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About the Algarve Cup Symposium

The Algarve Cup is an annual event featuring many of the world's top women's soccer teams. It was founded in 1994 and has become the third most prestigious competition in Women's soccer - The Women's World Cup and the Olympic Games are first and second.  Each year, since 2007, the NSCAA Women's Committee has lead a group of coaches abroad for behind-the-scenes access to national team training sessions and international matches with former U.S. Women's National Team Head Coach April Heinrichs and renowned sports psychologist, Dr. Colleen Hacker.



 * Please note: The Algarve Cup Symposium is not scheduled for 2011. Instead, the NSCAA will lead a trip to the Women's World Cup.  Details will be released soon, so check back often. 

2010 NSCAA Algarve Cup Symposium a Success!

From February 24 - March 5, 2010, nineteen candidates traveled to the Algarve region of Portugal for the 2010 NSCAA Algarve Cup Symposium.  For the 4th straight year this trip was a resounding success on all fronts.  See what the candidates had to say!

Click here for more about the 2010 NSCAA Algarve Cup Symposium.




Transcript:

Erin Aubry, Head Coach at the University of Arkansas
“We talk about the four pillars of soccer, but they really embraced every single aspect of it. And so it wasn’t just a trip about the soccer, and of course being in this amazing environment, but you know, just everything. And you realize how much bigger your role can be.”

Sam Laity, Coach at Dos FC in Seattle, WA – NSCAA Master Coach Candidate
“The access that we had to the players and to the coaching staff, and just the relaxed nature of the whole thing was fantastic. There’s no other experience really like it – available in the U.S. or probably in the anywhere in the world. So thanks to the NSCAA for putting it together.”

Gabe Massine – Coach at Broomfield United in Denver, CO
“Yeah definitely. It’s the best soccer coaching thing the NSCAA does, in my opinion. Favorite part? I don’t know – there’s too many. Access to watching national team trainings, speaking to coaches from other national teams. Colleen Hacker and April Heinrichs obviously are two of the best in the world and having them in small groups and being able to talk with them for a week and learn from them is pretty amazing.”

Erin DeMarco, Head Coach at Bryn Mawr College in Philadelphia, PA
“This is a great place to be. You get to do a lot while you’re here, it’s not in the classroom all the time. There really hasn’t been a wasted moment. Everything has been quality and planned very well.”

Erica Destache, Assistant Coach at University of Wisconsin, Osh Kosh
“Going to the training sessions and seeing the level of soccer we’re seeing. You usually don’t have that anywhere in the world, and it’s wonderful. And also meeting all these great people, and seeing the sites of Portugal has been fun.”

Paula White – Professional Hair Stylist in Dallas, TX
Note of interest: Paula’s sister, Kat Connor, is the Head Coach at Texas State University and was on the trip for her second year in a row
“It’s a lot of psychology and team-building and ways to encourage any team, or any staff… I work for a salon so the staff I educate, and the information I’ve learned from Colleen can really help me with my education, too.”

Ted Anderson, Assistant Coach at University of Nebraska, Omaha
“Being able to see the best teams in the world train, and having the opportunity to watch them play against each other is going to be exciting.”

Laura Flynn, Front Office Staff at the WPS Philadelphia Independence
“I was concerned that, because I don’t have any coaching experience, I wasn’t sure if this was the trip for me. If someone needed to have lots of experience coaching. I would say this trip is good for anybody. I have learned so much that I can take away just when I’m starting at the youth level. And I’ve made a lot of great connections.”

Kristina Kiss, Retired Canadian Women’s National Team Player and youth coach in Ontario, Canada
“I love the lectures and seminars we’ve been having with Dr. Colleen Hacker. Watching international soccer is always amazing, especially at this level. I think anyone who wants to be a coach, anyone involved in coaching, even players, it would be an excellent opportunity to see things from the other side…. the dark side.”

Erin Aubry, Head Coach at the University of Arkansas
“Obviously the group that we have here is a wide, wide diversity of people and their soccer backgrounds. Everybody fit in and everybody had something to contribute. Nobody was out of place or didn’t have anything to say, and I think everybody brought something to the table to make the trip great. So I think the more diverse the group can be, the better it is.”


 

March 2009 - Our third annual trip!

The Algarve Cup is an annual event featuring most of the world's top women's soccer teams. The Algarve Cup was founded in 1994 and has become the third most prestigious competition in Women's soccer (The Women's World Cup and the Olympic Games are first and second). Although Sweden defeated the USA in PK's this year, the United States has won this competition six out of the past ten years.

Photos on Flickr:  http://www.flickr.com/photos/24522405@N08/sets/72157614865074815/
Photos on Snapfish:  http://www2.snapfish.com/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=288779533/a=30636392_106795865/t_=30636392



Former USWNT Head Coach April Heinrichs and renowned sports psychologist Dr. Colleen Hacker led a group of 24 NSCAA coaches behind-the-scenes at this distinguished sporting event.  And to top it off, USSF "A" licensed coaches earned CEUs for this course.  No where else can you get this kind of access!

Who attends the Algarve Cup Symposium?

2009 was memorable in so many ways; we had a largely head coach base (no offense to the great assistant coaches), 100% of the coaches were coaches of women, 20 of 24 coaches were female, several coaches we "clever" D3 coaches, we also had in attendance WPS coaches, 3 Canadian born coaches, youth coaches and even a non-profit soccer/community out reach coach!  Clearly, the symposium continues to attract a diverse coaching community!  -April Heinrichs on the 2009 group of coaches. 

Reviews

3/17/09:  Thank you note from Matthew Driver, General Manager and Head Coach of the Philadelphia WPS franchise.

I would like to take this opportunity to express my gratitude to the staff of the NSCAA for allowing myself, and the staff of the 2010 WPS Philadelphia Independence attend the Algarve Cup as part of their group at such short notice.  In heading to the Algarve I had but one agenda, and that was to attend as many games as possible in as short a time as possible.  However, the Algarve Cup offered up much more than the opportunity to see a concentrated number of world class teams and players competing in such a relaxed atmosphere. 
 
The course leaders, former national team coach April Heinrichs and peak performance specialist Dr. Colleen Hacker were nothing less than spectacular.  Due to the time constraints and demanding agenda that we had organized prior to our arrival we were only fortunate enough to be able to attend 50% of the meetings/seminars that both very uniquely talented ladies conducted, but the one’s that we did attend where incredibly informative and really did complement what our objective was.  Dr. Coleen’s zest for life and passion about the application of sports science in our field was second to none.  April’s knowledge past and present of the women’s game at the international level was incredibly insightful and helpful to me, she gave not only to us but to each of the individual course participants, and for that I thank her.  Lastly, not to forget Marti, who as the course administrator did a great job keeping everything in check and on time.
 
For what it is worth, this was a fantastic course which was run by world class professionals whose passion for educating and their love of the game shined through.  Well done to all the NSCAA staff and to the participants for making this a truly worthwhile and thoroughly enjoyable experience.
 

3/17/09:  Thank you note from Colleen Murphy.



I just wanted to send an email to express how wonderful my experience was in Portugal last week.  As a young coach, I learned more than I ever could have imagined from my peers and especially from April and Colleen.  April and Colleen were extremely knowledgeable but also very
personable and approachable during the week.  I can't imagine learning from two better people.

It is so important that we continue to allow women to experience an environment where they feel comfortable to ask questions and to learn.  It was nice to be among so many great female coaches, and to learn from each other.  It is rare that we have such opportunities, and I would
love to continue to support such courses and to also add more if possible.  Its very important that women learn to help other women, and the Algarve Cup symposium is a perfect environment to do this.

I hope very much that this symposium continues, and that April and Colleen continue to present.  The strength of this experience is learning from other women who have been successful.  Learning from individuals who truly know women's soccer, and can teach us the keys to becoming successful.

It was a great experience, and I look forward to participating in more NSCAA courses in the future!

All the best,
Colleen Murphy

3/17/09:  Thank you email from Angie Hind.

I would like to echo the sentiments of my fellow participants on the Algarve Symposium. It was fantastic and a breath of fresh air as far as professional development opportunities go in the women's game.

Being able to watch some of the best women's teams in the world compete at the one venue was tremendous. Having access to see National teams practice and then the chance to hear various national coaches express their approach and coaching philosophies was both interesting and thought provoking.  These opportunities alone were somewhat unique in themselves however this course offered so much more...

April Heinrichs and Colleen Hacker were simply superb in their ability to impart knowledge, share their depth of experience in the game, and stimulate discussion within the group. Their influence on this course cannot be overstated as their enthusiasm and accessibility created a learning environment which was open, engaging, and stimulating.   

I left this symposium inspired and equipped with many new activities, practices, and concepts to consider. In talking with many of my newly made friends and colleagues, I know there are many inspired coaches now doing the same...

April, Colleen, NSCAA, and fellow symposium participants....thank you!
Angie Hind

3/17/09:  Thank you email from Kathi Connor.



This was an absolutely amazing trip, access to great international play, hearing from some of the best minds in soccer in such a free forum allows you to not worry about passing just learning.  That coming from one of the ceu candidates.  This is one of the best trips I have ever taken, and have made some great friends through this wonderful experience!

3/17/09: Thank you email from Steve Austin.

The whole experience was amazing.  So many intelligent , accomplished and competitive female coaches, their players are fortunate to have them as leaders.  I have been coaching females for about 25 years and it's wonderful to see so many more women entering the field. 
 
It is hard to convince  friends that a week in Portugal watching soccer is a working trip, but we were kept busy for most of the week.  The information from both Colleen and April is so well presented and as useful to me as a high school and club coach as it is to the D1 and D3 college coaches.
 
Colleens' team building exercises were perfect ice breakers although the group of coaches were so open to each other that the group was off and running immediately, and her constant reinforcment of her principles in our daily travels kept me thinking . Aprils'knowledge ,experience and candor made her presentations pricless. Being able to discuss the games as they happened and afterwards as well make this a unique part of coaching education.
 
I have already blocked of the approximate time next spring so I can attend again. Thanks to the NSCAA and the organizers on the ground for making this event happen.
 
Steve Austin

3/16/09: Thank you note from Lauren Frankford.



I am just writing to give you some feedback about the Algarve Cup...I don't think that my evaluation really was able to reflect how I felt about the experience (and now I can articulate since I have had time to reflect).

First, this is a tremendous opportunity.  The access to international soccer was amazing!  This is not something that I could have come close to setting up on my own and I am very grateful to the NSCAA for creating this symposium.  The ability to watch games, training sessions and have access to international coaches was such an inspiring experience.  That alone was more than I could have asked for.

The personal access to April and Colleen absolutely capped off this trip.  They were approachable and caring and willing to help us any way they could.  It goes without saying that their knowledge was invaluable.  Their first hand knowledge of the women's international game was priceless.  It was so unique to have insight regard the US women's program.  Without them this symposium would not be near as valuable.

The content of the presentations was superb.  I liked that there were less X's and O's than a normal coaching course, the content was helpful in building my program.  April's session on planning for a program was excellent.  I enjoyed talking about some bigger picture topics and I really enjoyed Colleen's insight on the mental training and feedback.  These are things that I am going to apply to my program immediately!  The ability for them to be flexible and adapt the content to our needs made it feel very special and personalized. 

The other participants were also a major plus.  Everyone was willing to share ideas and I got some great advice from these coaches.  I know I can reach out to them if I am ever in need of something.

On a personal note, I have recently thought about getting out of coaching and focusing on administration.  This past week has rejuventated my desire to continue coaching and has motivated me to implement many new practices with my program.  I am very grateful for this!

Thanks again!
Lauren

3/10/09: Update by Elizabeth Hammes.



Monday we started off with a classroom session with April talking about systems. We then were off to the Germany vs Sweden game. We made it there early so we could see the warmups. Sweden was up 3-0 at the end of the first half. Germany tried to catch up but the 45 minutes was not enough time, they were defeated 2 - 3. After that game we hopped back into our vans & rushed to the US vs Norway game in which the US won 1-0. Afterwards Pia came & addressed our team. She talked mainly about the Beijing experience & how the US was able to win the Gold medal after having a rough start.  In the evening we went back to the classroom where April finished up her talk on the 4-4-2 system of play.

3/9/09: Update by Elizabeth Hammes. 

Sunday. We had the opportunity to catch the German National Team Practice. Afterwards the asst coach addressed us on how the Germans are focusing on their flank play & how they are bringing in a new set of young players. We then went on to see the China's practice. In the evening Dr Hacker spoke on what sports psychology is & on the psychological skills triad. Afterward, we had group presentations & analysis of how you would address a certain team (China, Germany, USA) at halftime or after the game, based on the games we had seen on Friday. After the class sessions ended, all hit the strip for dinner. Another amazing day in the Algarve!

3/8/09:  Update from Elizabeth Hammes. 

Sat, The group made it to see the Norway training in the morning & then over to the US practice. Norway did a technical/ posession session, while the US focused on shooting on goal. Asst Coach Erica Walsh was gracious enough to spend some time after practice getting us up to date with what the U.S. National Team is trying to do & what Pia's mindset is for the team. For the afternoon the team hit the old town. We had a nice sit down lunch right on the Ocean & got some shopping in as well. For the evening, Dr Colleen spoke to us about feedback & April gave us her insight from the Beijing Games. Both were truly inspiring.

3/6/09:  Update from Marti Coan. 



First day was a bit cold, nice when the sun was out but cold when the wind picked up.  First we watched Germany beat China, score was 3 - 0, and China was a man down when we left to see the U.S. vs. Iceland game. Great to see some familiar faces on the field at the U.S. game.  Exciting getting to know the newer ones, learn their body stance, agility and skills.  Iceland was giving it all they had but couldn't hold them.  Natasha Kai was very determined and got the finish!  Then we went on to the Portugal vs. Wales game.  I believe it was 3- 1 to the host country.  More to follow!

March 2008

2008 Course Feedback from April Heinrichs

The feedback from 2008 once again was that the course was a resounding success on a myriad of fronts. Coaches continue to rave about the content, course length, unique offerings of such close proximity to WNTs from around the World, as well as support for the amount of soccer and psychology they are exposed to, engaged with and informally absorbing via observation or in-person contact with noted Women’s Soccer experts. 

This course stands alone in its uniqueness, professional development, community service, women’s networking, along with a powerful educational coaching experience for any and all levels.