SAN JOSE, Calif. – The San Jose Earthquakes launched the Partners in Development Training Program at Avaya Stadium on Monday night. The program is a collaborative and inclusive effort between motivated youth development clubs throughout Northern California to identify, develop and inspire young players to new heights.

Clubs from throughout the region were invited to join the Quakes to participate in the Partners in Development Program, which includes both ongoing coach education, club collaboration and player development opportunities. Top coaches and directors from local clubs come together in both formal and informal settings to share and learn best practices and innovative trends, including topics on skill development, youth programming and club development.

The program also includes a unique training program for the region’s high-potential players, identified and invited by each participating club. Players are trained in areas such as technical mastery and intelligent positioning and small-sided games. One of the main objectives of the program is to help all clubs realize the importance of developing a strong skill set at the pre-formation ages (7-11), with all players falling in the U-10 and U-12 age ranges.

“We have so many fantastic soccer organizations here in Northern California that are doing impactful and important work for our youth,” said Earthquakes Director of Formation Paul Holocher. “We are coming together to learn from each other, share ideas, as well as bring in experts from different fields in coaching and education to share insight and experiences. There was a lot of positive synergy and smiling faces last night, and I think the players enjoyed it very much and were inspired to continue dreaming and developing.”

The group of youth clubs that participated on Monday (in alphabetic order) are Ballistic United, Barcelona Bay Area, Diablo FC, East Bay United – Bay Oaks, Liverpool Bay Area, MVLA, San Mateo County FC, SF Glens, Stanford Soccer Club and Star Academy.

All clubs interested in learning more about the Partners in Development program are encouraged to contact Paul Holocher, Director of Formation, at pholocher@sjearthquakes.com and Dan Chamberlain, Director of Operations, at (dchamberlain@sjearthquakes.com).