• Tuesday 4:45 pm -6:00 pm  Naranja Park (Practice)
• Friday 4:45 pm - 6:00 pm Naranja Park (Games)

Youth Development Academy - U4-U8

We aim to make the CDO Youth Development Academy the first step in a lifelong love of soccer!

• In the U4-U8 age groups, we now have three mini seasons each 8 weeks in lengths, allowing more players & families more flexibility in when they play!
• Each mini season includes training sessions twice a week and in-house games on weekend.

Soccer is not a 'job' for children nor should it be! Our focus continues to be on enjoyment, learning and giving all players the opportunity to play and develop their skills in a positive coaching environment.

Phoenix Rising Head Coach Rick Schantz, after seeing our program in action, described it as "light years ahead" of anything else he had seen in Tucson, and we're continually looking to improve upon it even further.

We hope that you too can see the difference with our program and what it has to offer as we continue to grow across the region.

The main objective of CDO's Youth Development Academy is to help U4-U8 players become more capable and confident on the ball, while also helping them become better decision makers. We want to help them become better at reading their environment to make better decisions, based on what happens around them, and execute these decisions with confidence (technique).

All participants are given the chance to take part in  weekly practice sessions and small sided games.   All sessions are designed by Neil Radley, Director of Coaching.

Players will thrive learning a positive playing philosophy and training methodology.  At the same time, our coaching staff creates a fun, fast-paced, and safe learning environment in which players can develop their passion for the game.

All program elements are designed to develop players who have a close relationship with the ball, feel comfortable with it at their feet in real game situations, and are prepared to successfully jump to club soccer at the end of their U8 Year.

This a technically focused training program designed to prepare players for the next level of soccer.  For the 2023-24 year, this includes players born from 2019 to 2016.    Games will be run under the guidance of our coaching staff. This will provide better ratios for players’ time on the ball with continuous play. Players develop quicker as they are forced into many decision-making moments in every practice and game.

Please note this is not a drop-off program.