COLUMBUS — Local soccer club Golden Triangle Elite began a new season last week, with several teams competing in the Tupelo Developmental League. The organization’s focus on competitive teams starts at a young age group with their “academy-age” teams, and the league gives them the opportunity to fulfill their primary goal of player development at a high level.
“I think what we do as a program, we truly put a lot of emphasis into developing the complete player,” GT Elite founder and coach Jason Spears said. “Whether it’s their attitude, strength, agility, or abilities on the field, it’s just a part of what makes GTE work at the level we’re able to make it work.”
The organization was founded by Spears in 2022 with the goal of providing a top-tier soccer club that focuses on developing quality players. The organization utilizes tracking software to help analyze player movement and positioning and an app called Techne Futbol for player training outside of team practices.
GT Elite also has a working relationship with area giant, Tupelo Football Club.
The organizations coordinated for league play, camps, and workshops in the past, fostering a relationship between the organizations that Spears believes is beneficial for elevating the game in the area. The TDL is a big part of that.
“It’s a great opportunity for all of our teams to travel,” Spears said of the league. “We’ve been very successful with a lot of the academy-age teams. It gives the coaches a chance to evaluate if players are in the right position and how they perform under pressure before going to tournaments.”
While the organization prioritizes quality over quantity with its teams, the growth has brought younger teams into the fold that will continue playing into older age groups at highly competitive tournaments.
This fall, GT Elite has teams traveling to Tupelo King Cup and Mike Rose Cup in Memphis in September, as well as tournaments in Oxford and Hoover, Ala., later in the fall. The organization hosted its first tournament in Spring 2024 and is set to host again each year.
“We will host our second annual tournament (on) April 12-13, The Columbus Riverwalk Spring Invitational Tournament, and we’re looking to grow that as our home base tournament,” Spears said.
With the growth of the sport in the area, more and more youth players are signing up each year, GT Elite is focusing on taking the local understanding of the game to a higher level. The competitive environment aims to not only develop players with a strong sense for the game at an early age, but to prepare them for higher levels of competition as they grow up.
“Soccer is the most widely played sport in the world because it is such a simple game, but on top of that we wanted to create an incubator for kids who want to play at a high level,” Spears said. “Giving them the training they need so that when they go to play in high school they’re prepared for those levels of competition.”
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Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 46 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
