San Diego Soccer Club (SDSC) is a 501(c) (3) organization that operates both competitive and recreational soccer programs in San Diego. SDSC Surf is the competitive branch of the club. At SDSC Surf, our goal is to provide a comprehensive approach in player development through a standardized curriculum, the SDSC Surf Development Plan. The SDSC Surf Development Plan provides our coaching staff with the framework through a three-zone approach that guides our coaches along a systematic year-over-year plan for player development.

The core of the SDSC Surf Development Plan begins with our youngest players (U7-U10) within our Zone 1 curriculum. In Zone 1, our coaching staff is focused on two objectives: (1) Building each player with a strong technical foundation, and (2) Developing each player to have a passion for the game.

At SDSC Surf, we believe a strong technical core coupled with a passion for the game will provide the building blocks and motivation for each player to realize their full potential. As the player progresses through Zone 1 their technical foundation grows and prepares them to transition into Zone 2 (U11-U13). In Zone 2, our coaches will begin applying more tactical concepts within our system of play to their training sessions, which will begin preparing the player for their final transition into Zone 3 (U14+). In Zone 3, the coaching staff will continue to advance the player by introducing off ball movement concepts along with advanced decision making while on the ball. The three-zone approach of the SDSC Surf Development Plan prepares each player to play at their athletic potential.

The last piece to our player development approach is to provide each of our players with the appropriate level of competition that compliments their development while maintaining their passion for the game. At SDSC Surf, our players have an opportunity to compete at the local, regional, and national levels. At the local level, our players compete in the SoCal Soccer League. The SoCal Soccer League is the primary league for our Zone 1 players along with our Zone 2 and Zone 3 teams with players who do not desire or are not ready to compete at the regional or nations levels. Competition at the regional level is for players who are at the mid and approaching the upper levels of development within Zone 2 and Zone 3. These players aspire to compete at the national level and desire to move on and compete at the collegiate and professional levels. Our regional platform for our boys’ program is the Elite Club National League – Regional League (ECRL) while our girls’ program competes in the Development Player League (DPL). For our elite players in Zone 2 and Zone 3, SDSC Surf offers two national level competitive platforms. Our boys’ program competes in the Elite Club National League (ECNL) while our girls’ program competes in the Girls Academy (GA) league. Both national leagues provide the appropriate level of competition and exposure for those players desiring to play at the collegiate and professional levels.