The Midfielder

Heartland Soccer Association Newsletter

 
February 2015

  

9161 W 133rd Street Overland Park, KS 66213

Phone: 913.888.8768

In This Issue
   
Heartland is recognized as one of the largest soccer leagues and tournament hosts in the country. From recreational to premier, 38,000+ players and their teams will have the opportunity to play competitively at all skill levels in both league and tournament play this spring.

Don't miss out on the

Kansas State Youth Soccer AGM!

Registration for the KSYSA AGM is now open:

http://www.kansasyouthsoccer.org/events/agm/ 

Heritage Soccer Park

Concession Staff needed for Spring Position: Seasonal / Part time Concession

Description: This position is working register and food prep at the Heritage Soccer Park concession stand.

Compensation: $7.25 hour

Seasons: March through May and August through October

Please email your resume to job@heartlandsoccer.net 

Additional classes just added for
Referee Certification

Kansas Referee now has over 20 Recert, Futsal, Instructor, and Advanced Referee clinics posted on line.

The website (www.kansasreferee.org) gives directions on how to access the officials.net site used to administer clinics and clinic signups.

FOR ALL RECERT CLINICS, ATTENDEES (ONCE SIGNED UP) ARE REQUIRED TO TAKE THE ONLINE TEST PRIOR TO ATTENDANCE.

   
Referee Reminder:
Don't forget to submit your referee availability online for Spring 2015. 

Link:
 Mark your calendars:
  
Heartland Days at Worlds of Fun will take place on May 2-3, 2015.
 Mark your calendars:
   
Dick's Sporting Goods Heartland Discount Weekend
       February 28- March 1      
March 28-29
HSA by the numbers for the spring...
1,180 league teams
18,000 players per season 
 1,400 tournament teams
21,000 tournament players
1,300 plus referees
1,400 plus coaches

Spring 2015 Calendar

Feb 25- Spring 2015 Schedule Posted

Feb 27- Mar 1- Border Battle Weekend

Heartland Discount weekend with Dick's

Mar 6-8- First weekend of League play

Mar 13-15- League play

Mar 20-22- League play

Mar 27-29- League play

Heartland Discount weekend with Dick's

Apr 3-4- League play

Apr 5- Easter. No games.

Apr 10-12- Kansas City Champions Cup

League play

Apr 17-19- League play

Team photos at Heritage

Apr 24-26- League play

Team photos at Heritage

May 1-3- League play

Heartland Days at Worlds of Fun

May 9-10- Midwest Mother's Day Classic

May 15-17- League play

Team photos at Heritage

May 22-25- Kansas City Invitational Tournament

May 30-31- Rainout Weekend

June 6- Division Winner Awards Ceremony

June 27- Division Winner Awards Ceremony

2015 Spring League Right Around The Corner!

 Heartland Soccer has over 1180 teams  and 18,000 plus players registered to participate in the Spring 2015 league. We offer premier and recreational  divisions with 130 plus subdivisions of play. League play begins  the weekend of March 6th. We are looking forward to a spectacular season.

At Large Player Policies for Heartland Soccer League

Individuals who have at large cards need to notify the office of which teams that player will be playing for, before the season starts.

The guest playing rules still come into play, whereby an at large player can only guest play with a 2 division spread. For example a player could play D1, 2 and 3, but not 1, 2 and 4.

 

Kansas State Tournaments

Kansas State Cup, Kansas President Cup, Kansas Junior State Cup

 


 

           Is your team signed up for the Kansas State Tournaments?  If you're looking to provide your players with an opportunity to win a State Championship, a Regional or even a NATIONAL championship, don't wait to get registered. For details about the tournaments offered click the link below.

  

 http://www.kansasyouthsoccer.org/          
 

Heartland Soccer Association

Player Accomplishments & Achievements

  

Kansas Advanced Referee Recert Winter 2015

  

 

Some of this year's recertifying referees were in for a special treat at the Advanced Recertification class. Kansas's State Referee Committee pulled out all the stops and brought in FIFA referees, Mark Geiger and Robert Fereday, to lead the class. Geiger's most recent accolades include officiating 5 games (3 as referee, 2 as fourth official) during last year's World Cup in Brazil and taking the whistle for the MLS Final in Los Angeles. Fereday, a former FIFA AR, has officiated USMNT qualifying matches and was a staple in the early days of the MLS.

 

The illustrious instructors introduced fresh game footage, challenging the class to rank the clips of flying tackles in order of severity (from no foul to red card, and everything in between). As usual, the groups of referees disagreed with one another leading to a spirited debate. Class ended with an in-depth analysis of everyone's favorite affair: FIFA's annual ever-so-slight change to offside interpretation. A few more videos and several talking points later, the class seemed comfortable with the new distinction, though were skeptical on how frequently it will be at issue in the youth game.

 

Overall, referee development was the primary topic of discussion during class. Geiger spoke directly to the group of young Regional referees, sitting in the middle of the room. He emphasized the importance of taking on mentoring responsibilities for the younger generation of referees, and stressed the need to have mentors themselves. USSF along with local leagues are finding that young referees are often left stranded on an island of verbal abuse and never given a lifeline of support, much less hope for better things. What Mr. Geiger may or may not realize is that by coming to speak at this little event, he gave every referee in that room something to hope for and the motivation to pass it on as mentors.

 

Congratulations Kyle !

  

 

After recently passing the MLS Camp, Kyle Atkins received his Pro Badge. He is now a grade 3 Professional Referee. After many years of hard work, we would like to congratulate him for his success.

Congratulation Emily Stalcup!

  

Over the past weekend Kansas referees Emily and Lauren Stalcup attended the US Youth Soccer Workshop in Philadelphia .  Emily was the Kansas State Young Female Referee of the Year and the Region II

Young Female Referee of Year.

She became a finalist for the National Female Referee of the Year award.

During the weekend both the girls were fortunate to spend time with FIFA referee Sandra Sarafina and MLS PRO referee Chris Penso.  

  

 

Congratulations to Parker Roberts and Dorion Bailey!

 

 

  

Roberts and Bailey were selected for the U20 Women's National Team Camp. The camp will be held January 24th -31st in Sanford Florida.

 Congratulations to Dilary Heredia-Beltran and Felicia Knox!

  

Kansas ODP players, Dilary Heredia-Beltran and Felicia Knox, attended the ODP Girls National Training Camp in Lake Mary, Florida.  

 

Congratulations to all the Heartland  players and referees on their accomplishments!

 

If you would like to share your team/player accomplishments 

email: Bridgette@heartlandsoccer.net

Include a brief summary of the accomplishment and picture  

  

NATIONAL C LICENSE COURSE

 

Kansas State Youth Soccer is pleased to announce that we have been approved to host a National C License course in 2015.  The course will be held July 25th to August 2nd at Ottawa University in Ottawa, KS.  Registration for the course will be available February 2nd, 2015.  

 

REGISTER FOR C LICENSE

REGISTRATION NOW OPEN

 

http://www.kansasyouthsoccer.org/


 

As of January 2015, coaches must hold a National D License for a minimum of 12-months or hold an approved waiver by U.S. Soccer to register for a C course; no other waivers will be accepted.

 

  

  
2015 Spring Tournaments
  Bringing you four tournaments this season!
  
Heartland spring tournaments typically field 300+ teams, with competition coming from 10+ states. You need to be part of that competition in 2015! Register for the spring tournaments at www.heartlandsoccer.net
  
BORDER BATTLE
Border Battle traditional logo  

This tournament will be at the Overland Park Soccer Complex  and Swope Soccer Village on February 27th - March 1st, 2015 .  Registration Deadline was January 27, 2015.  This tournament has already been established and recognized as one of the top spring tournaments in the Midwest. It annually attracts ECNL, NPL, State and Regional Champion teams from up to 11 different states. 

KANSAS CITY CHAMPIONS CUP


KCCC Traditional Logo  

This tournament will also be held at the Overland Park Soccer Complex and Swope Soccer Village. It will be the weekend April 10th-12th, 2015. Registration Deadline is set for March 9, 2015. The Kansas City Champions Cup is another large, early season tournament that consistently sells out. This tournament offers four different levels of competition: Gold, Silver, Bronze and Recreational. Teams have traveled from 11 different states to play in the Champions Cup. Seeding of teams ensures that everyone can compete against opponents of their own ability level. That makes this tournament an excellent early season opportunity for your team to test itself against comparable opponents. 

MIDWEST MOTHER'S DAY CLASSIC

  

May 8-10, 2015 will be the Midwest Mother's Day Classic at the Overland Park Soccer Complex.  Registration will close on April 6, 2015. The large number of teams (246 in 2014) and three levels of play (Gold, Silver, Bronze) ensure that every team finds itself matched against similar competition. In addition to providing excellent competition, this newest addition to the Heartland tournament series is formatted to be particularly family friendly. The tournament will be hosted at the Overland Park Soccer Complex, where siblings can enjoy the multiple playgrounds, a skate park, or tennis and basketball courts. Mothers will be honored on Sunday, when each player will be given a flower to present to their mother.  

KANSAS CITY INVITATIONAL

KCI Traditional Logo  

The Overland Park Soccer Complex will be busy Memorial day weekend, May 22nd-25th, 2015, for the Kansas City Invitational tournament. In 2014 about 334 teams participated in the Kansas City Invitational. The longer holiday weekend and access to additional fields make this the Heartland spring tournament that is least likely to have to turn teams away. The three day weekend allows for easy travel and game schedules, and is free of league conflicts. Your team will play against diverse teams from throughout central United States. The large tournament size and good seeding are sure to give your team well-matched competition.

 

QUICK TRANSITION CROSSING AND
FINISHING
IN A SMALL SIDED GAME

 
 

1. Working both ways this is a quick transition play session using wide players as the focal points to ensure we get lots of crosses in. You can overload areas where you want for instance if your players are particularly poor in finishing then have only one defender against two attackers and so on. You can determine any strategy you like and tailor the session to the number of players you have to work with. Here we have 20 players working constantly.

 

 2. Wide players perform in channels and no defenders can encroach into these zones ensuring a constant supply of crosses both ways. They stay in the attacking half of the field. The field is short and tight to make sure lots of crossing and finishing takes place at both ends of the field.                                              


3. Playing offside from the defensive thirds.

 

COACHING POINTS IN CROSSING AND FINISHING


 

1.  Head Up - Glance from the crosser, an awareness using the A.I.A. principles of:  where are the players (attackers, defenders, the keeper).Sometimes they don't have time to do this they just get the ball into the danger area and expect players to be there.


 

2.  Decision - When, Where and How to cross. Do it as early as possible to give defenders as little time as possible to position themselves.

 

3.  Technique of the Cross - A good first touch out of your feet to set the cross up but looking also to where the ball is going and where the attackers are to receive to cross.

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

Take Steps for Better Heart Health

 

February is American Heart Month and a great time to think about the steps we can take for better heart health this year. Heart disease continues to be the leading cause of death in the United States impacting people of all ages and backgrounds. HCA and its affiliated hospitals encourage you to learn more about the dangers of heart disease and to embrace heart healthy habits.

 

Here are a few simple ways to make healthier heart decisions every day.

In the Drive Thru -

Drink water, skim or low-fat milk; regular sodas are loaded with sugar and calories. Skip the sides, which are usually deep fried. Order a side salad or fruit cup instead.

 At Home or Work -

Go out for a short walk before breakfast, after dinner or both!  Start with 5- 10 minutes and work up to 30 minutes. Take a break from your desk and walk around the building

 In the Grocery Store -

Buy more fruits and vegetables that are good sources of fiber, including beans, peas, oranges, bananas, strawberries and apples.  Choose soft margarines that contain "0 grams Trans fat" instead of buying butter.

 

At HCA, our network of hospitals offers the area's highest quality heart care in comparison with other providers. We also exceed the national standards of care for heart attack, heart failure and pneumonia. And with the area's only network of award-winning, accredited chest pain centers, no one opens up clogged arteries for heart attack patients faster than we do. We're highly skilled, fast and thorough, and our accreditation and numerous Get with the Guidelines awards prove it.

 

For more information about our comprehensive quality heart care including preventative diagnostic services, please visit http://hcamidwest.com/healthcare-services/heart-care/  . 

We also offer an easy, online heart assessment to help you on your way to a healthier heart.

  

  

 

 
 
  
 
 
  
 
   
  
 
 
  
 
 

A SPECIAL THANKS TO ALL OUR SPONSORS

Academy Sports and Outdoors

Advocare

AYC Health and Fitness  

Baker University

Chevrolet

Chick fil A

Chipotle

Dicks Sporting Goods

FC Kansas City

Fox & Hound

Fry Wagner

Futbol Eatery

Global Connections

Hasty Awards

Italian Gardens to Go 

J&K Soccer

Jimmy John's

Johnny Cascone's

Krazy Net

Lennys Subs

Levine Advertising

McCarthy Auto Group

Menorah Medical Center

Missouri Comets

Molle Toyota

Momo Bands

Mr. Goodcents Subs & Pastas

Nill Bros.

Overland Park Regional Medical Center

Pickleman's

Planet Sub

Portable Soccer Goals

Prairie Fire

Price Chopper

Pride Cleaners 

Rasmussen College

Rock and Brews

Salty Iguana

Select Photo-Graphics

Shred-It

Simmons First National Bank

Simply Soccer

Soccer Master

Sporting KC

TeamSnap

T-riffic T-shirts

The Egg & I 

The Storage Place

Verizon Wireless