In the foothills of the picturesque Adirondack Mountains in the town of Fort Ann, NY has emerged a unique youth soccer facility that is attracting competitive teams at all skill levels for week-long programs during the summer months.

Golden Goal was built to address a growing demand for team activities that is not solely based on winning.  CEO Peter Corbett and Chief Marketing Officer Sid Schechter explain that the initial plans for Golden Goal came from requests by parents who attended the hugely successful Cooperstown Dreams Park (catering to U12 boys baseball teams).  Many Dreams Park visitors from across the country expressed an interest in having a similar experience for youth soccer players.  

According to Corbett, "The Lake George region was selected for the venue because it provided outstanding summer playing conditions along with an unmatched array of recreational activities for the participants and the families that typically accompany youth teams to tournaments."

"Our concept was to provide something truly unique for the soccer community, a tournament format focused on team and player development. We took the Cooperstorwn concept and expanded it beyond player development to include a bonding experience with players from around the country. This way they can have a weeklong soccer experience that is all inclusive, not just focused on tournament games.  What we do is all-inclusive. Everything is on site. Players stay on site, they eat on site, they have speed and agility on site, mental skills training, coaches' round tables… It's a weeklong soccer experience that's really not out there anywhere right now."

The overall response from coaches, players and parents has been phenomenal.  

Schechter said,  "We set out to provide a soccer experience unlike anything available for competitive youth teams.  The common bond that all of the teams attending Golden Goal have is a passion for soccer and a desire to improve.  We have elite teams, top travel teams from regional leagues and second tier club travel teams that all walk away as winners because they improve as a team.  Our programming teaches young soccer players how to be a better teammate through cooperation and communication while also training them how to compete more effectively by focusing on attitude, effort, and responses during games."  

Now having completed two seasons, Golden Goal's trailblazing approach is becoming more prominent in the national youth soccer lexicon through an old-fashioned medium: word of mouth.

"Word is spreading from coaches, players and parents who have already been here," Corbett said. The facility itself is the best in the country for what we offer. Our most effective selling points come from the unsolicited testimonials we receive."  We are also listening to the coaches and this year added tactical training, speed and agility training as well as informal games throughout the week.  Our goal is to constantly be improving and delivering what the participants and coaches want."

To date, about 30% of the teams have come from Canada with one team coming from New Dehli, India, and there is growing indications that Golden Goal will become a truly international experience with many teams from outside of North America expressing interest.  The activities offered in the park provide an opportunity for the participants to meet and get to know many new and diverse people.  

For the summer of 2009, boys and girls teams from the U10 to U16 age groups will be attending one of nine week long sessions. The park has a capacity of 36 teams per week, so the entire program tends to be intimate and customized to each team's needs.  The last two weeks of August have been designated as pre-season training programs where teams of all ages will live in the Athlete Village and have a schedule of practice, training and scrimmages to prepare for the fall season along with all of the training and team building provided by the Golden Goal staff.