Northwest Nationals Premier Development Club serves the area of south Snohomish County and surrounding communities.
Each year, soccer enthusiasts from Edmonds, Lynnwood, Mt. Lake Terrace and beyond come to Northwest Nationals to further their soccer careers.
goalWA.net re-posts the following story with permission of Northwest Nationals
Prior to tryouts in May 2011, two future Nationals players were involved with soccer in their local area, searching for a soccer experience that would challenge them and further their abilities. Little did they know, their paths would soon cross and they would become the focus of this story of hard work rewarded.
When Madison Kellogg-Titre and Alyssa Wagner came to NWN, they had diverse backgrounds in soccer. Madison began playing when she was four years old. She spent a large amount of her time playing on all-boys teams to further her skills until her local club rules moved her to an all-girls team. Her coach highly recommended she head to NWN tryouts to further her progress.
Alyssa had seen her older sister play for a few years, and she thought it would be cool to play as well. Hanging out at big sis’ games sometimes isn’t the greatest activity for a younger sibling. In Alyssa’s case, it became the opening for what is now her involvement with NWN. Kicking a ball around on the sidelines, she was encouraged to come to NWN tryouts, even though she hadn’t played soccer the previous two years. She came to tryouts, and the rest is history.
Upon completion of tryouts with NWN in May 2011, both players found a roster spot on the NWN GU11 White team (C team). Not ones to settle for anything, both girls did what they do best: play with energy, work hard and continue to develop. After spending most of the summer practicing with both the White and Blue (B) teams, it became apparent that these girls were ready to be moved up from the White team to the Blue team. Coaches in the age group considered all the factors in play, and it was clear – Madison and Alyssa were ready for the next step in their development.
With a long track record in developing players, Northwest Nationals has extensive experience in how and why to move players from one level to the next. With 36 teams, there is great flexibility in moving players along a development path at the appropriate time. This method has moved players on to high schools and further onto college teams over the years.
Both girls have found their first transition to be a smooth one, although they were sad to leave behind friends they had come to know on the White team. They are very enthusiastic about the continued exposure to a higher level of competition, and are grateful for the opportunity to have been moved up to the Blue team.
Madison’s mom Kerry reflects, ‘From the beginning, we were told by club officials that if the situation was right, a player would have the opportunity to move up. We knew that Madison was a good player so we hoped that her skill level would be recognized. She worked hard since the beginning to show the coaches she was ready to be moved up. We really appreciate that the NWN coaches noticed Madison and not only moved her up for the benefit of the Blue team, but also for her future and continued development.’
As of press time, the NWN White team was 5-1 with 25 goals scored and six conceded sitting in second place in Division 5. The Blue team has an unblemished 7-0 record, a 27-4 goal differential and sits in first place, to be promoted from Division 3 to Division 2 for next year. The Red team sits in a three-way tie for first place in Division 1, the highest level of play for this age group in Washington State.
As the year goes on, Madison and Alyssa continue to have fun, strive to work hard every day, and keep their eye on their next possible move up. Both of these girls enjoy being a team player and they look forward to what next year will bring. With great depth in the age group, and three teams offered, the Red team is their next move up, and it is now within their sights.
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