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This last week, the club wrapped up its Spring comprehensive coaching education series in partnership with the Houston Dash with a professional training session at Houston Sports Park. Lead by Dash Head Coach James Clarkson, fifty-five licensed Dynamo | Dash coaches observed a training session where they were able to learn from and ask questions of Clarkson and his staff.

Dynamo | Dash leads the way in employing the best youth soccer coaching staff in Houston and across the country which ultimately provides the best personal and professional development for the staff and our players. We invest heavily in the continual education of our coaches, providing paid licensing opportunities, seminar & workshop courses, employee attendance at the annual National Coaches Convention, educational topics presented by guest speakers / internal staff every Thursday along with the weekly Monday's opportunity to connect with the Dynamo Academy Partners in Development series.

"We have a responsibility to provide opportunities for our coaching staff to continually improve their credentials and attend innovative events that help them progress in their personal development," said Dave Dengerink, Academy Director. "The game is constantly changing daily with higher demands. It is up to the club to provide the necessary resources and tools for the staff to continue to lead the youth soccer marketplace in coaching education."

The Girls Academy launched a separate, aspirational competition to add additional quality competition for the most competitive clubs in the GA. Qualification was a reward for a consistent commitment to player development and overall success.

Participants are decided based on final league standings and consist of two (2) clubs from each of the seven (7) conferences. Additionally, the top (2) best-performing and highest ranked wildcard teams at the National Playoff from each age group were added to the mix for a total of sixteen (16) teams per age group. The following elite clubs across the country were present: Colorado Rush & Houston Dash (Frontier), National & Cincinnati United Premier (Mid-America), TSJ-FC & Cedar Stars Academy-Monmouth (Mid-Atlantic), NEFC & South Shore Select (Northeast), Lamorinda Soccer Club & FC Bay Area Surf (Northwest), Tophat Gold & IMG Academy (Southeast), City SC & SC Del Sol (Southwest). Over two hundred and twenty (220) college staff were present along with professional scouts / staff from the USA and Mexico Soccer Federations.  

All six (6) Dash teams qualified for the prestigious event with the following groups highlighting the event:

• 2009 group finished in 2nd place (lost on penalties, ranked #23 Topdrawersoccer)
• 2007 group finished in 3rd place (won on penalties).
• 2005 group finished in 4th place.

Dash Academy 2009 (ranked #23 Topdrawsoccer)

Dash Academy 2005

The Woodlands Country Club - The Palmer again hosted this year's annual golf fundraiser, it was brought to you by SPB Consulting, on Monday, March 21, 2022. 

Proceeds from the day's activities are tracking to exceed last year's $109K total. Fundraising from this event supports the club's ongoing field expansion and current facilities maintenance, which is vital to the development of 8,400+ youth soccer players within Houston and its surrounding communities. The Bob Bennett Award was presented by Lynn Bennett to Effex Management Solutions (Louis Flory, Bryan Danielle, Jerrid Payton, Craig Heck) with a very competitive overall score of 19 under. The club would like to recognize the following partners that supported the event:

• Dinner - Express Employment Professionals
• Live Scoring - iScoreGolf
• World Cup - Drill Chem, PURE Soccer, Effex Management Solutions
• MLS Cup - KW Receivables, Le Sugar Salon, Munro's Safety Apparel
• Hole In One - JYA Transport Inc, Blissful Waters Float Center & Howard Hughes
• Big Hitter - Great IT
• Longest Putt - Pierce Pools & Outdoor Visions
• Longest Drive - Womack & Associates P.C., Elite Residential Source
• Desert - On Location Anthony Travel
• Raffle - Adidas
• Registration Packet Sponsor - Northwest Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery
• Silent Auction Sponsor - Diamonds in the Rough | Nike
• Beverage Cart - Womack & Associates P.C. | Express Employment Professionals

Fifty-four foursomes were present over 27 pristine golf holes of undulating and mounded terrain, surrounded by challenging bunkers and intricate water hazards. The event hosted a raffle, silent & live auction, plus multiple fun course activities:

• Mike' D-Bo' Dobbyn, Charity Golf International Professional World Long Drive Champion 2014.
• Six Hole in One Prizes - $10,000 x 2, TV x 2, GPS golf watch / Range Finder & Vertical Charcoal Smoker.  

The live auction consisted of a Crawfish Boil (won by Scott Orr), Milton's Fishing Trip (won by Joshua Sandberg), and Bluejack National foursome (won by Louis Flory). Phil Ebner, Recreational & Youth Academy Director, emceed the live auction. Team Boddison won the raffle team contestant, and the individual contestant winner was Darron Rush.

"We would like to thank all the golfers, sponsors, committee members, teams, club staff, team reps, and The Woodlands Country Club - Palmer Course for their valuable support throughout the event. A huge amount of work went into delivering a first-class outing for everybody involved, and the feedback has been overwhelmingly very positive. We look forward to hosting again next year.”

Golf Committee 2022

Bob Bennett Award winners - Effex Management Solutions with Lynn Bennett

Express Employment Professionals - Dinner Sponsor

Save The Date for next year - Monday, March 20, 2023!

The Dash Academy hosted teams from the Girls Academy League Frontier Conference this past weekend at Bear Branch and Gosling sports complexes in The Woodlands.  Fifty-four elite level games were played on state-of-the-art turf fields during a three-day period. Participating clubs included: Lonestar Soccer Club (Austin, TX), Kansas Rush (Olathe, Kansas), Lou Fusz (St. Louis, Missouri), BVB International Academy (Carrollton, Texas) and Sporting St. Louis (Maryland Heights, Missouri).  The Dash Academy completed the weekend with a record of 10-4-4.  

Also in attendance were staff from multiple college programs.: Cornell University, Southern Utah University, UTEP, Texas Christian University, Newberry College, West Virginia, University of Iowa, Long Beach State University, Harvard University, Pittsburg University, Bowling Green University, Central Arkansas University, Texas A&M University, South Carolina University, Colorado Mesa University, Iowa State University, Stetson University, University of Utah, Virginia Tech University, Tufts University, University of Redlands, Davidson College, University of Miami, Liberty University, Emory University, Dickinson College, Penn State University, University of Florida, Columbia University, Point Loma University, University of Minnesota, San Diego State University, University of Rochester, Carnegie Mellon University, University of Texas, University of Houston, University of Kentucky, Michigan State University and Rice University.

"I would like to thank all the visiting teams, coaching staff, players, parents, volunteers and referees for making this weekend a tremendous success," said Coach Steven Grave, Girls Academy Coach | Event Director. "The club has a responsibility to continue to showcase and promote our players to college coaches from across the country.  This was accomplished during the weekend by hosting and playing the above clubs on first class facilities."

"When I think of the experience that our club had this past weekend in Houston during the Girls Academy league play, one word comes to mind...quality.  Quality opponents, a quality environment and quality facilities." Daouda Kante, Executive & Technical Director, Kansas Rush Soccer Club.

"Being brand new to the Houston Dash GA team, this showcase over the past weekend was a great experience for me to get more comfortable with my team and show off my abilities to the coaches present," said Abby Onstad, Dash Academy 2006 GK. "I think it was a good experience to showcase myself in front of top colleges because I was able to play with a great team against other elite level programs."

"Great showcase, good competition. I love how Dash reached out and welcomed top college coaches. Many were there to see their current recruits too. Two perfect venues to showcase our talented girls!  Thanks, Dash!" Debbie Staton, event volunteer / club parent.

"By continuing to host events in The Woodlands provides opportunities for our local residents to enjoy their youth soccer experience in their own back yard thus bringing further economic impact to the local community," said Simon Boddison, Director of Soccer Operations.  "I would like to thank The Woodlands Township, our hotel and food partners along with Memorial Hermann Hospital who covered all our athletic training needs for the event."

Dynamo | Dash Youth is excited to announce that Express Employment Professionals will be this year's dinner sponsor at the club's golf yearly fundraiser which will be held at the The Woodlands Country Club - The Palmer on Monday  March 21, 2022.  

“Express Employment Professionals understands that hard work, determination and grit are important skill sets today that employers are looking for. These skill sets are a behavior that is learned when competing in a top notch club sport and this is why Express is excited about partnering with Dynamo | Dash Youth this year," said Arron Martin, Regional Vice President.  "We look forward to this partnership because we understand that today’s youth is tomorrow’s leaders. Our hope is that our support today will help them grow and succeed both now and in the future.”

"Express Employment Professionals understand the importance of the role that youth sports play in the local community and we're very excited to have them on board to support our yearly golf event," said Simon Boddison, Director of Soccer Operations.  "The club partners with professional businesses that excel in their field and align with the club's core values. We look forward to continuing to grow our mutual partnership in the future."

Dynamo | Dash Youth is proud to kick off the Spring Recreational Program across the Greater Houston area this past weekend. Our Recreational Programming is sponsored by AutoNation, America’s largest & most recognized automotive retailer.

The Recreational Program is an excellent introduction to soccer for kids with birth years between 2003-2018. We are proud to offer full developmental programs from recreational leagues through our nationally competitive elite teams, all the way to collegiate and professional opportunities, which will allow every child to experience the game of soccer at a level that suits them.

This season, we have over 3,600 recreational players on 521 teams taking part in weekly training sessions and games to develop their soccer skills and love for the game in a fun, safe environment. We expect to welcome over 15,000 spectators weekly to watch approximately 200 games at our first-class facilities in The Woodlands, Woodforest, Tomball, Friendswood, Clear Lake, League City, Beaumont, Fulshear, and our new location in Sienna. The Recreational Program will be hosted in the spring on Saturdays from February 12 - April 23, 2022. 

We are excited to get this season underway and look forward to the growth of these players over the coming months.

“We’d like to sincerely thank the parents and spectators for creating a wonderful atmosphere at our various facilities on opening day," said Phil Ebner, Grassroots Director. "Additionally, we extend our gratitude to the hundreds of volunteer coaches, who are the heartbeat of our program and the reason so many players fall in love with the game. We look forward to what promises to be a tremendous spring season.”

“I’d like to thank SPLID (Sienna Parks & Levee Improvement District) for giving us the opportunity to offer our Recreational Program at Camp Sienna. A lot of collaboration has gone into bringing a quality soccer experience into the Sienna community, said Andrew Squire, Sienna Director. "Recreational soccer is all about community relationships, and we have a wonderful team of local volunteer coaches, referees, and staff all contributing to growing the game here in Sienna."

Sienna Recreational Program pictured above

The club is excited to announce that Justin Neese has joined the Dynamo | Dash Youth Coaching staff as the Dash City Program (DCP) Director. Neese will have oversight for the development of U10-U12 players as they progress towards the Houston Dash Girls Academy (GA) and GA2 programs. In his former role as Dynamo Academy Catalyst Foundation Program Director, Neese built a thriving program preparing Houston’s best 9 to 12-year-old players to enter the prestigious Dynamo MLS Next Academy.

"I am grateful to the senior staff at Dynamo | Dash Youth Soccer Club for the exciting opportunity to join the club and I am thrilled about the opportunity to collaborate with all of the players and parents within the program," said Justin Neese, Dash City Director.  "I am looking forward to working alongside the staff to develop and continue to grow a national level program for these young, promising players providing a robust pathway for the best female players in Houston to the Dash Academy."

Justin Neese:

• Academy Director License.
• US Soccer 'A' Youth License.
• NSCAA/ USC Premier Diploma and DOC Diploma.
• Ten (10) years at the Houston Dynamo FC Academy working primarily with U10 to U12 players.
• Catalyst Program Director for Dynamo Academy FC from 2019 to 2021.
• Head Women's Coach and Assistant Women's coach for NCAA DIII program in Arkansas, Louisiana, and Texas before moving back to Houston in 2012.
• Previous experience working in coach education for North Texas, South Texas, and the NSCAA/ USC.
• Native Houstonian - grew up playing Club and high school soccer in Houston. 

The Boys ECNL Program finished off a very long and successful season in the Texas Conference (South) with a league record of W48-L12-T11 and a showcase record of W8-L0-T1. Five (5) out of six (6) teams finished top of the league standings heading into the Spring season.

Team Leading Scorers:

U13 – Bryce Hubbard/Jaden White (4 goals each)
U15 – Axel Vazquez (5 goals)
U16 – Allen Rojas (7 goals)
U17 – Jose Ramos (11 goals)
U19 – Ashton Contreras (13 goals) 

"I would like to congratulate the players and the coaching staff for all their hard work during the last five months.  Our performances in the league and our showcases against the best teams in the country have been extremely positive," said Alex Cardenas, Boys Academy Director. "The players are continually developing through daily training and game day environments resulting in excellent league placements.  We look forward to the spring season with great anticipation in continuing the success."