WEEK 2 OF THE SPRING '08 SEASON

WE HAVE JUST COMPLETED THE SECOND WEEK OF OUR FIRST EVER SPRING SOCCER SEASON! WITH NEARLY 100 NEW PLAYERS TO THE NHSA, WE ARE PLEASED WITH HOW THINGS ARE GOING SO FAR. WE CONTINUE TO GROW WITH YOUR FEEDBACK AND WELCOME YOUR THOUGHTS.

ORGANIZING NEARLY 200 YOUTH SOCCER PLAYERS, THE PARENTS, THE COACHES AND THE NHSA STAFF IS A CHALLENGE THAT WE ENJOY. WE ARE NOT PERFECT, BUT WE ARE CONSTANTLY WORKING TO CREATE A POSITIVE SOCCER EXPERIENCE FOR THE PLAYERS AND THEIR FAMILIES.

IN YOUTH SPORTS, IT IS COMMON FOR PLAYERS, PARENTS AND COACHES TO HAVE DIFFERING OPINIONS ON HOW THINGS SHOULD BE. THE KEY IS WHAT WE DO WITH THOSE OPINIONS. AS SOCCER PARENTS, WE ARE ACCOUNTABLE TO CREATE THE BEST POSITIVE ENVIRONMENT FOR OUR KIDS TO THRIVE. SHARING YOUR THOUGHTS, CONCERNS AND IDEAS WITH THE LEAGUE WILL BENEFIT ALL OF US. WE STRONGLY ENCOURAGE YOUR FEEDBACK AND WOULD LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU.

WE REALIZE THAT OUR FORMAT IS DIFFERENT THAN WHAT YOU MAY BE USED TO IN THE PAST. WE ARE CONFIDENT THAT WE ARE INTRODUCING KIDS TO THE GAME IN A FUN , COMFORTABLE WAY THAT FULLY ENGAGES THEM IN THE SPORT. WE ALSO REALIZE THAT GAME DAY MAY BE DIFFERENT FROM WHAT YOU MAY BE USED TO. BY GIVING THE KIDS 100 PERCENT PLAYING TIME AND CONSTANTLY MIXING UP THEIR GAMES, WE ARE KEEPING THE FOCUS ON THE KIDS AND NOT THE PARENTS AND COACHES. BY DESIGN, WE WANT OUR PRACTICES AND GAMES TO BE "CONROLLED CHAOS". WE LOOK TO HAVE CONSTANT MOVEMENT AND LESS EMPHASIS ON WIN/LOSS RECORDS. IT'S THE ACTIVITY THAT MATTERS MOST. RATHER THAN GAMES BECOMING "WORK" FOR THE KIDS, OUR GOAL IS FOR THEM TO "PLAY" THE GAME. WE WANT THEM SMILING AND HAVING FUN. WE WANT TO LAY A FOUNDATION OF ENJOYMENT AND BUILD UPON IT FOR THE FUTURE. THE KEY BEFORE AGE 10 IN SOCCER IS GETTING THE KIDS "TOUCHES" ON THE BALL AND HELPING THEM HAVE FUN DOING IT.

OUR LEAGUE BELIEVES THAT COMMUNICATION WILL HELP US CONTINUE TO GROW SOCCER IN A POSITIVE WAY IN OUR AREA. WE HAVE A WEBSITE THAT CLEARLY SAYS WHAT WE ARE ALL ABOUT. WE EXPLAIN THE "ACADEMY STYLE" TEACHING METHOD. WE BELIEVE THAT KIDS SHOULD HAVE FUN FIRST AND LEARN TO LOVE PLAYING THE GAME. WE ENCOURAGE YOU TO CHECK BACK WITH OUR WEBSITE AT WWW.NHSASOCCER.ORG AND OUR NEW MYSPACE PAGE AT WWW.MYSPACE.COM/NHSASOCCER. WE HAVE SEVERAL PICTURES AND INFO ON BOTH SITES AND HOPE THAT YOU WILL CHECK THEM OUT.