Spring Soccer Registration is officially open for 2020
Divisions for Spring 2020
Little Legends: Cost $45.00 per player plus the cost of a Red and Grey Jersey (Grey is new for the Spring) Red ones from last fall or last spring are fine.
5-6 year olds Training sessions will be on the following dates starting at 6:00 pm at the SSAP Soccer Complex. Kids that register in this program will begin to learn basic soccer dribbling and ball handling skills for their age. There will be fun games played and lots of little challenges through out the program. Beth Meister will head up this Springs Little Legend Program at the club. She is a former player in the club. Beth has an extensive soccer background that include numerous soccer accomplishments throughout her playing and coaching career. We are happy to have her back at the club this Spring, helping to develop our future little soccer legends in Springfield. We are all excited about Little Legends for the Spring of 2020. We look forward to a fun Little Legends spring season. Below is a tentative schedule. We stress the tentative part, because mother nature ultimately determines when will get to start and we are hopeful that she is much nicer to us this spring compared to last years start.
All Little Legend sessions will be held at the SSAP Soccer Complex
Start Times: 6:00 pm
March 27
April 3
April 17
April 24
May 1
May 8
May 15 (Make Up date: if needed)
“New” In House Development Program “New” – Cost $65.00 per player plus the cost of the uniform set for this age group. (Uniform Kit Needed: 1-Red Jersey 1- Grey Jersey and pari of socks. Shorts can be purchased separate and are optional with this uniform set).
This spring the club has made the brave decision to go in a new direction with our young players. We have realized that one size doesn’t fit all. We have really struggled with this age group due to several things that are outside our control. We have learned that at this age group most of our kids are just getting started in the game and we have found that 4v4 games have overwhelmed them. We have lost a lot of kids in an age group, at a time when we shouldn’t be losing kids. This is some of the best years of their soccer careers. Their supposed to be scoring lots of goals, playing with their friends and developing some soccer skills in a non competitive way. We have studied and consulted with lots of soccer experts from around the area and even researched out to other youth programs from around the world. What we discovered along the way is that a lot of other clubs have the same problem in this age group. So where not alone. Some have gone full in house 4v4 soccer, some even added a goalie and went 5v5. That has worked a little, but what we struggle with is that those other two option’s still doesn’t address the developing part of the game very well. The only skills at this age kids really need to develop are dribbling and shooting. This fits with the physiological and mental capability profile of these young kids. The problem with 4v4 soccer is it forces kids to make complex decisions, like knowing when to dribble and when to pass. That means stress and anxiety. Add a parent or coach shouting from the sideline and we all of sudden have a very intimidating environment that reduces their ability to learn and have fun. We know in order for a child to love this game they have to have fun at it. Soccer a lot of times is measured by the number of goals players score and not how they defended or how great of a move they made in the game. We had to find ways to help get the kids more touches during training sessions and in games. Which is very important to their development. We know that this club doesn’t have enough players at this point to go in house 4v4. We also knew that wasn’t something that we wanted any longer. We looked very hard at the success that the country of Belgium is having with 2v2 youth soccer and decided that this was a game that could really help our youth catch up with the rest of the other kids throughout the area. We felt that their increase in touches will lead to more abilities to score goals. Win!! Win!!! We have developed a player center focused approach to focus more on the development of their soccer skills, game skills, coordination, speed and agility at the U7/8 level. We are excited about what this program and what it will bring to our youth in this community. We look forward to watching kids play the game this spring. We know they will all have the ability to score more, get loads more touches with the soccer ball and best of all have fun in a non competitive learning environment. This program is called the In-house Development Program. Look for it when you are registering your child this spring.
U9/10 – Cost per Player $125.00 plus cost of uniform set. ( Uniform Set: 1- Red Jersey, 1- Grey Jersey, 1- Pair of shorts, 1 – pair of socks) Returning players in this group may order individual items as needed). Uniform sets are required for this group.
At these age groups players that register for at this age will be placed on a team. Teams at this age will typically train a minimum once a week with some training twice a week. The first training session is mandatory and the second is up to the coach to decide. For most players this is their first introduction to competitive soccer. Teams in the club starting at 9/10 ages will play games in the USSSA Alliance League or the Sarpy County Soccer League. Games are typically played on Saturdays and Sundays, but its not uncommon to have some weeknight games during the spring season. Players and Parents should expect to have to travel to various soccer complexes throughout the season for games at locations ranging from Lincoln, Gretna, Plattesmouth, Nebraska City, Syracuse, Papillion, La Vista, Fremont or various Omaha locations. All our teams are coached by volunteer coaches at the club. They typically have soccer backgrounds. Most will have either played the game before or coached it for some time now. Players should expect to learn many new soccer skills throughout the season. This will be the first point in their soccer development phase were they will begin to learn about passing and all the decision making skills that are needed to go along with that skill. Games are 7v7 and typically last about an hour in length. The club has a specific uniform set for this age group that must be worn to all home and away games. This age group and teams are open to all players with all abilities. You don’t have to have had soccer experience before. This is a great age to begin playing for the first time!
U11/12 – Cost per player: $150.00 This age group will compete as a team in a competitive league. Uniform sets are required in this age group. They are the same set as the U9/10;s
At this age group players will move to a much larger size field where they will see an increase in the number of teammates on the field. This age group will play 9v9 and games will typically last about 70 minutes in game time. Teams and players begin to really become more competitive at this level. Players should expect to make a much larger commitment to the sport at this point. Training sessions will usually be an hour to an hour and a half long and multiple times during the week. Typically at this age group coaches will train twice a week. The game really starts to change for a player starting at U11/12. It will begin to move from individual player focused development to more of a team based approach of development. Players get introduced to the tactics part of soccer. Players will learn how to make quicker decisions, move without the ball, run set plays on goal kicks, corner kicks and kick offs. Players will learn basic tactics of the game through out the season. Our teams will either play in the Alliance League or the Sarpy County league at this age. The club will make that decision based on input from the teams coaches. This age group has a Uniform set that must be worn by all players for home and away games. The season will typically start mid march and end late May for this age group. This age group is open to all players and their abilities. Just remember that you are a part of a team and their is a commitment that needs to be made by both the parent and player at this level.
U13/14 – Cost per player is: $200.00 per player. A specific uniform set is required for this team. This uniform is not available to order during the registration process. I will be ordered at a later date through the team. We are getting very full in this age group. Please register as soon as possible if you have any 07, 06 or even 05 girls planing to play in Springfield this spring. We are close to the possibility of splitting this team up.
At this age group is probably where players really begin to learn how to compete to win. Their is a lot more focus on players developing on their own outside the normal game. They must begin to learn how to train on their own. They will play multiple games a week, train for several hours at a time twice a week and sometimes three times a week. Players typically have a goal in mind by this age. Our teams at this age group play in a competitive league, travel to at least one tournament venue a season and play almost year round these days. We have one team at this age group in the club currently that plays a very competitive schedule, trains twice a week, travels to multiple tournaments a year and is made up of players from Omaha, Ralston, Papillion and Springfield. They have a lot of fun, practice hard and really enjoy the competition and challenges of 11v11 soccer. This girls teams has limited spots available to join this team. If you have any questions about this age group please email the coach Kurt Schanou. His email is Kurt@ssap.org
New parents and players we look forward to meeting you this spring. For returning players and parents we welcome you back to another addition of Spring time soccer at the Springfield Soccer club at the SSAP Soccer Complex. This year is going to be a fun time! Soon the grass is going to green, trees will be blooming, the birds will be singing and after a long winter of being inside, our Kids will have lots of energy and be supper excited to get out and run, play and have fun out on the soccer fields at the SSAP Soccer Complex. Springfield Soccer Club is a volunteer based club that works hard to have some of the best fields in the state for our community to be proud of. We strive to give our kids the best opportunity at affordable price to learn the game of soccer. Our club is designed to give kids the chance to learn the game of soccer and be easy on the parents pocket book. We know that we can’t be the perfect place to play soccer for everyone and if you feel like your child is seeking a more competitive environment that has a much higher commitment level to the game of soccer we completely understand and would love to help you out. We have partnered with several clubs in the area to help serve your wishes. We understand that some players and families may seek a higher level of the game then what we currently offer at the club. If anyone from the community would like that option, please feel free to reach out to our director for assistance in choosing the right club for your child. Our goal is to help kids learn to love the game. We want to see them play the game for many years and at a level they are comfortable with. We look forward to watching them grow in the game and realize that some may grow at a much faster rate then what we can keep up with at this club. If anyone has any questions don’t hesitate to reach out and ask. We are here to serve the local soccer community Email our director at the following: kurt@ssap.org
Spring is coming… Have you registered?
