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The reputation of decades can be determined by the action or inaction of one weekend….

The Celtic goal of teaching youngsters the art and science of gracious behavior toward all in defeat along with humility for all in victory are the essence of bearing the Celtic Hoops.

The objectives of Celtic soccer are basic.   Train hard, acquire ball skills, maintain discipline, and yet enjoy.  Remember that no coach, player, or team is more important than any other coach, player, or team.  Celtic, as all soccer clubs should, places a great deal of emphasis on youngsters attending college.  Therefore, a player’s school grades are of vital importance.  Celtic teams advise their players  “no” grades – “no” hope!   Any club that recruits a high school player with inadequate grades and then implies that college is “no problem,” should be banned from the sport.

Everyone associated with the Celtic organization knows that there would be no “whitewash” relating to disciplinary matters.  Any incident requiring a Coast Soccer League BOD hearing will have the facts fully stated and confirmed.

To the novice the possibilities are infinite, to the expert the are few.

Celtic declined application for membership participation in the US Academy program, because competing against LA Galaxy and Chivas USA for the very few exceptional players is an exercise in futility for any club, as well it should be. Galaxy and Chivas fully fund their Academy programs, while youth club academies charge dearly. Logically, selection-failure to either Galaxy or Chivas speaks volumes, sending a very unambiguous message of another path in life; many are called, but few are chosen.
 
 Optomistic, youth soccer players from professional academies should be; however, fewer than 3% of said players from the aforementioned professional academies will ever see the light of day on any professional team, even then that percentage will, in time, drop by more than half. Of the few who make any professional team many are dismissed in less than three years, bumped by new blood, and all of this for $12, 000 per year.
 
Disillisionment and grief await 99% of youngsters who dream the dream of a professional career. After three plus decades of participation in youth soccer, it would be irrisponsible of me to ignore facts and history including informing the naive. Saving money for and focusing on college should be the goal; pardon the pun.
 
Celtic had a spectacularly successful team relocate after being persuaded of the opportunities available at an Academy club. Three years later and thousand of dollars invested, 99% was the number of abysmal failures when the team vaporized. Parents stated they could have sent their boys to college on the money they lost - these very exploitable folks worked at the challenging wage level; gullibility and naivete are poor excuses.

With all due respect, education is not a priority with Academy programs....

Matt McDonagh and founding team DOB 1968. NTL Cup final 1984