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Elite Girls Development Academy

Girls.
Ballers.

Play the beautiful game with flair and brilliance.

An Athena Player develops exceptional technical skills through an applied approach so that it becomes habit under pressure. Combined with game intelligence, players begin to proactively read the game, constantly creating on and off the ball.

Join Athena Why Athena
★ #1 IN THE NATION
2025 Girls U17
RIA National Award
GOTSPORT RANKINGS · PRE-COLLEGIATE
22–4–8SEASON RECORD
65%WIN RATE
21K+RANKING POINTS
Philadelphia Spring Showcase CHAMPIONS
EDP Spring Showcase CHAMPIONS
FC Delco Fall Showcase CHAMPIONS
Mid-Atlantic Conference (Spring) 1ST PLACE
Source: GotSport RIA Champions Awards, 2025
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Watch Athena Play

Match highlights, training sessions, and the flair and brilliance Athena players bring every week, on the club's official YouTube channel, @AthenaSoccer.

ATHENA HIGHLIGHTS
DEPTFORD · SOUTH JERSEY

Athena FC grew out of Deptford Soccer, training and playing year-round on all-season artificial turf fields near DSA. Where Deptford focuses on community and township soccer, Athena develops the elite athlete: the player who wants to impress, who wants to compete, who loves the game. Athena brings in specialized goalie, striker, and agility coaches, each focused on performance and outcomes.

The Three Pillars

What every Athena player is built on

Every training week, every phase, every player is measured against the same three standards.

01

Technical Mastery

Absolute ball control on both feet, progressively built from foundational touch at age six to full press-resistant execution by sixteen.

02

Physiological Prowess

Strength and movement built for the female body, with neuromuscular ACL-injury prevention engineered into every warmup from the youngest ages onward.

03

Joyful Artistry

Positive psychology paired with exuberance and flair, building players who compete with confidence and take visible pride in the art of the game.

Our Philosophy

Inspired by Barça Femení & Nadeshiko.

Most girls' programs are the boys' curriculum handed down: same drills, same language, same timeline, just a different roster. Athena starts from a different premise entirely.

Psychologically. Girls build confidence through connection and understanding why a movement works, not just being told to repeat it, so our coaching leads with explanation before repetition.

Socially. Girls often develop through collaboration and shared identity as much as individual competition, so our culture is built around teammates who lift each other up, not just a leaderboard.

Physiologically. Girls hit puberty earlier than boys, carry a different injury profile, and need training timed to their own growth curve, not one borrowed from a boy's body.

Inspirationally. A girl needs to see herself in the game she's being asked to master, which is exactly why our philosophy is drawn from Barça Femení and Nadeshiko Japan: proof that this approach doesn't just build good players, it builds World Cup winners.

FC Barcelona Femení
“Receive on the half-turn. See the game before the ball arrives.”

Possession-based, positionally intelligent soccer built through rondos and guided discovery. Players learn to solve the game, not just execute instructions. That is the foundation of press-resistant, technically fearless play.

Nadeshiko Japan
“Precision is a habit, not a talent. Repeat it until it's instinct.”

The relentless individual repetition and team-first tactical intelligence that made Japan a global model for the women's game, playing fast, clean, and cerebral at every age group.

Beyond the Pitch

One athlete.
Many sports. No burnout.

We believe the best soccer players are built, not narrowed. Athena FC actively encourages multi-sport participation and builds its calendar around middle school and high school commitments, because a well-rounded athlete is a durable one.

Most Athena players excel at or enjoy multiple activities, making them more dynamic and well-rounded. Think swimming, basketball, lacrosse, track and field, and flag football, alongside acting, singing, and orchestra. And that's just the start.

Cross-sport athleticism. Basketball builds spatial awareness, track builds speed and power, gymnastics builds body control. All of it transfers back onto the field.

School-first scheduling. Training blocks are built around middle school and high school academic and athletic calendars, not in competition with them.

Burnout prevention by design. Early single-sport specialization is a leading driver of overuse injury and athlete dropout, so our physiological programming assumes and welcomes outside-sport loading rather than just tolerating it.

Holistic development. The goal is a complete athlete and a complete student, not a soccer specialist at age ten.

BASKETBALL
LACROSSE
TRACK & FIELD
FLAG FOOTBALL
GYMNASTICS
ORCHESTRA
VOLLEYBALL
SWIMMING
ACTING & SINGING
Our Teams

Three age groups.
All Rising.

Every Athena team trains inside the same Player Development Plan and plays at the same level of intensity. The only thing that changes is the birth year.

11G

Athena Elite NL 11G

2011 BIRTH YEAR

The academy's youngest competitive side, focused on foundational technical mastery, rondos, and both-feet training at full intensity.

Head Coach , USSF B License
Asst. Coach Krystal Barbano, USSF D License
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10G

Athena Elite NL 10G

2010 BIRTH YEAR

Positional play and game intelligence take center stage as technique starts turning into tactical understanding.

Head Coach Jeff Groves, USSF D License
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09G

Athena Elite NL 09G

2009 BIRTH YEAR

Athena's most decorated side, winner of the 2025 Girls U17 RIA National Award, competing at the highest level of NL competition.

Head Coach , USSF B License
Asst. Coach Jeff Groves, USSF D License
Register interest →
On Social

Athena Players on Social

Real moments from real games and real training, straight from the players and families living it.

Facilities

Where Athena trains.

Turf, grass, and film. Every part of the program has a home.

Turf Field
(Athena Main Fields)

575 Fox Run Rd
Deptford, NJ 08096
Open in Google Maps →

Grass Fields
(DSA Fields)

1002 Cattell Road
Wenonah, NJ 08090
Open in Google Maps →

Video Review
& Classroom

1002 Cattell Road
Wenonah, NJ 08090
Open in Google Maps →
Player Development Plan

Five stages.
Five dimensions. One plan.

Every Athena player is tracked across five stages of development, not just technically, but emotionally, socially, physically, and mentally. Skill isn't just about winning. It's the nutmeg in a tight game, the juggling battle at the end of training, the move the whole team can't stop talking about. This is the framework coaches use to know exactly what to build next, and when.

Stage 1U4–U6 Stage 2U7–U9 Stage 3U10–U12 Stage 4U13–U15 Stage 5U16–U18
Emotional Catching the bug with a first trick and a big grin Falling for the ball, tricks and all Living for the ball All in, flair and everything The ball is the canvas now
Social Clicking with the squad, laughs and all Knowing the role and hyping the squad Linking up, sharing the spotlight Bringing the fire everyone talks about Shining, with the whole squad shining too
Technical First touches, first tricks, first juggles The bag of moves starts filling up Nutmegs land, cool under pressure Skills become a signature move Scouted by defenders. Replayed by fans.
Physical Finding the legs Natural talent shows as juggling records fall Putting in the work on strength and fitness Training like the season depends on it Built to dominate, built to last
Mental Learning the rules Getting how the game actually works Calling the shots, trying the move Staying sharp when it's chaos Leading with the ball at the feet and the crowd on theirs
Juggling 20 left and right 100 left and right 500+ left and right 500 left and right, with flick-ups, around the worlds, group keepups 500+ left and right, with ball balancing and group keepups

Continuous Self-Reflection

Players regularly assess their own game against these five stages, not just once a season. Honest self-assessment, reviewed alongside coach feedback, is treated as a core skill in its own right.

Helping Each Other

Development isn't a solo project. Teammates coach each other through the Social dimension by design. Older players mentor younger ones, and peer feedback is built into the weekly routine.

Video & Analytics, Weekly

Every player reviews match and training footage weekly, spotting her own patterns before a coach points them out. Tracked data turns the five-stage framework from a chart into a living, evolving plan.

The Athena Journey

From first touch
to forever.

Every player's path looks different by the end, but it starts the same way: on a rondo, on both feet, at six years old.

1
Ages 6–10

Ball Control

Thousands of quality touches on both feet. Technique becomes instinct before it's ever asked to serve tactics.

2
Ages 10–14

Game Intelligence

Positional play, scanning, and decision-making. She stops just executing the game and starts reading it.

3
Ages 12–18

Middle & High School Dominance

Athena players don't just make the school team. They run it. Multi-sport, multi-committed, still the best player on the pitch.

4
Ages 18+

College Soccer

A recruiting foundation built for every level of college soccer, not just the headline programs.

DIVISION I DIVISION II DIVISION III
5
Beyond

Professional

For those who go all the way: the technical and physical foundation to compete at the highest level of the women's game.

♡
For Life

Play for Joy

Not every player turns pro, and that was never the only point. Every Athena player leaves with a lifelong love of the game, and the skill to enjoy it forever.

10
Year Pathway
5
Development Phases
50/50
Both-Feet Parity Target
2
Founding Philosophies
“To showcase artistry, to exude joy, to win with grace, to love the beautiful game, together.”
Athena FC Coaching Philosophy
Tryouts Now Open

Ready to be
Bellatrix Invicta?

Tell us about your player below, or jump straight to the official tryout registration. We review every submission and invite the right fits to a practice or tryout session.

Join Athena See the Tryout Form
Tryout Registration

Let's learn about you.

This is the same official form our coaches review, right here, or opened in its own tab. All answers are confidential and go only to Athena coaches.

OCT
18
Tryout Date & Location

7:00 – 9:00 PM · Deptford High School

Come ready to play with cleats, shin guards, water, and your best touches.

Register to Attend

Player Info

QPlayer Name
QTeam you wish to join? (2011G Elite · 2010 DSA · 2009 Elite GDA NL)
QPreferred Position (Goalie through Striker)
QDominant Foot: right, left, or both equally strong

Experience

QSoccer League Experience (ECNL/GA · NL/NAL/USL · EDP/APL · Other)
QLink to your highlight video (optional)
QOther club teams and position you've played at
QWhy would you like to play for Athena? How did you hear about us?

Family & Contact

QParent Name, Email & Phone Number
QAnything else we should know? Ambitions, favorite pros, juggling record, sprint speed, or whatever else.

TROUBLE LOADING? OPEN IT DIRECTLY.

Open Full Form ↗
Contact

Questions? Ask us.

Not ready to register yet, or have something else on your mind? Send us a message and a coach will get back to you.

Main Fields
575 Fox Run Rd
Deptford, NJ 08096
YouTube
@AthenaSoccer

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