Vacaville, California
Get better.
Still be a kid.
Applied Soccer Lab exists because we think kids can train seriously and still love the game when they're done. That takes coaches who meet kids where they are, and a joyful environment to hold it all up — two things in short supply.
Kids get better when they feel safe and heard.
A player who's worried about being embarrassed stops trying things. Then they stop coming back. So the environment comes first, not because it's soft, but because it's the only way a kid will attempt the hard thing in front of people. Mistakes are cheap here. That's on purpose.
We're not trying to make your kid a professional.
There are academies and performance institutes that sell that promise, and the evidence behind it is thinner than the price tag suggests. What we do is simpler: put kids in a fun, productive environment, program thoughtfully around it, and let them get better. Though if soccer ends up being the thing they love most — we won't apologize for that either.
The work should be good, and it should be fun.
The hyper-competitive, ultra-serious tone of youth soccer is exhausting — for kids, and for the parents driving them around, and even for us. A lot of organizations will tell you what they can do for your child's long-term success. We won't, because nobody can honestly promise that to a nine-year-old. What we'll promise instead: well-built sessions your kid looks forward to, and coaches who communicate thoughtfully with your whole family.
That mindset leaves us with two jobs:
Make high-quality training accessible to kids and families.
And scale good coaching.
Our Commitment to Accessibility
Plenty of kids don't have access to good coaching — not only because it's in short supply, but because it costs too much.
So we sponsor athletes.
There's no application and no paperwork, and we won't ask you to prove anything. If you have a kid who wants to train and the cost is what's standing in the way, reach out and tell us. We'll bring them in. Join the waitlist and note in the comments the player requires a sponsorship. We’ll do everything we can to make it work.
The idea came out of a conversation with a club’s director of coaching about their fee structure and how much weight they put on providing sponsorships. They were right, and it opened our eyes to the most direct thing we can do for a kid here: cover the cost.
Good coaching, shared
The response since we started earlier this year has been something to watch. More groups around town are catching on to how much kids get out of small-group sessions, and they're adding it to what they offer — a good thing whether those kids ever train with us or not.
We also build the tools we use. Our session-planning and video apps are finding their way into local coaches' hands, and they're running their own practices with them. A better-coached kid in this town is a win for us even when we never meet them.
Most of the coaching in this town is done by parents volunteering their evenings — for their own kids and everyone else's. We'll keep building for them.
Built for parents, too
Your job is hard enough. One reason we built a facility instead of running sessions at a park is that a building lets us actually help you.
Still finishing work? Our two offices are set aside for parents. Get your kid on the pitch, clear your inbox, leave together with smiles.
Rather get your own workout in? There's a light adult training area — enough to get your heart rate up and reclaim some personal time.
Younger siblings along for the ride? Wait in the climate-controlled viewing area instead of melting in the Vacaville sun or standing out in the December rain. Sit down, watch the session, have a sparkling water while the little one plays with some toys.
Have a baby with you? There's a private nursing room and a real changing station, not a folding table in a bathroom or the back of your SUV. Actual restrooms, too. No porta-potties.
Need somewhere to throw a birthday party? We have room for the whole class.
Need some other help? Just let us know and we’ll do our best to make your time enjoyable.
