My Personal Welcome to You

First off, thank you so much for getting this far to see what this training academy is all about. I am ever so grateful for your time. I want to just lay it all out on my history with soccer, why I started IFA, what we are doing here at the IFA, and other information you might find interesting and/or useful.

MY HISTORY WITH SOCCER

I grew up here in the valley and played for one club here. I was fortunate enough to play with amazing players, and even more fortunate enough to play against amazing players. I played every position on the field, yes, even goalkeeper. And that has allowed me to be a better resource for the players I coach, as I have perspective of the game in every position.

After having a very successful youth club career (five state championships and my team being ranked top 10 in the country from u11-u18, all prior to the countless alphabet platforms), I went to college and played D2 soccer at Brigham Young University - Hawaii and Metropolitan State University in Denver (Was Metropolitan State College when I attended).

After my college career, I was invited to the Colorado Rapids trials in Denver in January 2013. I will not pretend that I was going to be picked up. I played well, but there were some really talented players that stood out. But it was okay for me not to be chosen, because I realized during those trials that I wanted to be coaching, not playing. I wanted to develop players who would then be in the same situation I was in years later. From that point on, my focus changed, and later that year I finished my USSF C license course.

Fast forward a couple of years, after I lived in Rio de Janeiro, Brasil for two years, and I am in Richmond, Virginia. I started coaching at Richmond Strikers and that was such a fantastic learning experience for me. I had fantastic directors who entrusted me with important teams and mentored me and guided me when I needed it. Then, in 2018, an opportunity to move back to Arizona arrived, and I quickly took it and was fortunate enough to find my way back to the only club I played for growing up. Since returning to Arizona, I continue to educate myself in my coaching. I have taken courses from TOVO, led by Todd Beane who is the son-in-law of the late Johan Cruyff, a true legend of the beautiful game. I have taken multiple courses from Barcelona Universitas, I have taken courses from a former director and coach of La Masia (the academy of FC Barcelona), and I have been in the UEFA pathway for coaching through the Welsh Football Association, currently with my UEFA B license. I do not believe licensing is the answer to everything, I know plenty of coaches who are phenomenal and have the basic grassroots course. But those coaches always have the desire to learn more and that is what matters. In my mind, leaders are readers. Leaders read books, they read studies, they read post-game analysis, they read updates on how academies are run around the world. Leaders update themselves and stay current with the game. I am learning to be a leader, I am continually reminding myself that I constantly must evolve, because the game is fluid, it is always evolving. It is not easy, it can be uncomfortable sometimes to reflect and realize I need to change certain things, but I am on a journey with today's players, they evolve, therefore I must evolve as well.

Now that you have a bit of background on my playing and coaching history, lets get to the why.

WHY DID I CREATE THIS ACADEMY?

I created this academy because I see passionate players striving to reach their full potential and they need all the help they can get. I see players learning bad mechanics and bad habits at a young age and know such things will stop them from reaching their potential. And coaches do not have the time to correct such things. So, this academy is here to correct the microscopic details that have massive influence on player development.

Take a moment to search "One Degree Rule" on the internet. Come on back after you see the brief explanation.

That one degree in aviation makes a big difference in arriving at a destination. And in player development in soccer, the slightest bad habit, that ONE DEGREE off of doing things the right way, can mean the player is too far off course in his or her development in a few years.

SO, WHAT ARE WE DOING HERE AT THE IFA?

Here, at the IFA, we are ensuring every player has the tools to succeed at the highest level now and in the future. We are not focused on winning, we do not have teams, and we never will. So, our training cannot be influenced by desire to set aside development to get a win on the weekend. Every player will be able to come here and know they are learning things that will help them be more intelligent footballers. These things are not always easy, but they are massively beneficial, once they are learned.

WHO DO WE WANT HERE?

Of course, we want everyone to take advantage of what we have to share. And we commit to doing it in a transparent, honest way. When your son or daughter trains with the IFA, you can expect our staff to be focused on one thing, helping your son or daughter increase their footballing intelligence. You may have noticed, I never mentioned the name of the club I played for and now coach for, and I will not do that, neither will any of the other IFA coaches. We are committed to player development for all players of all clubs, and we are committed to respecting each club and their investment into their players. We only seek to be a resource of development for all of you.

If you got this far, well done! I thank you again for your interest in our academy. We are excited for your player's journey and we hope to help along the way.

Now, whether you become part of the IFA family or not, WELCOME to our journey.

The IFA - Where STUDENTS of the game become LEADERS of the game.

Zack Kampf

Founder and Director of the IFA