RiseUp Football Academy

Is your child interested in taking their spring football skills to the next level? We are thrilled to introduce the 2025 RiseUp Football Academy! Our program offers encouraging yet intense sessions focused on football conditioning, character and team development, and football mechanics.

At RiseUp, our mission is to instill the essential qualities of mind, heart, spirit, confidence, mental toughness, and leadership – preparing young athletes for success both on and off the field. Players will be grouped by position to receive specialized coaching in offensive and defensive skills, maximizing their development in just five months of off-season training.

The academy will be held on Mondays and Wednesdays from 4:30-6:00 pm at the Rassie Wicker Turf Field, throughout March, April, May, June, and July. While we encourage participation for all five months, we understand that schedules can be busy. Therefore, registration is available on a monthly basis, for 8 sessions a month, allowing you to join us when you can.

Head Coach: Chris Metzger
Who: Ages 9-14 (as of August 31, 2025) to align with our upcoming season
When: Mondays and Wednesdays, 4:30-6:00 pm
Where: Pinehurst Harness Track (Week One), Rassie Wicker Park Field
Cost: $155 per participant, per month

*Please note: Due to turf construction at Rassie Wicker, our first week will be relocated to the Harness Track 1-Mile Field

• Arriving just a little before 4:30 pm would be helpful to make sure we get the full work with our coaches. 
  
  Cleats are encouraged to be worn if you have them- if you don't own cleats, or if your child has grown out of their last pair (and likely will grow into a new size before the fall), please know that athletic/running shoes (sneakers, tennis shoes) are perfectly acceptable. 
  
  We ask each athlete to bring their own football (age appropriately sized). Junior Size for 9-12, Youth Size for ages 12-14 and Official size for 14+
  
  Please bring a water bottle and be sure to label it along with any layers of clothing, personal items, etc. so we can always try to reunite them should your athlete leave something behind.
  
  If we have to cancel or reschedule due to weather, we will send you a text message and email as soon as we can definitively make this decision through League Apps. Make ups will be scheduled around the availability of the fields (determined by Pinehurst Parks and Rec.)

What You Will Learn:

This Academy will focus on the full fundamentals of football: Footwork, Technique, Blocking, Non-contact tackling, Offense, Defense, and Special Teams. Each athlete will grow in their knowledge of the game and raise their football IQ. They will learn the full rules, terminology, and basic structure of the game. Most importantly, our athletes will build character through targeted themes and messages to build and improve effective habits for success.