VISION STATEMENT
Under the direction of the HPFC Training program, youth can learn the needed life skills of sportsmanship, mental toughness, self-discipline, commitment and proper work ethic through athletic competition. The group situation encountered in practices and games will provide opportunities for learning how to work with diverse personalities and achieve proficiency in conflict resolution.
A by-product of the HPFC program is the development of leaders who have pride, integrity, high self esteem and exhibit “True” sportsmanship through this great game that provides physical fitness for a lifetime.
Through competition at the highest level of play available and participation in high visibility tournaments, the dedicated athlete who wishes a chance to compete at the collegiate level will be prepared to try for it. It is the direct goal of the program to place as many Heat youth soccer players into high school and college soccer programs as possible.
As an end result of participating in the HPFC development program, players will possess the necessary life skills to obtain future success whether it is in athletic competition or the professional work place.
The HPFC exists to provide opportunities for GIFTED and COMMITTED young soccer players to fulfill their potential by playing at the highest level at which they are capable.
The Players will train in a positive, joyful, learning environments with dedicated and knowledgeable coaches who are able to share their passion for the game while setting exemplary standards of good sportsmanship and good citizenship. High academic standards are encouraged and expected.
Highline Premier Completes Education on Strategic Plan and Affirms Future Direction
12/09/2011, 7:00am (PST)
By Highline Premier News
Plan's foundation rests on the developmental vision of the coaching leadership and past club leadership, while expanding the organizational support to adequately resource, empower and strengthen
that vision going forward.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
SEATTLE (December 9, 2011) -- During the past month, Highline Premier FC communicated the details of the club's strategic operating plan to its association leadership, to its coaches, and to its
club membership. This educational process culminated in a series of team age group presentations by members of the club's Board of Directors.
The club's strategic plan was formulated over the past summer to immediately strengthen the club operations. It incorporates a fresh review of both the youth soccer landscape and Highline Premier
and incorporates the insights of a diverse set of club stakeholders that included the board, the coaching staff, members, association leadership and others throughout the area's youth soccer
community. The strategic plan's foundation rests on the developmental vision of the coaching leadership and past club leadership, while expanding the organizational support to adequately resource,
empower and strengthen that vision going forward.
Highline Premier's plan identifies opportunities and directions that best leverage the club's strengths while systematically improving its overall operations going forward. The club leadership is
excited not only to be working the plan's daily execution since early fall and seeing the direction take shape but more generally about the future direction of the club. Club President Stuart
Mathews said, "During this process, we assessed a wide range of opportunities open to the club, reviewed each one and determined the direction that we believed best positioned the club for strong
future growth."
One option that was researched was whether a merger with one or more area Regional Clubs participating in the Washington Youth Soccer Regional Club League (RCL) was in the best interest of the
players, the club and the association membership. Mathews added, "As has been the case in youth select club soccer for some time, there have been on-and-off discussions the past couple years
amongst the area premier clubs exploring the merits of merging to form a single big premier club. Even as recently as last month, our club was approached by area RCL clubs, with administrative
support from Washington Youth Soccer, to participate in a merger that would roll up our market and effectively create a single 'mega club' in our region. We looked at this recent merger option
seriously, with the best interest of the youth premier level player in mind."
The club considered factors such as the likely emerging developmental philosophies, the club cultural compatibilities, the relative competitiveness of the merged entity, and whether Highline
Premier's strategic plan was a better option to one derived from a merger from the perspective of the youth premier soccer player. The merits of a merger were also assessed based upon not only what
an outcome would look like to club membership but to the entirety of the overall association that Highline Premier represents in the ranks of the RCL. The decision was that such a merger was
certainly easier to do, but would result in an inferior outcome for club stakeholders relative to the strategic plan embarked upon this fall.
Concluded Mathews, "We gave serious consideration to this merger offer relative to the plans the club was already executing. In the end, the offer to join this larger merged entity (or 'mega club')
was simply not compelling from any vantage point … developmentally or competitively speaking. The offer lacked the complimentary elements the club was seeking at this time to generate a desirable
outcome for our players, our association membership and their overall youth soccer experience. As an RCL club from Highline Soccer Association, a larger association (in the top 30% of member
associations in the state), a player aggregation merger was not something we felt would add value for our stakeholders. We need to continue to serve our defined community and we had serious
reservations that such a merger did not affirm our new commitments to our own association and to its member clubs and would actually take us far off course. At the end of the day, it appears to be
just a player aggregation model. We do not see this as a formula for success in Western Washington with such close proximities to a wide range of RCL clubs where families can make their choices
each year. We have other opportunities that we feel are a better fit both for our club and our Association, and that are in alignment with our strategic plan. As such, we have chosen to pursue
those opportunities at this time."
Highline Premier is excited to begin this next chapter for Highline youth soccer and for the club's membership.
About Highline Premier FC
Highline Premier Football Club, based just south of Seattle, Washington USA, is the official advanced development club of Highline Soccer Association (HSA). HSA is comprised of five member members
devoted to promoting the game of soccer through programs and play options that serve over 3,000 youth in the Highline area of West Seattle, West Highline, Sea-Tac and Des Moines/Midway. Highline
Premier provides the highest possible level of professional technical, tactical and skills development training to qualified youth players, assisting them in fulfilling their potential as highly
skilled and capable players and creating opportunities for them to play at the highest levels, both in the state and beyond, commensurate with their abilities. Highline Premier players learn the
necessary life skills to obtain future success whether it is in athletic competition or the professional work place. The Highline Premier community of players, coaches, staff, club volunteers and
member families endeavor to be good stewards of the sport of soccer and to the community in which they live. To learn more, visit http://hpfc.cornerkicksystems.com.
