Florida Fire Juniors

Chicago Fire Juniors ELITE ID PROGRAM  includes a collection 'all-star' teams of players from all local CFJ Clubs and Florida, Indiana, Kentucky Louisiana & Michigan. A focus of this program is to identify ‘emerging talent’  from across the Fire Juniors Club network to represent Fire Juniors Elite SC in a national youth tournament.   Features includes:
    - Camp to identify players via a 4-day residential (invite only) in July/August  (2003-05 only);
    - Disney Juniors  Showcase  Tournament (FL) for 2003, 2004 and 2005 in November; 
    - Mayors Cup International Tournament (NV)  for 2000, 2001 and 2002 boys & girls in February.

1) Converting to Birth Year:

In preparation for the US Soccer player development mandates which will become compulsory nationwide in 2017/18, many tournament directors are adopting these changes in 2016/17. For ID Camp (2003-05) and Player ID Sessions (2000-03)  players will be grouped, evaluated and selected in their birth year.

2) No ID Camp for 2000, 2001 & 2002 Boys and Girls:

These players will be nominated to participate in the signature tournament by their club Director of Coaching. During a visit to each club location Mike Matkovich (Fire Juniors Technical Adviser) with the help of DOC evaluate players. A Fire Juniors 'depth chart' will be designed with players listed by birth year and primary playing positions. 16-18 of these players will invited to attend the tournament with a series of players placed on standby list.

3) New Dates for ID Camp for 2003, 2004 & 2005 Boys & Girls:

Players are invited to attend  a 4-day residential Identification Camp. The camp will take place later in the summer in order  for players to get through their club tryouts (dates below). 

4) The introduction of ID Camp for 2005's Boys & Girls:

After careful consideration we have decided to introduce the 2005 age group to the Elite ID Program. Players will be invited to attend the 4-day residential ID Camp, however if selected to attend the signature tournament event (Disney Juniors showcase) parents will be expected to travel to supervise players in this age group. 

Girls Elite ID Camp from Sunday 31st July to Wednesday 3rd August 2016 at Lake Forest Academy, Lake Forest, IL.

Boys Elite ID Camp from Wednesday 3rd August to Saturday 6th August 2016 at Lake Forest Academy, Lake Forest, IL.

What is the Fire Juniors Elite ID camp?

The ID camp is part of a wider initiative to raise the standards of  soccer and identify ‘emerging talent’ in Fire Juniors clubs. Devised by Fire Juniors coaches for Fire Juniors players, the program aims to identify elite performers in the nine Fire Juniors clubs and place them in a professional training environment, assess their potential before deciding on what age groups can compete in a high profile showcase. The program has 3 stages;

Stage 1 Player Identification: Chicago Fire technical staff at Toyota Park will work closely with Fire Juniors Directors of Coaching to identify elite soccer players in the 2003 , 2004 & 2005 age groups during the current season.

Stage 2 Elite Player ID Camp: Fire Juniors players will be invited to attend a 4-day training camp at Lake Forest Academy from. Elite Female players and Elite Male players will participate in separate ID Camps. Players will participate in a series of practice sessions led by Fire technical staff. Off the field, players will attend college placement, mental preparation and hydration/nutrition workshops.

Stage 3 Player Selection: Staff will use camp to identify emerging talent in each age group or across two age groups. Players will be selected to participate with Fire Juniors Elite SC in a tournament event and/or an international tour.

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