The Celtic Huddle: The Official Podcast of Oklahoma Celtic FC

College Recruiting and New Player Development Initiatives | Ep. 4

This episode explores Oklahoma Celtic's holistic approach to player development, introducing exciting new Player Development Initiatives, including mental performance coaching, strength and conditioning programs, and enhanced individual development plans. We also dive deep into the college recruiting process with Director of College Recruiting, Trevor LaFoon, who provides invaluable guidance on navigating the path to collegiate soccer for both boys and girls. CHAPTER LIST: 2:39 - 26/27 Celtic Tryout Information 4:40 - ECNL-RL League Realignment 6:00 - Listener Question 9:29 - The Importance of Development 11:28 - Player Development Initiative 1: Mental Performance Coach 13:52 - Player Development Initiative 2: Strength and Conditioning/Injury Prevention Coach 15:50 - Celtic's Holistic Approach to Development 16:55 - Player Development Initiative 3: Sleep/Nutrition Education 17:37 - Other Player Development Initiatives: Increased Film Focus/Improved IDP 18:46: Celtic's Vision for Player Development 21:16 - Meet Trevor Laffoon 22:05 - About the Director of College Recruiting Role  25:50 - At What Age Should I Start the Recruiting Process? 41:33 - The Celtic Pathway

New Leagues, 26/27 Coaching Slate, ID Sessions, Tryouts & Listener Questions | Ep. 3

In this episode of The Celtic Huddle, our Boys Competitive Director, Danny Gibson, and our Girls Competitive Director, Niall Burley, peel back the curtain on: - A breakdown of the new leagues we will be joining - The 26/27 Coaching Slate - ID Sessions - Tryouts - Listener Questions (including an in-depth look into the process of team placement) It is a good one, so enjoy it and share it with a friend! If you have a question or an idea for a topic, we would love to hear from you! Email us at socialmedia@oklahomaceltic.com. Key Moments in this Episode: 0:00 Intro 2:50 Episode Agenda 3:30 Age Group Change Update 6:50 New Girls Leagues (GA and NPL) 18:30 New Boys Leagues (ECNL-RL and NPL) 27:50 Girls 26/27 Coaching Slate 32:35 Boys 26/27 Coaching Slate 40:30 ID Sessions 46:30 Tryouts 49:45 Listener Questions (team placement process) 1:01:50 Outro

Meet Danny Gibson and OSC Celtic Cup | Ep. 2

In this episode of The Celtic Huddle, we get to know our new Competitive Boys Director, Danny Gibson. We will learn a bit about how he got here, his coaching philosophy and his vision for the Boys Competitive Program and players at Celtic. We also spent some time talking all things OSC Celtic Cup, which will be the largest tournament we have hosted to date with 276 teams! We are excited about hosting teams from all over the region and the positive impact it will have on our local community!We would love to hear from you! If you have a question or an idea for a topic, email us at socialmedia@oklahomaceltic.com.

Celtic Staff Retreat and the Fall 2026 Age Group Change | Ep. 1

Our first Celtic Huddle podcast features Executive Director, Ryan Trudgian and Technical Director, Niall Burley. Along with our host, Aubrey Sanchez, they discuss the upcoming age group change (effective Fall 2026), our recent staff retreat, and some of the things we are doing at Celtic to see every player develop, on and off the field. Key Moments in this Episode 00:00 - 00:35: Intro 00:36 - 02:13: Why the Celtic Huddle? 02:13 - 10:58: Celtic Staff Retreat Recap/Takeaways 10:58 - 14:40: What is the Age Group Change in Fall 2026? 14:40 - 16:29: Some Benefits of the Age Group Change 16:29 - 18:18: What Age Group will a player be in? 18:18 - 21:05: Age Group Change in our Recreational Program 21:05 - 21:25: Age Group Change in our Academy Program 21:25 - 22:22: Case by Case Age Group Placement 22:22 - 27:59: Year Round Evaluation 28:47 - 29:35: Developing All Levels of Players/Teams 29:35 - 33:45: Age Group Change in our Competitive Program 33:45 - 36:25: New Age Group Pool Trainings 36:25 - 40:25: Upcoming Events/Communication from the Club 40:25 - 43:03: Closing/Send Us Your Topic Ideas If you have a question or an idea for a topic, email us at administrator@oklahomaceltic.com Mentioned Links: Newsletter [https://oklahomaceltic.com/newsletter-january/] Age Group List [https://usclubsoccer.org/registration-player-age-groups/] Oklahoma Celtic Website [https://oklahomaceltic.com] Follow us on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/oklahoma_celtic_fc/] Follow us on Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/oklahomaceltic]