Soccer training on Daniel Island has one thing going for it that most of Charleston doesn’t: the fields are excellent and they’re everywhere. I’m Olly — I play for Surf, I volunteer with the Charleston Battery, and I coach younger players across Mount Pleasant and Daniel Island through Olly on the Ball.
Daniel Island is a fifteen-minute drive for me and one of my favourite places to run a session. This page covers where I train players here, what we usually work on, what it costs, and the one habit that separates the Daniel Island kids who get good from the ones who stay the same.
Where I train players on Daniel Island
You’re spoiled for choice here compared with most of the Lowcountry:
- Governors Park. The obvious one — proper fields, plenty of space, and quiet enough outside league hours for a full technical session.
- Smythe Park and the open green space around it. Good for ball mastery, first touch and smaller-space work, and easy for families in the middle of the island to walk to.
- The school fields, outside hours. Daniel Island School and Bishop England have space that works well for 1v1 and finishing work when they’re not in use.
- Your own yard or a neighbourhood green. Daniel Island is built around this kind of space, and I use it a lot. Technical work needs less room than people assume.
If you’d rather I came over the bridge the other way, I train all around Mount Pleasant too — here are my go-to places to train and play there.
What Daniel Island players usually need
This is an area where a lot of kids already play organised soccer, and the standard around here is decent. So the gaps I see aren’t usually about access — they’re about the kind of practice.
Plenty of team training, not much individual work. A player might have three club sessions a week and still have a shaky weak foot, because team practice is built around the team, not around their specific weakness. That’s what one-on-one time is for.
Comfortable on the ball, less comfortable under pressure. Big open fields and lots of space produce players with clean technique who tighten up when a defender actually steps to them. That one I fix by defending properly in sessions — no standing there holding a pad.
Busy schedules, inconsistent touches. The most common thing holding a Daniel Island player back isn’t coaching, it’s that they only touch a ball when an adult has organised it. More on that below.
Whatever the gap, we almost always start with ball control and close touch, because nearly every other problem sits on top of it.
How a session runs
One hour, one player or a small group. Standard shape:
- 10 minutes — ball mastery warm-up, both feet, moving throughout.
- 20 minutes — technical block, built around that player’s priority.
- 20 minutes — live 1v1 reps at game speed, with me actually defending.
- 10 minutes — finishing and a competitive challenge.
At the end I’ll give one thing to work on before next time. One, not five. A player who genuinely does one thing for a week improves faster than one handed a homework list.
What it costs
One-on-one sessions are $45 for the hour. Semi-private sessions — two to four players — are $30 per player.
Daniel Island is well set up for semi-private. Kids here tend to live near their teammates, so two or three families splitting a weekly session is easy to organise and works out cheaper per player than most alternatives. It’s also more fun, and a player who’s enjoying it trains harder. Here’s how semi-private sessions work.
I also run after-school and weekend slots, which is usually what fits around club training — details on after-school and weekend training.
The habit that actually matters
Here’s the honest thing, and it’s free.
The Daniel Island players who improve fastest aren’t the ones with the most coaching. They’re the ones who touch a ball on their own, in the yard, most days, for ten or fifteen minutes. That’s it. No session, no adult, no plan beyond “get comfortable with the ball.”
You’ve got the space here for it. If your player has a flat patch of grass and something to pass against, they have everything they need to get significantly better between now and the spring season. My job is to point that work in the right direction — but the work itself is theirs, and it happens on days I’m not there.
If you want somewhere to start, the backyard first touch drills need about two metres of space.
Frequently asked questions
Do you travel to Daniel Island for sessions?
Yes. I’m based in Mount Pleasant and Daniel Island is a short drive. There’s no travel surcharge.
Where are the best soccer fields on Daniel Island?
Governors Park is the best full-size option. Smythe Park and the neighbourhood greens work well for technical and small-space work. School fields outside hours are good for 1v1 and finishing.
What age players do you coach?
Roughly 5 to 14. Under-7s generally do better in semi-private or small groups where there’s more energy. From about 8 upwards, one-on-one starts to make a clear difference.
My child already plays club — is private training worth adding?
It is when there’s one specific thing team practice isn’t addressing, which there usually is. It’s not worth adding to a player who’s already training five or six days a week and looking tired.
Can you train a group of teammates together?
Yes, and it’s the most popular option here. Two to four players at $30 each. Best when they’re close in age and roughly close in ability.
What should my child bring to a session?
A ball in the right size for their age, cleats, water, and shin guards for live 1v1 work. In warmer months, more water than you think.
Book a session
If your player is on Daniel Island and you’d like them sharper on the ball before the spring season, message me. Tell me their age, who they play for, and the one thing you’d like to see change.
Sharp on the ball. Confidence comes from reps.
About Olly: Oliver “Olly” Sovenyhazy is a 16-year-old soccer player with Surf and a volunteer with the professional Charleston Battery. Through Olly on the Ball, he coaches private, semi-private and small-group soccer training for young players across Mount Pleasant, Daniel Island and the wider Charleston area.
