Husband and wife Alexs and Rebecca Filipovic are sharing their love for soccer with youngsters across the island. They established the Valley Isle Academy this past year with the help of a sponsor who believed in their coaching methods. Aleks, a college soccer athlete, had been independently coaching Maui players in small group clinics. Rebecca, a former New Zealand national team player, has also been coaching soccer on Maui. They said they wanted to create an organization that focused specifically on technical, tactical and emotional player development, rather than building teams entering competition.

The Filipovics said they recognized the need for team training that provides players a chance to compete to be on a team and then evaluated by their own peers. “We understand that, at all levels, passion and fun are critical to success,” Rebecca Filipovic said. “We believe that fundamental skill development and education of the game is a critical aspect of fun; it is more important than winning, even among the best athletes.” Valley Isle Academy provides its players training in eight-week clinic modules. “Through our clinics, we train players from other teams or clubs across Maui,” Aleks Filipovic said. “We meet with head coaches to discuss specific goals they have for their teams’ development and create a curriculum to meet those goals.”

In the end, Rebecca, who works as a full-time attorney, and Aleks, who serves as the director of coaching for the academy, said they realize as coaches that they are also role models, mentors and teachers to all their athletes. “We are creating an environment that instills the values of healthy competition, sportsmanship and teamwork that players will carry in all aspects of life,” Rebecca Filipovic said. The academy operates largely on corporate sponsorship and community support. For more information, contact Rebecca at 281-3839 or Aleks, 240-538-5632, or email them at academy@valleyislesoccer.com. Their website is www.valleyislesoccer.com.