ST. GEORGE — 7 Elite Academy, an international club that brings 400 teams to St. George every year for a youth soccer tournament, named a new coordinator that they hope will continue to facilitate rapid expansion of the sport.
According to a press release, Crystal Soderquist has been appointed as a full-time technical coordinator for 7 Elite Academy in Southern Utah.
Soderquist guided several 7 Elite Academy girls teams to tournament success and was named Coach of the Year by the Utah Youth Soccer Association in 2023.
Her appointment is part of a wider expansion of 7 Elite Academy in Southern Utah, with hundreds of new players joining the organization at tryouts this past year.
“I am so excited to take up this role and it is a dream job for me. Being able to think about and plan soccer full time is a fantastic opportunity,” Soderquist said in the press release.
7 Elite Academy has club teams in Salt Lake City and St. George, in Tanzania, Africa, and in Liverpool, England. The global youth soccer academy has thousands of players at training facilities and colleges in Utah, the United Kingdom and Europe.
Soderquist’s duties will include delivery of the latest coaching curriculum, along with supporting Southern Utah coaches with education, training and mentoring, alongside fellow full-time technical coordinator Stuart Dewey.
“7 Elite Academy is a great environment for me to build lasting relationships with parents and share with them our long-term vision for player development here in Southern Utah,” Soderquist said in the release.
“That relationship is so important to us and of course the players themselves. We want them to take full advantage of the pathways and opportunities we have in place,” she added.
As previously reported in St. George News, over 400 youth soccer teams from around the world descended upon St. George and Mesquite, Nevada last February for the yearly 7 Elite Academy tournament.
“I am very excited for the new season and the opportunities for new and returning players. The key is to have fun with soccer and embrace all the challenges that come your way,” Soderquist said in the release.
“I am looking forward to seeing the academy grow even further over the next few years and offer more youngsters the chance to fulfil their potential,” she added.
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