAYING TIME
Our objective is to form 2 teams per age group & per gender with roster equity of between 12-14 players placed per team. At this age group, players will receive a minimum of 50% playing time. Registration for the program is open throughout the year, and rosters will be adjusted accordingly to maximize the development for the players.
COST
$175/mo for June-April + $100 annual membership
The club fee includes all costs for coaching expenses, uniforms, equipment, tournament entry fees, league fees, Coerver training, indoor soccer league/training fees, and facility fees.
Scholarships of up to 75% of the fee are available for families based on need.
STAFF
PROGRAM DIRECTOR
JOE WENTWORTH
TECHNICAL DIRECTOR
Joe Wentworth joined the Capital FC team in 2019. Wentworth has been coaching in Oregon, Washington, and Alaska for nearly 20 years.
Previously, Wentworth served as Alaska Youth Soccer Technical Director and Alaska Youth Soccer Director of Coaching. He holds his United Soccer Coaches “Director of Coaching” Diploma, USSF “A - Youth” License, and is a certified US Soccer Coach Educator (USSF Instructors License).
GIRLS STAFF
2013 Girls Red - TBA
2013 Girls Black - TBA
2014 Girls Red - TBA
2014 Girls Black - TBA
BOYS STAFF
2013 Boys Red - TBA
2013 Boys Black - TBA
2014 Boys Red - TBA
2014 Boys Black - TBA
FAQs
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Players will be evaluated based on skill level, personality, and potential for development. We recognize that these players have a long developmental road ahead of them.
Selected players will be asked to make a commitment to the team by making their first payment. If players do not commit within the time, alternates will be offered spots.
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Players who do not make the Academy team will be evaluated for the competitive programs at the same time, with emphasis on the second day of tryouts.
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The Pre-Academy program includes several elements that are not a part of the competitive program.
Extra day of training
Guaranteed 1/2 a field for training
Coerver Training
Indoor Winter Training/Games
OYSA Premier League Competition and State Cup Play
The Pre-Academy Program elements have been carefully designed to maximize player development potential.
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Yes, although at times this may be difficult. Refer to the Program Overview above to see that there are a few “down times” in the program. These would be the best times to play other sports.
If a player on the roster of a Pre-Academy team desires to play another sport that has an overlapping season, it may be possible to play both sports. Some compromises may need to be worked out with the coaches of both sports regarding participation in practices and games. Some players may be able to successfully divide their energies, but some may find it very difficult to manage. A player in the competitive program who chooses another activity or sport instead of participating in the Pre-Academy will not be penalized for making that decision. However, a player may be dropped from the program if the player fails to attend a significant number of practices and games.
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Though this is subject to change, the plan is:
Pre-Academy teams will train Tuesday/Thursday/Friday.
Friday practices for the Pre-Academy will be a technical training session.
Junior Academy and Competitive teams will train Monday/Wednesday.
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No. Tryouts will take place over two days with both the Academy team and Competitive teams in mind.
You can choose to accept or decline your position on either the Academy or Competitive team.
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Player should wear a white shirt and black shorts.
If you need assistance registering for tryouts, please contact our office as soon as possible prior to the first tryout date.
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There will be a clubwide meeting Saturday, May 14th at the East Salem Community Center (1850 45th Ave NE, Salem, OR 97305).
1:15pm-2:15 - Junior Academy Meeting
2:30pm-3:30 - Academy/Pre-Academy Meeting
3:45pm-4:45 - Competitive Meeting
Have more questions? Reach out!
Send us a message via the form, or reach out directly to our program director, Joe Wentworth.
joe@cfcsalem.com
(503) 673-6708