 | | | Tryouts were held at the Lafayette Community Park Photo provided
| | | | | | Director of the East Bay Eclipse Soccer Club (EBESC), the latest addition to the Lamorinda sports scene, Shane Carney isn't afraid of bold predictions.
"With the proper training and positive support, we believe that any player, regardless of natural ability, can be trained to successfully compete at a competitive level," he stated, in answer to what will make his club different.
Carney, 25, has been coaching soccer since the age of 14. Currently in his second year as head coach of the varsity boys' soccer team at Campolindo High School, he said his ability to read the game better than others has helped him tremendously.
"I never was the biggest player on the field," he admitted, "so I was forced to become an extremely smart player."
Ten years of participation as a competitive player meant listening to a lot of soccer talk. And it was what he heard while listening to families in the community during the past few years that gave him the fundamental ideas for developing the Eclipse club.
"There was always a common theme: the Lamorinda area needed a different competitive soccer option. Many players had been cut individually or had their teams cut. As a result, players had to play for clubs in other areas, had to stop playing competitive soccer, or worse yet, stop playing soccer completely," Carney said.
He intends to apply his philosophy about competitive sports to all aspects of the club.
"What will likely make us different from other competitive clubs is that we won't necessarily get caught up in selecting only elite athletes," he explained. "Another difference is that we [will] focus on the player as a person to ensure that our players are succeeding off of the field as much as they are on the field."
Carney said a great youth soccer player is "passionate about the game and wants to improve all of their skills on a regular basis."
With a June to November season and two to three practices a week-plus games, tournaments, special clinics, and festivals-youths ages 6 to 19 will be challenged.
Carney is putting together a staff of coaches, male and female, with care. The club's website emphasizes that all hires will participate in interviews with him and EBESC board members, will be subject to background checks, and will be evaluated throughout the season "to make sure our coaches are improving as well as our players."
Club tryouts for youths age 6-14 in February brought close to 230 boys and girls to Lafayette Community Park. Carney relied on his game-reading skills to make his selections.
"While a young soccer prodigy is always a joy to coach, the best players to have in your club are the ones who enjoy being there and working hard every chance they get," he said.
The season starts June 20th. For complete information, visit the website at http://eastbayeclipsesoccer.com.
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Lamorinda Weekly, Moraga CA