Why the Pro Project Records Every Single Soccer Training Session with Veo
Barry Lee
Explore how Pro Project records every soccer training session with automatic cameras to improve player development. See how elite youth programs use video analysis for individual coaching.
"We try to record every age group, every session. All the Center of Excellence sessions are recorded... we review with the kids weekly, the training sessions. And here we'll review with individual kids on a regular basis," says Mike Sabath, Founder of Pro Project and Pro Project Center of Excellence.
This way of doing youth soccer video analysis represents a big change in how elite training programs operate. Rather than relying solely on real-time coaching feedback, Sabath's program captures every training moment for detailed review and individual development.
This challenges the traditional assumption that effective soccer coaching technology requires significant technical expertise or dedicated video staff.
Pro Project's elite youth development program
Mike Sabath founded Pro Project seven years ago after his professional playing career took him to Europe and USL North Carolina. What started as a supplemental training program for 10-15 elite youth players has evolved into something much larger.
The Pro Project Center of Excellence now manages 84 student-athletes across New England, creating an environment where the region's most ambitious players can train together while maintaining their club commitments. Sabath's program has produced New England Revolution first team players and college recruits to prestigious universities including Duke, Harvard, Columbia, and Wake Forest.
His unique position as both former professional player and youth development specialist gives him insight into what separates good players from great ones - and how soccer coaching technology can bridge that gap.
The challenge of capturing every teaching moment
Before implementing comprehensive video analysis, Sabath faced the universal coaching challenge of limited teaching opportunities during training. "We do a lot of film analysis. So we try to tie in what we do in the training sessions. And if we see specific things, because so much of what you want to teach a player, if you have a group of 12, 15, 20 players, it's very hard to get across in 90 minutes," he explains.
The physical limitations were equally frustrating. "There's no way we can go around the field and capture all the moments," Sabath notes. Critical teaching opportunities were being lost simply because coaches couldn't be everywhere at once during training sessions.
Without recording everything, individual player development suffered. Players would make the same mistakes repeatedly because they couldn't visualize their positioning errors or tactical decisions. The gap between what coaches could observe in real-time and what players actually needed to learn was becoming a significant barrier to development.
How Veo's soccer training camera solved the problem
Sabath discovered that Veo's automatic recording capabilities could capture what human coaches couldn't. "The Veo has made it possible to do that," he says, referring to comprehensive session coverage that was previously impossible.
The system's ease of implementation proved crucial for a busy training environment. "The interface is easy to use. The cameras are easy to use. So I think that ease of use is really nice," Sabath explains. This simplicity allowed Pro Project to focus on coaching rather than managing complex technology.
The impact on player behavior was immediate and measurable. "There's a natural level of intensity that gets infused into the session just because players know that the camera's on and they're being recorded... it drives some of the core behaviors you would want out of anybody. Right. Focus, intensity," Sabath observes.
Most importantly, the comprehensive recording capability enabled the weekly review sessions that have become central to Pro Project's development approach. Individual players can now see exactly what coaches are trying to teach them, creating visual learning opportunities that complement traditional coaching methods. The automatic nature of Veo's system means no training moment goes uncaptured, regardless of how many players are on the field or where the action happens.
Book a call with a Veo expert to discover how your team can achieve similar results
Sabath's approach shows how soccer training cameras can transform elite youth development. Performance improvements like these are within reach for any serious program.
