Surf Nation is comprised of like-minded coaches and administrators dedicated to our Surf mission to provide the best experiences and opportunities for their athletes. Since 2020, Montana Surf has been a proud partner of Surf Nation, and we have thoroughly enjoyed the partnership. We have watched their amazing club grow and seen them take full advantage of being under the Surf brand.
We sat down with Montana Surf’s Erin Williams, to learn more about how Surf has helped their club, players, coaches, and administrators and their upcoming season goals:
What is the biggest value for Montana Surf being part of the Surf Nation Community?
The connection and support from Surf Nation, not only in our area but across the country, is invaluable to us. Soccer in a small state has its struggles but connecting with nearby Surf clubs allows us to collaborate and learn from each other. Surf Summit is a highlight for our staff every year; meeting and engaging with other surf leaders benefits us. The resources, coach education, support, and tools that Surf provides allow us to continually strive to provide the best of the best experiences for our Montana Surf athletes and coaches. These Surf connections, including the Surf Select program and guest playing with other Surf clubs, have allowed our athletes amazing opportunities to play outside of Montana and abroad.
As we have now started the 24/25 season, what are some of the KPI’s you have set for the Club this year?
Player development from our grassroots program through our oldest competitive program is our main focus as we move through the 2024/2025 season. Coach education is a large part of that focus; we look forward to many of our coaches achieving new coach education levels this winter. We always want to retain our athletes and increase participation across all programs. The increased focus on player development, coach education, and our youth leadership program’s growth are pivotal in achieving our retention goals.
What are some of the club highlights from 2024 that you would love to share with us?
Montana Surf partnered with Positive Coaching Alliance in 2024, and we are excited to renew that partnership again this season with increased workshops for coaches, players, and parents. We had four teams advance to the Montana State Cup in three divisions and had a State Champion team in all three divisions. Our 2011 Girls advanced to USYS Presidents Cup Nationals. Our 2006 Boys team attended Copa America in May and advanced to the finals. We host a tournament every fall and rebranded to Montana Surf Challenge this year. This year’s tournament hosted 123 teams from 18 different clubs, a huge success. This past summer, our leadership worked with Idaho Surf to host a “D” course in Bozeman, again demonstrating the benefits of our Surf Nation connections and collaborations.
Can you give us a clear idea of the Club’s player development pathway from Grassroots to your competitive program?
Montana Surf’s Recreational Grassroots program is the starting point for our soccer players. Our recreational program is for young players from 4-12 years old. This program is a low-key, fun introduction to soccer, coached by volunteer coaches. Coaches focus on basic skills, positive reinforcement, teamwork and FUN. These teams will train 1-2 days weekly and have a game every Sunday. We supplement the rec training with a weekly pro session taught by our licensed coaches. This past spring season, we implemented a new model that USYS was piloting with U5/U6 players. This 3v3 game model uses 4 goals and “new ball” restarts. This allows more technical development due to more touches on the ball, more engagement in the play, and creative decision-making. We’re excited to see how this shift will help the youngest of our players learn the game.
Once our players move into what we call our “Academy” program (8-12 years old), they train in groups and focus on technical development while continuing to foster a love of the game. Establishing a foundation of technical skills in this program is vital and will be built on as the players move into our more competitive program. Academy teams will participate in games and tournaments around the state of Montana.
When a player reaches U13 they are part of our “Competitive” program. They will participate in Montana Youth Soccer Premier or Select leagues and attend tournaments in Montana and beyond. Development for this group shifts to focus more on advanced technical and tactical skills and increasing competition. Training is three times a week with an increased focus on skills built at younger ages. Our competitive teams play a possession-based game using all 11 players on the pitch.
Given your strong ties within the Bozeman community, could you please share any additional initiatives the Club provides/completed?
We try to keep our players and teams connected in our community and within our different programs. Most of our teams participate in a service project in the Bozeman community each season. Teams have volunteered at the local food bank, organized a trash pickup of local athletic fields, collected and donated soccer gear for a team traveling to Tanzania, and wrapped holiday gifts. We also have a youth leadership/mentoring program that is constantly evolving and growing. This program connects our high school and middle school athletes with our younger grassroots players. In the spring of 2024, 25 MT Surf high school-age athletes volunteer coached or assisted a grassroots rec team for the season. Our high school and college alumni also assist in our summer camps, much to the delight of the younger players. This has been a fantastic way for our older athletes to give back to the beautiful game of soccer and their local community.
Learn more about Montana Surf at https://montanasurf.org/
