OUR STORY:
Our Founder Kevin Kore Lue who immigrated to the USA in 1997 from Ivory Coast at the young age of 12, had a dream of becoming a professional soccer player that fell short due to injuries. Throughout his journey of trial and tribulations, he found a second wind of hope when he decided to get involved in coaching. It was a tough beginning from the fact that in Ivory Coast, every child on the streets had the natural abilities to play the game of soccer without the need to be on an Academy team. The ones who were chosen to enter an Academy were the cream of the cream, the elite players who had the potential to sign professional contracts by the age of 15.
After 10 years of coaching kids in New York city and in doing so, aiding multiple players reach a professional level and who are now playing in different teams in college and in high school. After collecting a few coaches of the year awards, he decided to build his own Academy: Fundamental Futbol Academy (FFA NYC).
WHY:
Fundament Futbòl Academy was founded to solve the biggest problem our founder encountered through his years of experience coaching. “Many children lacked the basic Fundamentals of the sport”. He discovered that in this field, there was serious a lack of emphasis on player development within most programs. Most organizations are solely focused on winning and only recruiting the best players in order to win more trophies. More trophies meaning more kids, which means more business for the organization.
How about the children who are passionate about the sport but do not possess the natural abilities to play the game? That problem became ours to solve. FFA NYC made the conscious decision to only cater to beginners who wish to learn the sport in a fun, positive, competitive but encouraging environment.
For the past 10 years, Fundamental Futbòl Academy has dedicated their staff, knowledge, and resources to provide the necessary training, guidance and education each and every child in our program needs to excel.
Our coaching style:
Fundamental Futbòl Academy bases its teaching style at the grassroots: passing, dribbling, shooting and thinking. Our step-by-step instructional coaching methods allow coaches to break down the simple techniques of our drills. We repeat each drill until the players grasp the concept of how and why it’s done this way. Coaching basic skills requires a lot a patience. Our coaching staff are chosen not only by their formal education, but also by their love of the game. We are a 501(c)(3)-organized entity that uses soccer as a platform to motivate, educate and inspire our youth in a supportive and competitive environment. Here at FFA, we value respect and great attitudes more than winning, because we believe a good competitive mindset and respect for the game ultimately leads to more wins. Our mission is to give everyone an opportunity to be exceptional and reach their full potential on and off the field.
Our Mission:
Offer every player an opportunity to be great and reach their full potential on and off the field…all while having fun!
Encourage excellence through hard work, leadership, and motivation for our players to develop confident and competitive mindsets.
Empowerment through training to develop creativity and prepare our players to stay positive and goal oriented.
Committed to helping young people in our communities embrace an active and healthy lifestyle, by using soccer to cultivate critical life skills that pave the path to a better future.
core values:
RESPECT
HARDWORK
DISCIPLINE
COURAGE
STRENGTH
STAYING POSITIVE !!!