From the President
March 9, 2022

Striker’s philosophy has always been to be a leader in developing and implementing programs that give our players the opportunity to grow as athletes, both on and off the field. That being said, to further elevate our programs and address the many needs of our young athletes, I’m excited to announce two appointments that are part of the many changes underway at the Club.

Last fall we promoted Anne Poulin to the position of Director of Wellness & Fitness and Marcus Lauria to Director of our Pre-Club and Developmental Rec. programs. These promotions are part of our 3- to 5-year strategic plan to enhance the depth of our programs, while simultaneously broadening the scope of our facilities.

Coach Lauria’s new role at Strikers, in part, is to expand our One Community, One Club philosophy by creating a learning grid that allows younger participants to join Strikers and experience a great soccer environment with the entire family. Our intention is to help the community understand Strikers as the comprehensive choice for soccer education and training from the very youngest years through college prep and beyond.

The Pre-Club and Developmental Rec. programs at Strikers are designed to take players to their next level of development using a stronger approach on team training and player interaction, which gives the players an insight into future expectations at the Club level. We are implementing our curriculum in a way that can be started at the age of two years old, thus providing the opportunity to allow players to develop from the beginning of their sport experience. By creating awareness in the community about the Strikers Dev. Rec. soccer program for ages 2 and up, Strikers hopes to positively impact a child’s ability to play recreational or competitive soccer in the future.

While Coach Lauria’s focus is on developing players prior to the Club level, Coach Poulin works on developing individualized fitness programs for Club members ages 6 to 23, with age-appropriate training and content that looks at all levels of human and character development. This holistic approach creates the possibility for greater performance, both as athletes and as people. Coach Poulin’s goal with the newly formed Strikers Wellness and Fitness program is to help players perform more consistently and at their very best both on and off the field. The program uses a variety of conditioning approaches and mental health principles designed to expand their effectiveness through every aspect of life.

Strikers has always sought healthy and age-appropriate practices that encourage personal growth, and Coach Poulin’s expanded role with the Club is focused on elevating our efforts to that end. In an effort to reach out to our community, Coach Poulin has initiated a partnership with Aurora University whereby students majoring in Athletic Training/Exercise Science intern at our facility. We are looking to expand that program to include Coaching and Sports Management.  Coach Poulin also started running combines for both boys and girls, in order to create a database that will track each athlete’s improvement as they participate in the program.

I am proud of the growth of the Club’s programs and the direction the Club is moving; we feel that this is just the beginning of our journey. We had a choice coming out of the pandemic to leave things status quo, or re-evaluate, restructure, and do what we felt was needed to move the Club forward. Please continue to follow our progress as we strive to connect with more families, capture more participants, develop stronger players and provide an extraordinary experience to our members. This commitment to excellence aligns with our vision of being the premier soccer club in the Tri-Cities area, and is at the heart of our motto: “One Community, One Club.”

To Continued Growth!

Pat Feulner
President
Strikers Fox Valley