“Most striking of the characteristics that mark a successful youth organization is the nature of its expectations for youth. They hold high expectations for young people's behavior...The organizations also hold high expectations for their youth member's abilities, giving them demanding tasks to perform. They give their young members real responsibility without doubting that they can shoulder them.” William Damon- Greater Expectations

NorthStar was created to give an opportunity to those players who live, eat and breath the game to play at the highest level possible. We promote, mentor and nurture excellence in every area of player's lives.

The player's respect and care for parents, siblings, teammates and coaches is a cornerstone of the NorthStar philosophy. We help players understand that if she treats her parents poorly, for example, she not only hurts her own ability to succeed she hurts her team. NorthStar players learn that balance and harmony are essential for success on the field as well as in life.

Essential to the NorthStar program is the concept of competition. We teach girls that it is not only OK to compete but essential for success. The competition we require is clearly defined: When we are between the white lines, everything, EVERYTHING is a competition; game, scrimmage, practice. That is why we keep score and care who wins and losses even in practice.

When we step outside the white lines competition is over and we are one, even with our former opponents.

NorthStar represents the "community of the sport", there is no west, central, cadillac, suttons bay, elk rapids, petoskey, harbor springs, manistee, charlevoix, gaylord or roscommon in NorthStar, there is only the team.

As coaches, we understand that the "fabric of the team" must be woven, it doesn't just appear. Therefore, we conduct non-soccer events and regular non-soccer team building activities. We help players learn that it is not a contradiction to want to beat your teammate mercilessly in 1v1 (because you know that's going to make her a better player and your team more successful) and the next moment to be laughing with and then hugging that same teammate.

NorthStar is a merit system. "Coolness" gets players nowhere, achievement is the key to success. Everything players want is earned through hard work and going beyond the norm: playing time, status, attention. The only thing that is unconditional in NorthStar is love.

All of this is about NorthStar helping parents grow successful, effective, caring, well-organized adults who know what it takes to succeed and are not afraid to compete to achieve. Ultimately, love is the core of NorthStar, and we always have the highest expectations of those we love.