As we shared in the introduction, we would like to congratulate Braden Bell on his promotion to Director of the Youth Development Academy (YDA). We asked Braden some questions to help you learn more about him.
Classics Eagles: What do you remember most from your earliest days of playing soccer?
Braden: Probably scoring the game winning penalty kick for the New Albany Crew in a tournament when I was around 11. It was a pretty great feeling to celebrate with my teammates and our parents, rushing towards the sideline afterwards.
CE: What was your favorite part of working with Kevin Casey in the Youth Development Academy this past year?
Braden: All in all, the best part of it was having our Monday meetings to get ready for the upcoming week, but getting side tracked talking about the good of the game we saw from our players that weekend.
CE: What is one thing you are excited about with the changes made in the Youth Development Academy?
Braden: Honestly, I am really excited about working with a whole new group this year. This year's birth year changes bring in a whole new dynamic, and I am ready to have an immediate, positive affect on its first year. I hope that the players who are on the "older" side become leaders, and those who are on the "younger" side become more confident, and begin to close the experience gap.
CE: What do you hope happens for our players in the YDA this year?
Braden: I hope that each of our players can get better each and every day. Most teachers and coaches are happy with positively affecting a small group, maybe one or two. It may be a bit optimistic, but I hope to help every player get better in some way this year.