Coach Pointon came to the States intent on finding an opportunity that would allow him to share his passion for soccer and connect players interested in working hard to maximize their potential. His education and training had helped him formulate a clear vision for how to develop players by focusing on their individual needs.  

What he found in the U.S. was a soccer culture more interested in churning players through the club system in the hope of discovering a few gems than in committing to a full-fledged development program that would raise the skill level of a broad base of kids.

Some clubs were better than others.  At his most recent stop, Dave worked relentlessly for nearly two years to change the culture and, admittedly, met with some success. His accomplishments included completely revamping the winter training program, launching a futsal program, restructuring the tryout process, implementing a coach evaluation process, to name a few.  Still, on  one key issue — player development — Dave struggled.  He couldn't convince club administrators to make what was best for the individual player rather than what was best for the club the basis for decision making.

Only after ensuring that he had exhausted all avenues to get in sync on player development did Dave decide to move on, not to another club but to his own… and Newton Heath was born.

What Newton Heath Is About

• Connecting with players willing to work hard to maximize their potential. 
• Developing the whole player.  Footskills dazzle people but done out of context, they become counterproductive;  a direct style of play that gets the ball to the star player wins games in the short run but doesn’t help the team. NH will develop the player’s soccer brain so (s)he is as smart as (s)he is skillful.
• Giving each player the specific development plan (s)he needs to become a better player.
• Understanding that player development is a process, one that doesn’t happen over night.
• Honesty.  We will always be upfront with players and parents  about a player’s progress and prospects.
• Playing. You don’t get better sitting on the bench.
• Giving back (see NH Cares).
• Having fun.  Soccer is a game after all.

What Newton Heath Is Not About

• Elitism.  Sure we’ll have strong teams because of how our message resonates with players, but we will always welcome players of all skill levels, as long as they are committed to improving.
• Being big.  We want to connect with like-minded players/parents.  If that means we’ll have many teams, great; if it means we have few, that's OK too.