202-709-7381
E.L.I.T.E. Soccer & Basketball Academy
Two Sports.
One Purpose.
One Academy.
ESBA is a PREMIER hybrid soccer and basketball academy designed to build complete athletes through emotional intelligence, elite training, character development, and values-based coaching.
We prepare players to compete with confidence, think with discipline, and lead with empathy on and off the field.
What Makes ESBA Different
We are A Development and Learning-First Academy
Our Motto: Coach The Person Before the Player
We combine elite skill training with value-based coaching rooted in emotional intelligence, mental maturity, and social development so each athlete grows emotionally, mentally, physically, and socially as a person first and player second.
Some players will grow in Phoenix Recreation and Phoenix Rising and move on to ESBA Travel. But all players are developed within the same culture, standards, and long-term vision.
Soccer + Basketball dual-season model (balanced athletic development)
Tactical skill training + positional intelligence
Confidence, discipline, and leadership built into practices
Parent Partnership Program (P3) for accountability and progress
Scholarships available through our sponsorship and nonprofit partnership
U12 Age Eligibility for 2026–2027:
For the 2026–2027 soccer season, U12 players must be born between August 1, 2014 and July 31, 2015.
Younger players may be permitted to play up if they demonstrate the appropriate skills, maturity, and readiness during evaluation. Older players may not play down into the U12 group.
Why Families
Choose ESBA
Parents are looking for more than game schedules and uniforms. They want structure, safety, quality coaching, character development, and a place where their child is seen as more than a stat line.
ESBA answers that need with a model that blends competitive sports training with excellence, leadership, integrity, tenacity, and empathy.
We are a year-round soccer and basketball academy built to develop disciplined athletes and confident young leaders.
Our U12 to U13 to U14 build system enables sharper coaching, limited roster size, and measurable player development
Soccer + basketball annual cycle for complete athletic growth and reduced burnout
Technical, tactical, and mindset development integrated into training
Scholarship and Donate-to-Play pathways for access and inclusion
Parent Partnership Program to support growth at home and on game day
Why Soccer and Basketball Together
The Dual-Sport Advantage
Soccer expands vision.
Basketball sharpens reaction.
Together they build complete athletes.
Soccer
Soccer builds endurance, patience, field vision, and spatial intelligence
- teaching athletes to read the entire field and make purposeful decisions.
Basketball
Basketball builds reaction speed, communication, and confidence
- teaching athletes to think fast in tight spaces under pressure.
Together
Together, they create a complete athlete:
Faster decision-making
Better awareness and spacing
Greater emotional resilience
Stronger leadership and teamwork
"We don't train players for games - we train leaders for life."
- Dr. Dwayne L. Buckingham
What Are The
E.L.I.T.E. Values?
Excellence. Leadership. Integrity.
Tenacity. Empathy
Whether you're a parent looking for elite development, a community partner ready to invest in youth, or a sponsor seeking impact
- ESBA welcomes you.
Annual Season Schedule
Game IQ, conditioning, ball control, agility, passing, positioning, and formation play, transition play, decision making, game awareness, scrimmages -
League play and Pressure Matches.
Ball-handling, footwork, shooting form, offensive flow, defense, and communication
pressure drills, game IQ, resilience circuits -
Tournament Play, Strategy, and Review
Game IQ, skill refresh, agility, teamwork, situational drills, passing, communication, ball control, positioning, mental focus, resilience sessions, scrimmages -
Tournament play, reflection circles
During the summer months, ESBA will join Coach Jamie Thomas with Soccer Stars Academy who runs INDOORS summer camps at SoFive Columbia, Sports World and other facilities.
Empathy. Resilience. Teamwork.
E.L.I.T.E. Soccer & Basketball Academy (ESBA)
Two Sports. One Purpose. One Academy
© Copyright 2026 Buckingham Consulting Group, LLC. All rights reserved.
