No, not the tropical storm coming, but rather the Soccer Evolution that is happening here in South Walton!
There is alot going on behind the scenes as we prepare, and we know many of you have many questions. So let us give a brief update.
Training Starts After Labor Day Weekend.
US98 Soccer Fields - East & West: We are delighted to announce that there is another Training and Match playing option at our disposal this season! The location is on the eastern side of South Walton, north of Highway US98, and use of this field should help significantly in US98 Soccer Club expanding its offerings, help in reducing wear and tear on the Helen McCall field, reduce drive time and transportation costs for many (maybe even help reduce a little of our carbon footprint), and most definitely help everyone to see for themselves what a nice setting and surrounding has been developed around the field and on that side of South Walton.
1st Match Day is September 20th: The first Matchday is less than a month away!
US98 Soccer Club Kick-Start! Thursday, September 4th, between 4:30-7:30PM, Players, Managers, and Trainers must attend a mandatory one-evening, skills tutorial. Many, if not all, of the coaches from this summer's successful Pre-Season Mini-Camp will be in attendance and running the different age groups through different drills, with special attention to showing some of the basic exercises and drills to this season's Managers & Trainers. This will be a family friendly event, as we are working on music, food, and plenty of fun to be had, as we officially start the season!
Kits: In the soccer vernacular, "kits" are uniforms (shirts, shorts, socks). We have sent in the first order, and they are going to look great. We should have them in plenty of time before the season (and after speaking with a rep of the supplier, we may even get the late ones in plenty of time also), and they will be provided before the First Match.
Equipment: Shin pads, soccer boots/cleats (not American football cleats, as they have a much higher rate of injury), and this season we would like to promote the idea of each child bring their own age/size specific ball, with their name on it in marker.
Clubs: Clubs, also known as teams, have been determined by the many pieces of information that you provided on your Player's Registration and have been formed accordingly for now. They may change as we get additional Players this last week, so we are not going to announce the individual Club Rosters until probably next weekend.
Academy: Adding an extra layer to the US98 Soccer Club offerings, Marco Perona (a former professional player and coach) will be starting the US98 Soccer Academy towards the middle of this recreational soccer season! Marco will be attending many of the Training Sessions during the week and Matches on the weekends to identify the burgeoning talent amongst our entirely talented Youth. My understanding is that based on his review of the Rec talent, he will invite a designated number of our Youth, 8 Years Old and up, to participate in the Academy. Marco is the consummate professional, and we have every confidence in him and he program he is creating. The Academy will also be run as part of US98 Soccer Club's non-profit entity, that allows every player the possibility of progressing to the next level of skill, competition, and enjoyment of the game they have a passion for.
Format & Travel Clubs: The Spring format was a resounding success, with us applying a playoff system for the last two weeks for the Player Divisions 6&7 Years Old and up. We will be doing that again, as it really seemed to add to the enjoyment of everyone involved. Along with the Playoff Format, we will also be evolving our Travel Clubs for the older divisions. Over the summer, we had several requests to participate, and we did participate, in friendly tournaments with our neighbors to the West and East, in Destin, Panama City Beach, Panama City, and Callaway. We intend on cultivating those relationships and beginning new ones to the north, and further west and east (but not south), as we work to organize a non-profit Panhandle Soccer League for Travel Clubs, US98 Soccer League, that spans from Panama City to Pensacola!
Sponsors & Participants:We've said it before, but it bears repeating, US98 Soccer Club is a community-run, community-driven non-profit soccer organization that belongs to the South Walton Community. We will be as successful as we make it! And the community really has thrown its support behind us this season. Our list of Sponsors so far include The Alys Beach Development (again!), Jambone Restaurant, Fat Daddy's Pizzeria, Centerline Martial Arts, Personal Touch Landscape and Irrigation, Murphy's Home Services, The Red Bar (again!), H2O Properties, The Beach Group, and Destin Deals! Look for their banners at our fields and on our website, and please, please, please check out what they have to offer (the nachos at Jambone are ridiculously good, and the pizza lunch special at Fat Daddy's is near legendary). We appreciate all our Sponsors and their support. We absolutely, positively could not do this without you. THANK YOU!!!
Website: Last, but not least, we thank Jay Liles of Web Grouper for putting together a website that is both attractive an interactive (and will only continue to become more fetching and functional). Please make use of our website and its many applications. I can't speak for anyone else, but online registration rocks! Thanks, Jay!
IF you know of a child who may be interested in participating in and learning about the most popular sport in the world, please steer them in our direction!
