Their first coach is the one that counts.
Small-group classes from 18 months to nineteen years — a coach who explains, and one pathway so your kid never has to start over.
Five steps, one pathway.
Every kid enters where they are and moves up when they're ready — on their coach's word, not a tryout's.
Aspire Micros
You're on the floor with them. Movement, balance, first contact with a ball.
Aspire Minis
Their first time without you. Listening to a coach, taking turns, and a lot of touches.
Aspire Juniors
First real skills. Control of the ball, and the start of wanting it.
Aspire Academy
Decisions under pressure, not just technique.
Aspire Select
Small invitation-only groups for players who are ready for more, under our most senior coaches.
Development here is a system, not a vibe.
The same written curriculum runs every group on the pathway, so what your kid learns on Tuesday builds on what they learned last month — and follows them up every step.
It's written down.
Every group's sessions come from one curriculum, authored by our Director of Coaching — not whatever tonight's coach feels like running.
Coaches train on it.
Your kid's coach is trained on that curriculum, so a session means the same thing whichever night you come.
Kids stay in the game.
Small groups and small-sided play — the whole session is touches and decisions, not waiting in line.
You see the progress.
After sessions, coaches share what clicked and what's next — so progress is something you watch, not something you take on faith.
What a class here feels like.
The group
Small enough that nobody waits.
Small groups and small-sided play — the whole session is touches, not lines.
The coaching
Explained while it happens.
Coaches talk kids through the game in the moment, not just at the end.
The feedback
Praised for the right things.
Specific praise for real effort — confidence built on what they can actually do.
How we coach
“Every kid walks in at a different place — some are here for the fun, some for the competition. My commitment is the same either way: meet them where they are, and grow them to their full potential.”
- MLS matches
- 112 · MLS matches
- 2015 SuperDraft
- #12 · 2015 SuperDraft
- Sporting Kansas City
- Def. POY · Sporting Kansas City
- MLS Next Cup, U18
- Champion · MLS Next Cup, U18
Saad Abdul-Salaam brings championship-level experience to Aspire as both a player and coach. A former Columbus Crew player and nine-year MLS veteran, Saad won an MLS Cup during his professional career before transitioning into youth development. Most recently, he coached the Columbus Crew Academy U18 team to the first national championship in Academy history. Saad is passionate about helping young players build confidence, master the fundamentals, and develop a genuine love for the game.
What it costs.
Blocks
Priced per block
Classes are booked as multi-week blocks. Every class card shows its block price before you register.
The card is the truth
No separate figure
We could publish a summary price here, but it would only be one more number to keep in sync. The block price on each open class card below is the real one.
No surprises
No hidden fees
No call required, no quote step — the price on the card is the price at checkout.
Book it right here.
Open classes
Every class shows its dates, venue and block price on the card.
Questions parents ask.
At 18 months, in Aspire Micros — you're on the floor with them. From age 3 they train without you.
On their coach's word, when they're ready — there's no tryout between steps.
Sessions run throughout the week — every class card above shows its day and time, next to what's open.
Today's classes meet at the Worthington Fieldhouse — serving families across Worthington, Powell, Dublin, Westerville and north Columbus. Every class card shows its venue.
Yes — the pathway runs year-round. Blocks roll one into the next, so there's never a season where your kid has nowhere to train.
Classes are booked as multi-week blocks — the block price sits on each class card, next to what's open.
Still have questions? Email us
Aspire Micros
18 months – 3 years old
Your kid's first organized play, with you on the floor beside them. Sessions are built around movement, balance, and first touches on a ball — and just as much around learning to be in a group: waiting a turn, following a coach's voice, celebrating somebody else's goal.
Aspire Minis
3 – 5 years old
The first big step: training without you. Minis is where kids learn to listen to a coach, take turns, and get a lot of touches in a group small enough that nobody disappears. The session is play, and the learning hides inside it.
Aspire Juniors
5 – 8 years old
Where skills start to stick. Juniors works on real control of the ball and the beginnings of wanting it — turning, protecting, taking players on. Coaches narrate the game as it happens, so the learning lands in the moment.
Aspire Academy
8 – 12 years old
Training gets real. Academy is decisions under pressure, not just technique — smaller spaces, faster play, and coaching that asks questions as often as it gives answers. Players leave knowing what they did well and what to work on next.
Aspire Select
8 – 19 · by invitation
An invitation, not an age band. Select is a small group for players who are ready for more, under our most senior coaches — invitations come from your kid's coach, based on readiness, not a tryout day. The pathway is how they get there.
Also at Aspire
Ready for game day?
Youth leagues run by age group from U6 to U19 — developmental seasons where we build the teams, and competitive winter play.
Also at Aspire
Camps, all year long.
Day camps on school breaks, plus specialty camps through the year — coached rather than supervised, by the same people they see all year.