⚽ CCU FOUNDATIONS TERM 4
TRAIN TUESDAY. PLAY FRIDAY.
Our Foundations Program is taking another step forward for Term 4.
Players will train with our coaching team on Tuesday evenings before representing CCU in organised Soccer5s competition games every Friday.
15 weeks. Two football experiences every week. One connected development program.
🏴☠️ WHAT IS CCU FOUNDATIONS?
CCU Foundations is a structured development program for boys and girls from U5 to U16, led by former A League player, Socceroo and A Licence coach Shannon Cole, supported by the CCU coaching team.
The program is designed for players who:
⚽ Want additional football development
📈 Want to improve alongside their local club football
🎯 Aspire to representative football
🙌 Simply love the game and want to become better players
Our aim is simple:
Develop better footballers while providing an environment where players can enjoy the game, challenge themselves and continue progressing at their own pace.
🔄 TERM 4: TRAIN + PLAY
For Term 4, players can combine weekly Foundations training with organised Friday competition games at Soccer5s Tuggerah.
🧠 TUESDAY: TRAIN
As it currently stands, all age groups from U5 to U16 will train from 4:45pm to 6:00pm.
Each session will run for 75 minutes.
The opening 15 minutes allows players to arrive, get organised with their group, get moving and prepare for the session before moving into a structured 60 minute development block.
Depending on registration numbers, additional groups may also be offered from 6:15pm to 7:30pm.
Any additional session times will be confirmed once registrations are finalised.
Training will continue to focus on developing technically confident players who understand the game, enjoy football and are challenged appropriately for their age and current stage of development.
🏟️ FRIDAY: PLAY
Players registered in the full Train + Play program will be placed into a CCU Foundations team for the 15 week Soccer5s competition.
Each Friday, players will:
🏴☠️ Report to the CCU Foundations desk on arrival
👕 Play as part of an organised CCU team
👥 Have a designated team manager looking after their group each night
⚽ Play in an appropriate Soccer5s competition based on age and team level
🎯 Have the opportunity to apply what they have been learning in Tuesday training in a competitive environment
Teams will be organised once registrations are confirmed, with the aim of creating the most appropriate environment possible for each group.
For players who have participated in Foundations during Terms 2 and 3 of 2026, our coaching staff have already started building an understanding of their current development from U8 upwards.
That information will help us place returning players into teams and environments we believe are appropriate for where they are currently at.
New players will go through the same process over time as our coaches get to know them throughout the program.
Training allows players to learn and develop. Games allow them to apply those ideas under pressure.
The Friday games also give our football staff another opportunity to understand each player over a longer period of time.
Game times vary from 4:15 PM to 7PM.
📊 PLAYER DEVELOPMENT PROFILES
Every player develops differently and at a different rate.
From Term 4, CCU will continue to build internal Development Profiles for players from U8 upwards.
Over time, our football staff will develop a greater understanding of players across areas including:
⚽ Technical development
🧠 Game understanding and decision making
🏃 Physical development and movement
💪 Mindset and coachability
This is not a weekly ranking system.
We do not want players feeling as though every training session or game is a trial.
Foundations will remain an environment where players can enjoy football, make mistakes, try things and develop without feeling that every action is being judged.
The Development Profiles simply allow our football staff to understand players over a longer period rather than relying on one training session or one trial.
📈 THE RIGHT ENVIRONMENT AT THE RIGHT TIME
As we learn more about players over time, we can create training groups and game opportunities that better suit where each player is currently at in their development.
For some players, that may mean being challenged within stronger Foundations groups or competitive teams.
For others, the best environment may be continuing to develop confidently within their current group.
Being placed into a particular team or training group reflects only where we believe a player is right now.
It is not a prediction of their future potential.
At 8, 9, 10 or 11 years old, nobody knows exactly what a player may become several years later.
Our aim is to provide every player with an excellent development experience while continuing to support and monitor their progress over time.
🚀 CONNECTION TO THE CCU PATHWAY
Already, 10 players from our Term 3 2026 Foundations program have progressed into CCU JDL teams for 2027.
That is a great outcome and shows the value of players being able to continue developing and remain visible within our football environment over a longer period of time.
It is also important to understand that Foundations is not simply a selection program. Every player develops at a different rate, and progression into representative football will happen at different times for different players.
Foundations sits within the wider Central Coast United football environment.
Having players train and play within the program gives our football staff the opportunity to understand their development over a much longer period.
Where appropriate, some Foundations players may be invited to:
⚽ Train with one of our JDL teams
🏴☠️ Train within our U13 to U18 Youth League environment
🎯 Participate in selected games against CCU representative players or teams
📈 Take part in additional preseason or development opportunities
We are also looking at creating more opportunities during preseason and throughout 2027 for selected Foundations players and teams to play with or against our CCU representative teams.
These opportunities are not about labelling players at a young age.
They simply allow us to challenge players when we believe they are ready and continue watching their development in different environments.
Participation in Foundations does not guarantee selection into a CCU representative team.
Equally, not receiving an opportunity immediately does not mean a player will not be ready in the future.
Our goal is to keep developing and supporting as many Central Coast players as possible for as long as possible.
👨👩👧👦 PARENT & PLAYER INFORMATION NIGHT
During Term 4, we will hold a Parent and Player Information Night to share more about the future direction of CCU Foundations.
The session will give families a clearer understanding of how we are developing the program and how Foundations will connect more closely with the wider Central Coast United football environment.
We will cover:
🧠 How our internal Development Profiles will work from U8 upwards
⚽ How players will be monitored and supported over a longer period of time
📈 How training groups and game opportunities may evolve as players develop
🏴☠️ How Foundations connects with our JDL and U13 to U18 Youth League programs
🎯 Opportunities for selected players to train or play within other CCU environments when we believe they are ready
🔭 Our longer term plans for Foundations and player development into 2027 and beyond
The evening will also give parents and players the opportunity to ask questions and better understand what we are trying to build.
Further details, including the date and time, will be provided during Term 4.
📅 PROGRAM DATES
BEFORE CHRISTMAS
📍 Training begins: Tuesday 27 October 2026
⚽ First Friday game: Friday 30 October 2026
📍 Final training before Christmas: Tuesday 15 December 2026
⚽ Final Friday game before Christmas: Friday 18 December 2026
AFTER CHRISTMAS
📍 Training resumes: Tuesday 5 January 2027
⚽ Friday games resume: Friday 8 January 2027
📍 Final scheduled training: Tuesday 16 February 2027
⚽ Final scheduled game: Friday 19 February 2027
🏆 Teams that qualify for competition finals may receive an additional Week 16 game on Friday 26 February at no additional cost.
💰 PROGRAM OPTIONS
⚽ FULL TRAIN + PLAY PROGRAM
$690
Includes:
✅ 15 Tuesday Foundations training sessions
✅ 15 Friday Soccer5s competition games
✅ CCU team placement and management
✅ Designated team manager on Friday nights
✅ Internal Development Profile for U8+ players
✅ Ongoing monitoring by CCU football staff
✅ First CCU Foundations jersey for new players
✅ Opportunities for additional development and pathway exposure where appropriate
*PAYMENT PLAN OPTION AVAILABLE*
🧠 TRAINING ONLY
$350
Includes:
✅ 15 Tuesday Foundations training sessions
✅ Internal Development Profile for U8+ players
✅ Ongoing monitoring by CCU football staff
✅ First CCU Foundations jersey for new players
🏟️ PLAY ONLY
$350
For players who cannot attend Tuesday training but still want to represent CCU in the Friday competition.
✅ 15 Friday Soccer5s competition games
✅ Placement into an organised CCU Foundations team
✅ Designated team manager each Friday
✅ Game based monitoring by CCU football staff
✅ First CCU Foundations jersey for new players
✅ Additional development opportunities where appropriate
Players participating in the Full Train + Play Program naturally give our coaching staff a broader picture of their development through both training and games.
👦👧 WHO IS FOUNDATIONS FOR?
Foundations is open to boys and girls from U5 to U16 who:
⚽ Want additional football development
📈 Want to complement their local club football
🎯 Aspire to representative football
🧠 Want to improve technically and better understand the game
🙌 Simply love football and want more opportunities to train and play
Players do not need to currently play representative football to participate.
📍 VENUE
Soccer5s Tuggerah
1 Bryant Drive, Tuggerah NSW 2259
Tuesday training and Friday competition games will both take place at Soccer5s Tuggerah.
🏴☠️ TERM 4 REGISTRATIONS
TRAIN TUESDAY. PLAY FRIDAY.
Develop your game. Play more football. Stay connected to CCU.