Academy Philosophy

Julie Foudy, the recently retired USA Women’s Soccer Team Captain, two-time Olympic Gold Medalist and two-time World Cup Champion, successfully launched the Julie Foudy Sports Leadership Academy (the “JFSLA”) in the summer of 2006, along with her husband, Ian Sawyers, the former head coach of the WUSA San Jose Cyberrays and the 2001 WUSA coach of the year.

The JFSLA is a five-night, six-day residential Academy for girls ages 12-18. The Academy focuses peddie

on two overlapping components-- sports and leadership. The aim of the JFSLA is to expose students to Julie’s great passion: the concept of not just being a leader on the field but a LEADER IN LIFE. Students will be immersed in a richly enjoyable curriculum that weaves these two themes together.

The JFSLA's sports component is soccer, and Julie and her staff deliver this element of the Academy with the same energy that has made her existing girls soccer day camps so wonderfully successful. The JFSLA's sister camp, the Julie Foudy Soccer Camps, has been instructing kids for over 10 years. Julie brings the technical and tactical training of her day camps to the JFSLA, infusing the soccer training with leadership principles and team-building skills. As with Julie's day camps, the soccer staff of the JFSLA consists of some of the biggest names in women's soccer, including other Olympic Gold Medalists from the US Women's National Team, international stars, WUSA professional players, and top collegiate coaches and players.

The second component of the Academy is leadership. Our leadership curriculum is geared toward developing and expanding leadership skills in our students. Students will participate in hands-on activities and do team-building exercises that focus on the following themes: how to develop the confidence to lead, the different roles and styles of leaders, how to be a positive leader on your team, and how to be a leader in your community -- which includes a service learning component that each student can take to her own community. Students will also hear from guest speakers, including well-known politicians, business leaders, and educators.

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Although each day is divided into roughly half-soccer and half- leadership curriculum, the JFSLA is designed so that the sports and leadership components tie together. As Julie knows, and as many agree, sports and leadership go hand-in-hand. The lessons an athlete learns on the field of striving for goals, motivating others, and problem solving translate into leadership skills the athlete can apply off the field. By the same token, individuals who develop leadership skills off the field are often able to bring those skills to the field to draw out the best in themselves and their teammates.

Our Julie Foudy Sports Leadership Academy philosophy is to bring out not only the best soccer player, but also the best leader in each student. Julie often says, "Sports gave me my voice." We want our students to experience the confidence sports can offer. And as Julie learned with the National Team, LOVE what you do! Laughter permitted.