UPPER PROVIDENCE, Pa. – West-Mont United Soccer Association (WMUSA) provides ample opportunities for players of all skill levels and ages to sharpen their on-field skills, as well as navigate their off-the-field work. Steve Sawyer, a former Villanova soccer coach, is the executive director at WMUSA.

“We offer programs for players anywhere age 2 up to adults.” Sawyer said.

Through a partnership with SoccerShots, a Philadelphia-based youth soccer program, WMUSA offers soccer introduction for 2 to 4-year-olds. Players ages 5 to 19 are given the chance to compete in West-Mont’s intermural league during the fall and spring seasons.

“Emphasis on that program is to get the kids playing soccer, having fun,” Sawyer said.

For players who are looking for bit more competition, higher level play and more exposure, WMUSA offers travel and premier teams beginning with the Academy program, which works with intermural players competing at U7 and U8 levels. This program introduces higher demand training and a look at what to expect moving forward to travel and premier play.

WMUSA travel teams begin at U9 and run through U19, and players are offered the chance to play on premier teams starting at U13. Premier players will begin to train at an even higher level, get more exposure to high-level events and travel more for league play.

At U15, players begin to be introduced to the college prep program, designed to help the highest-level players through the college athletic recruitment process. But even for players who do not intend to go on to college soccer, the organization will work with them as well.

“We provide resources and guidance to players who don’t necessarily want to go on to play college soccer,” Sawyer said.

Each age group, starting from U13, has its own premier team, with some age groups having multiple teams.

Premier teams U13-U15 are offered a residential camp through WMUSA hosted at nearby Kutztown University. This is where the introduction to premier program begins, as at U13 the format for play switches from 9v9 soccer to standard 11v11.

At U16, premier teams are still offered a training camp, but it is no longer residential. At that and above, the college-prep program begins and this is when college-recruiting camps and showcases become far more important.

Younger age groups, below U13, are also offered training-camp opportunities, but these are on site, not residential.

WMUSA offers programs essentially year-round, with summer being the quietest, except for the college-prep program, which does a lot of work during the summer and is limited during the fall to accommodate players’ school schedules. One notable exception is a large girl-only soccer showcase coming up Columbus Day weekend. Other than that, these college-prep teams will generally begin training in mid-October, while all the other teams begin around the middle of August.

Intermural teams play a seven-week season with a season-ending tournament dubbed “Fun Day,” allowing all the teams to play each other in a tournament format.

Premier teams have a full schedule including three training sessions a week (sometimes only two during high school and the colder winter months.) These teams on average will play one league game every weekend and compete in numerous tournaments. The U13 premier teams will usually play in six tournaments a year while the college-prep teams will compete in at least eight.

In addition to these sort of “basic” soccer teams, WMUSA offers tons of other programs. Through an organization called “Challenge Sports,” players can compete in 3v3 tournaments with players from all over the country, including a national championship at Disney. West-Mont has both men’s and women’s adult leagues for players over 18, as well as a Sunday coed league for adults. In the summer, there’s a semi-pro team, mostly made up of college players off for the summer looking to keep their skills sharp. These teams compete in nationwide league play.

Sawyer highlighted West-Mont’s financial-aid program, which helps cover travel expenses and other costs to play at WMUSA. An annual golf tournament helps raise the money.

“At the end of the day we want as many kids playing as possible, we don’t want a kid not playing soccer because they don’t have the money,” he said.

WMUSA provides great opportunities for all players interested in soccer through a wide range of programs.

“We pride ourselves on being a full-service club,” Sawyer stated.

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