What is Sutton Soccer?

Sutton Soccer is a highly effective training system for player development that utilizes a soccer “batting cage”.  The batting cage environment is created by the Sutton Pro Trainer 900 which promotes player development through thousands of successful repetitions.  The  SPT900 is a soccer goal which collects balls and funnels them back into a ball machine, allowing 900 balls to be served in one hour of training.  The objective is to rapidly increase player success through an entertaining, effective, and time-efficient training system.  The results have been proven through hundreds of success stories.  Receiving this unmatched number of repetitions increases confidence, enjoyment, and success on the field.

Why Sutton Soccer?

The Sutton Pro Trainer 900 and Sutton Soccer’s curriculum are a result of 25 years of development involving extensive input from players and coaches of all different levels.  The training system is based on the fact that player development takes place when players experience successful skill repetitions.  In their regular soccer activities, it is nearly impossible for players to receive the high number of consistent repetitions needed to dramatically improve a skill, like controlling an air ball or striking a ball with power and accuracy.  Training with a ball machine helps players learn to execute a given skill repeatedly, precisely and successfully. This develops their muscle memory which is key to performance.

A player, or parent observing a lesson, will often notice improvements in a player’s skill during just one lesson. In order for this small success to translate into game success, the skill needs to become second nature to the player.  The game demands players to be able to not only execute a skill, but do so under pressures of speed, time, physicality, etc. Success in games will take place as your player consistently progresses - starting with their ability to execute a skill on a basic level, to their ability to execute that same skill under pressure. Dramatic advancements in a player’s game do not happen overnight. However, a player receiving thousands of repetitions with Sutton Soccer over the course of a few months, or a year, will observe big strides in their development.

The Training Environment

By allowing balls to be served every four seconds, and continuously recollected, the Sutton Pro Trainer 900 creates an entertaining environment that demands a player’s ongoing focus.  The high repetition environment keeps players active and engaged while running them through game-like patterns with specific skills challenges.  Sutton Soccer’s curriculum utilizes its own newly designed Player-Gates to simulate game scenarios and make the lessons more entertaining and challenging for the players.  The Player-Gates are utilized as either 1) Defenders - to simulate game situations, or 2) Gates - for skills challenges which measure control and passing accuracy.

Time efficiency is also a significant benefit of training on the SPT900.  With its ball collection design, players and trainers aren’t spending half their time shagging balls.  Instead the trainer is freed up to work with players on their technique, watching them control and strike from different angles, 900 times in one hour.  This creates an unmatched environment for soccer development that is entertaining, effective, and time efficient.

Current Offerings

Sutton Soccer currently offers weekly lessons, team training, and club partnerships. Through weekly lessons, individual players quickly increase their confidence in receiving, controlling, and striking the ball.  The result for players is more enjoyment - whether that stems from increased playing time, trying out and making a team, goals scored, better stats, or more fun with the ball. Currently, Sutton Lessons are held at several locations in the East Bay.  Players can sign up individually into these small group lessons which are offered on a weekly basis. Refer to the Sutton Lessons Calendar page for current lesson times.

Teams also can sign up for Sutton Soccer training.  On the team level, benefits of this training over time are seen through an increase in team chemistry, consistency, improved passing and receiving, goals scored, and games won.   There are a couple different approaches a team can take to sign up for Sutton Soccer training.  Firstly, teams can simply sign their players up into small groups for lessons by joining a current lessons slot on our calendar for their age division.  Teams can also create their own time slot for small group lessons by contacting Sutton Soccer to check availability at different locations.  In this case, teams have to divide their players up into groups of 6 or less for one hour lessons.  If a team wants to set up training at their own club field location, they should contact Sutton Soccer in regards to starting a Club Partnership.
With a Club Partnership, Sutton Soccer sets up and stores an SPT900 at a club field location and gives players in the club thousands of repetitions during their fall and spring seasons.  Please refer to the [Club Partnerships] page to learn more about this opportunity, or contact Tom Sutton at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .