About the Full Day Leadership/Team Building Option

Why Choose Leadership/Team Building & Personal Development?

Because during Julie’s career, she realized that success is so much more than just talent… it involves team work and trust and equally important, JOY!

Julie was the former USA Women’s Soccer Team Captain, two-time Olympic Gold Medalist and two-time World Cup Champion and successfully launched The Julie Foudy Sports Leadership Academy in the summer of 2006 along with her husband, Ian Sawyers, former head coach of the WUSA San Jose Cyberrays and the 2001 WUSA coach of the year, and their good friends Kerri McClellan, Edson McClellan, and Todd Smith.

The philosophy was to bring out not only the best player, but also the best leader, in each athlete. Julie often says, "Sports gave me my voice." We want our student-athletes to experience the confidence sports can offer and also the fun that should be inherent in all we do.

Our Full Day Schedule will be based on soccer development in the morning and leadership development in the afternoon. We will focus on:

  • How to develop the confidence to lead and the different roles/ styles of leaders

  • How to be a positive leader on your team, regardless of your role

  • How to be resilient and have a healthy mind-set

  • How to balance sports, school, and life…

We are aiming to develop an environment that encourages the following:

  • Learning how to deal with pressure

  • Being a better competitor

  • Developing a leadership toolbox

  • Not just focusing on technique & tactics but also being a great teammate

What does the Full Day Program offer every level of player?

THE ELITE PLAYER

For elite players, one of the biggest challenges is not just how to continually fine tune your game, but equally important, how to get an "edge" in things that are less quantifiable.

For example, how well can you lead a team when adversity hits? How well do you communicate when the team is down? How do YOU respond, as one of the key players on the team, when the team is unraveling? How do you get the most out of your teammates, even those who are not playing well? These are all areas we focus on.

These are all areas college coaches look for in key players. It is great to be one of the best players on the field, but can you also lead a team in a positive way when things are not going as planned?!

This edge, this confidence, this leadership is critical to going from being a very good player to a great player.

THE CLUB/HIGH SCHOOL PLAYER

For players who may not yet be at the elite level, here is your chance to make up some ground. Perhaps you are not the most gifted technically, or you think you lack speed. Julie often says that she was one of the slowest players on the national team but made up for it in other ways.

Learn how to communicate better, pull a team together, organize a group, be a positive force when things go wrong. Learn effective ways to draw out the most in your team, to lead by example, and most important, lead with confidence. You do not have to be the superstar, team captain, or most vocal on a team to do this.

Not enough attention is given to these less tangible skill sets that so often define a team and it's players.

Be the player that brings your team to the next level. You too can be a great leader and a great player.

THE RECREATIONAL PLAYER

We believe the beauty of sports is that we all learn so much about life by just PLAYING. And the beauty of team sports is you get to learn how to work within a group, deal with different personalities, and experience first hand the power of a team unifying for a common cause.... and that does not depend on winning medals or winning Olympics. It only requires that you play.

The recreational player will walk away from this experience and be a better player, yes, but also, a much more confident player AND person.

She will understand the value of leading by example, being a great communicator, working within a team, setting goals, creating a plan of action to achieve those goals, working hard, and all the other wonderful gifts that sports offer... regardless of the level you play.