On September 18th the WP College Program went to Seattle to visit the Division 1 Redhawks. Associate Head Coach Nate Dalicon walked us through the ins and outs of the local soccer powerhouse.

Our day started at Championship Field in the heart of downtown Seattle. Many players said this was the best field they had ever seen up close. Needless to say, it was immaculate and ready for the two games that would be played on it that afternoon.

Nate walked us across the street to the athletics building and we toured the weight room, training room, gym and all other areas of their brand new facility. In the weight room, Nate shared with us just how in-depth they go when it comes to taking care of their players. At the beginning of every season each player goes through a mechanical screening where their movements are analyzed and deficiencies noted. From this information, the training staff creates custom programs designed for injury prevention and maximizing each player’s potential.

Each athlete also trains with a gps and heart rate monitor. They track their mechanical and physical loads and then create daily custom programs for each player. To help with this data, they have a person from the university who is at every training and game monitoring the data and giving it to the coaches. The players also have an app on their phone that lets them input their caloric intake, injuries, health concerns, etc. so that the trainers and staff can be ready for them when they walk in the door.

After the athletics facility tour, we went onto the Seattle University campus. We learned that SU boasts the #12 ranked cafeteria system in the US. Pretty cool. Head coach Pete Fewing met us on campus and gave us a few minutes of his time. As he was talking and answering questions, two current players from the men’s team walked by and also shared their experiences with us. We learned that grades are really important. We also learned that at the division 1 level, these players are very well taken care of in the form of training gear. Each player receives 3 pairs of nike cleats, tons of training gear…they even get bath robes and slippers!

The visit finished off with the men’s and women’s teams playing Davidson and Gonzaga. Both SU teams won. Our next visit will be October 8th at PLU. One of the main goals we have for our college program is to get our players onto college campuses. By the time they graduate, we want our players to have seen multiple programs, watched all levels of college soccer, and met coaches who can share with them what it takes to be a student athlete at the collegiate level.