Program Overview

Soccer at this age should be in the form of a fun activity that happens to include a soccer ball. Creating a joyful environment is mandatory. Children should be involved in fun activities that encourage them to explore their physical abilities, while including a ball with which to play. U.S. Soccer recommends that there be no organized matches at this age. Mini games will be used at practice for your children to compete with and against each other. At this age the primary goal is to make the player’s experience with soccer so enjoyable that, given a choice of activities, the child will choose to play soccer on his or her own.

Clinic teams are co-ed and ideally have between 10 and 12 players, with an assigned head coach and 1-2 assistants per team.  HYSA provides a ball for each player, and coaching equipment includes cones, pug nets, extra balls, and first aid kits.  The number of teams, size of teams, and variations to program are driven by the number of registered players and coach volunteers.

Teams meet on Saturday mornings for an hour; each one typically has a mix of 9:00, 10:15 and 11:30 sessions.  Coaches will contact registered players a week or two before the season starts with roster information and a specific schedule and location.

The Kindergarten Clinic program runs for 9 weeks in the fall and 10 weeks in the spring.  The Fall Clinic program starts one week after the beginning of the Intramural season and Spring Clinic begins on the same day as the other Intramural programs.

The first 30 minutes of each Clinic session is instructional: small-sided games, soccer related activities, skill development, etc. The second 30 minutes will be a 3v3 mini game. Coaches will divide their teams in half and play two 10-minute halves with a 5-minute intermission. There are no goalkeepers. Skill development at this age will concentrate on dribbling, receiving, passing and shooting. When the ball goes out of bounds, the game will be restarted with a kick-in or dribble-in; no throw-ins. The 3v3 format provides our youngest players the opportunity to touch and play the ball more often and become more skillful with it. The fewer players on the field, the more possible times a player will come in contact with the ball. In fact, players will find they have no choice, the ball will quickly find them!

Players wear the reversible red/white Intramural shirt, which can be purchased at HYSA’s Shirt Nights before each season.  Players must wear shin-guards, soccer socks and cleats.

Volunteers

HYSA is always looking for volunteers to be introduced to the program at this early stage. You need not be a soccer expert to step-up and help. HYSA will help to provide you with some resources. As a clinic coach you are an “activity leader” guiding the children to explore. Please consider volunteering!

Need something? Contact the Clinic Coordinator.