Hello, and welcome to the first edition of Summit Valley United’s First Touch blog series. I’m Jesse Farmer, Director of Coaching for Summit Valley United Academy in West Virginia, and also one of the proud coaches of our SVU First Touch Thunder Wolves! I’m excited to offer this periodic look at our program to parents from within, curious outside parents, and general onlookers who have, or want to gain, a pulse on the future of soccer in the Panhandle of this Wild and Wonderful state.
When we first envisioned what SVU First Touch would look like back in January of 2026, we knew we wanted to offer an alternative to the recreational soccer programs families were used to. As a new club in this area, with teams ranging from U8 to U15, we found that many of the players coming to our tryouts were coming from the recreational level and wanted to “give it a shot” to see if they would make the cut. That “give it a shot” mentality got us thinking: At what age should kids start their competitive journey?
The answer to that question, to us at least, is “as soon as they want!”
In my humble opinion, it’s not for any club or person to dictate when a child can say they are ready to go all-in on a sport. What is incumbent upon a club, however, is making sure the opportunity exists for just such a kid. Can that child change their mind after a season? Absolutely! But why not give them the chance, even at a young age, to train at a high level and make that decision for themselves? And if they enjoy it, well, then they’re on their way to finding their love of soccer alongside their peers.
I’m happy to say that we now have 37 amazing kids training Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays, along with seven hard-working coaches who care a great deal about each of them. Training consists of warmups, juggling and skills challenges, dribbling drills, passing drills, 1v1s, and short-sided competition.
All of this in one hour. Bang, bang, bang.
This format is the basis of our method and follows a mantra: High Touch, High Repetition. The drills may differ from week to week, but the format stays the same. We don’t expect superstars overnight. We know development takes time.
I will admit that recreational soccer programs offer something we don’t: wins and losses.
I’ll touch on this more in depth in future blogs, but this is one of the starkest differences between rec soccer and SVU First Touch. Our players don’t belong to permanent teams, our coaches don’t keep score, and our parents don’t harp on their kids for mistakes. We just let them play.
And that is where we believe the difference matters at this young age. We allow organic problem solving, we encourage without expectation, we value sportsmanship above results, and we kindle the love of the sport that keeps them looking forward to playing week after week.
I believe we have a great program brewing here, and I’m very excited to see the enthusiasm these kids carry through the end of the season and into the spring!
If you’re interested in joining us or want to learn more about our program, click this button below.
Self-Discovery Awaits!