Heartland Soccer Association
Celebrates 40 Years of Soccer!
9161 W 133rd Street, Overland Park, KS 66213
Phone: 913-888-8768
Heartland Soccer Association is recognized as one
of the largest soccer leagues and tournament hosts in the country.
We offer recreational to premier divisions,
ages U8 through U19.
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SCHEELS Overland Park Soccer Complex (OP)
13700 Switzer Rd Overland Park, KS 66221 Located at 135th and Switzer just south of the Blue Valley District Athletic Complex.Click to View Field Maps and Location Details 
GARMIN Olathe Soccer Complex (OSC)
10541 S Warwick St Olathe, KS 66061Click to View Field Maps and Location Details 
Wyandotte Sporting Fields (WSF)
1500 N 90 St Kansas City, KS 66112Click to View Field Maps and Location Details 
Swope Soccer Village (SSV)
6310 Lewis Road Kansas City, MO 64132Click to View Field Maps and Location Details 
Pinnacle
1913 Pinnacle Way Kansas City, KS 66111Click to View Field Maps and Location Details |
Heartland Fall Friendlies
GARMIN Olathe Soccer Complex
July 31st - August 2st, 2020
Registration is Closed
The Heartland Tournament series is excited to be able to offer a pre-season event played from July 31st to August 2nd, featuring three games for all teams at a massively reduced registration fee. The Heartland Friendlies will be a perfect opportunity for your team to get ready for the Fall season with a series of matches against similar competition.
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Heartland Open Cup
GARMIN Olathe Soccer Complex
August 7th - August 9th, 2020
Registration Deadline:
July 20th, 2020
Heartland Soccer is proud to present the Heartland Open Cup. This tournament will be played on the weekend before the start of the Fall Season. This provides teams with the ideal opportunity to prepare for the start of their league games with a weekend of competitive games played on the high quality turf fields at the
GARMIN
Olathe Soccer Complex.
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Fall Kick Off Challenge Sponsored by First Watch
SCHEELS Overland Park Soccer Complex
& GARMIN Olathe Soccer Complex
All Games on Turf!
August 21st - 23rd, 2020
REGISTRATION DEADLINE: July 27, 2020
This tournament is one of your first opportunities to get early games in and tune up for league play. The Fall Kick Off features multiple levels of play ensuring that every team finds itself matched against similar competition.
The tournament will be hosted at the
SCHEELS
Overland Park Soccer Complex and
GARMIN
Olathe Soccer Complex, where siblings can enjoy the multiple playgrounds, the skate park, or the tennis courts.
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Heartland Soccer is excited to partner with GOEX Apparel - a local KC, Fairtrade company - to bring you the "One League, One City" tee.
In the midst of the pandemic, GOEX launched Support Local KC to raise funds for clients & partners. Each shirt sold gives $15 to the organization to care for employees, support the business or for further investment in the community's
Proceeds from the sale of all Heartland Soccer tees will go into a fund to reduce fees when play resumes. The goal is to make sure all players are able to get back on the field as soon as it's safe to play.
Order your tee today at
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Concussion ImPACT Testing
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2019/ 2020 Tournament Numbers
(number of teams)
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Border Battle '20
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117
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| Heartland Spring Cup '20 |
155 |
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KC Champions Cup '19
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483
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| Mother's Day Classic '19 |
449 |
| Kansas City Invitational '19 |
282
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Fall Kick Off Challenge '19
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189 |
Heartland Midwest Classic '19
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208 |
Midwest All Boys '19
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115 |
Midwest All Girls '19
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333
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Heartland Invitational Girls '19
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333
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Heartland Invitational Boys '19
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407 |
*In the last 12 months Heartland welcomed teams
from a total of 17 states and Canada.
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| Thank you to everyone for making Heartland Soccer recognized as THE LARGEST soccer league AND tournament host in the United States! Seriously, how cool is that?! We are so incredibly proud to be a part of this growing soccer community!
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2019/20 Heartland Numbers
Fall league teams '19
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1,281
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| Spring league teams '20 |
1,341
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League players
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42,000
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Tournament teams
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3,011
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| Tournament players |
46,000+
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Referees
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2,000+
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Coaches
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4,000
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This Month in History: July
 Bertrand Patenaude was an American Soccer player from 1928 to 1936 he helped lead the United States to a third-place finish in the 1930 World Cup in Uruguay. On July 17, 1930 the US scored in the 10th, 15th, and 50th minutes in a match against Paraguay. Patenaude was credited with the first and last goal. Controversy surrounded the goal in the 15th as three different accounts gave credit to three different parties. The goal was awarded to Tom Florie, US Soccer Federation credited Patenaude, and The Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation recorded it as an own goal by Paraguay. FIFA eventually recognized Patenaude as the First Player to Score a Hat-trick in a World Cup in 2006. In 2010 Landon Donovan Broke his record for the most goals scored in a world cup (4) by scoring his fifth in an extra-time loss to Ghana in South Africa. Bert Patenaude Sr. lived from 1909-1974 and holds a spot in the U.S. Soccer Hall of Fame, he was inducted in 1971.
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2020 Heartland Referee Meeting Dates Announced!
Referees of all ages and experience levels
are encouraged to attend Heartland's monthly referee meetings!
Join us to learn tips and tricks for ARs and Referees, fun games, vital information, and fabulous prizes!
Parents are always welcome.
Monday, August 3
Monday, September 14
Monday, October 5
Mentors meet 6 - 6:45 pm and Referees meet 7 - 8:30 pm
Meetings will be held at the "Steve D. Scheels" Training Center in the northwest corner of the second floor of the SCHEELS store located at:
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First time checking out The Midfielder?
Executive Director Shane Hackett explains why this is a
great tool for players, coaches and parents.
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THE FIFA WORLD CUP IS COMING! #KC2026
Sign the petition and show the world that Kansas City
deserves to be a host city for the WORLD CUP!!!
Sign the Petition
Donate
Volunteer
Kansas City - In The Heart of It All
#KC2026 #United2026
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| "Why be a critic when YOU can be THE REFEREE!"
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Kansas ODP player puts in 115 hours of training in June!
For June 2020 we have an amazing amount of training hours put in by our #KansasODP players using Techne Futbol app.
Congrats to Grace B. (2008 Girls) for putting in a total of over 115 hours!
Congratulations Grace on your commitment to your development and the beautiful game!
Congrats to all these players on their commitment to develop their skills!
Total for Top 5 Players: 288 hours
#TechneFutbol
#KSYouthSoccer
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2020-2021 Kansas ODP Tryouts - Register Now!
Tryout locations in Kansas City, Dodge City & Wichita
Your club tryouts may be ending but the ODP process is just beginning. Here is your opportunity to Represent Kansas! Players born from 2004-2009 are eligible to participate in any of the tryout locations. Kansas ODP is separate from your club team and you train with players from across Kansas.
Here is the new Kansas ODP Selection Pathway for players this upcoming cycle.
Questions? Contact:
Amy Cramer
Kansas ODP Admin
Direct Line: 913-991-3690
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Go behind the scenes at Children's Mercy Park! Learn about the history of Sporting KC and take a look at the Pitch, Press Box, Broadcast Booth, Locker Room & more! For more information contact Kylie Perkins at
[email protected]
or 913-912-7578.
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Get certified to be a referee!
As our local soccer community grows, the need for new and experienced referees continues. Join America's Largest Soccer League. More details on referee meeting schedules, training and education can be found on the
Sign Up to Become a Referee for the Fall 2020 Season.
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The Referee Blog
The wait and the countdown to soccer at Heartland. We are getting ready....
 Sitting alone in your room thinking about the weekend's soccer match is something players do all the time. With the cancellation of the Spring season, the tournaments and practices, the waiting was how soccer took place in the Kansas City area over the last 3 months. Tryouts started on June 1
st
. Players were able to take the field for tryouts on June 18
th
. Now that teams have been formed, the quiet time in your room before the weekend is becoming more normal.
Players can now start playing the game in their heads. They worked on skills and fitness during the layoff. How will they execute what they worked on when they take the field? How will the team chemistry work? What can I do this weekend to contribute to my team and my teammates? How different will it be to go against competition? Am I ready? What else could I be doing to make sure that I will be ready to give my best effort in support of my team?
This is the essence and the beauty of the game of soccer. It is a team sport where each of the players contributes. It is a sports contest that incorporates the execution of life skills. Players must prepare if they are going to be successful.
They need to execute their roles in the scheme of the bigger picture of the team. They will be challenged to dig deep to rise to the challenge of competition. They will experience the "thrill of victory and the agony of defeat". And, then they get to come back and do it again next week. Yes, soccer is a sports contest that asks the players to develop the life skills that will contribute to their ultimate success in life.
Soccer is a simple tactical game. When you have the ball, you try to score. When the other team has the ball, your focus is to get the ball from them so that you can score. We say this is simple, but for anyone who has played there are some interesting considerations:
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The other team: Their goal is to outperform you and win. This makes both sides work harder. There may be times when winning seems easy. Remember, we learn more from rising to the challenges of a competitive team.
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The physical challenge: For those who have played the game, you recognize that it is much easier to trap the ball and make an accurate pass before the game than when you have been running for an hour in the heat or cold. Add in players who are trying to prevent you from executing moves and it gets even more difficult.
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The mental challenge: When things do not go the way you planned how will you respond? If the other team tackles the ball from you will you stop and pout? Or will you switch to defense and make the effort to get the ball back? When you make a tackle on the ball and contact the player and the Referee blows the whistle for a foul, will you respect their authority, or will you blame them for the result?
Last month we talked about the Referee focus "inside the lines of the field". This is where soccer will be played. This is where the Referees and Assistant Referees will render decisions based on the Laws of the Game. The Referees and Assistant Referees have been denied performing on the field for the Spring just like the players. They will have the same challenges as the players in getting better.
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The pressure of competition: You can watch games on TV or study incidents on the web, but making decisions in this arena is not the same as doing it on the field where both teams are trying their hardest to win. Blowing the whistle is never easy. After a layoff, it will be even harder.
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The physical challenge: Referees and Assistant Referees get better as the season goes on. One of the reasons for this is the same as players - game fitness. When the adult leagues started a couple of weeks ago, we learned that everyone would need some time to get match fit.
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The mental challenge: For players, we asked the question when things do not go the way you planned how will you respond? This also applies to Referees and Assistant Referees. We talk with our new officials regularly. They tell us they understand the Laws of the Game and know what they are supposed to do when they see a violation. They know what an offside violation looks like. They know what they are supposed to do (stop and raise the flag and wait for the Referees whistle, and then indicate where the infraction occurred). What they are not ready for is the immediate feedback from the sidelines. It presents another mental challenge. The same happens when the Center Referee whistle for a foul.
Everyone will be working hard to make up for lost time. Players want to show their skills. Referees want to enforce the Laws of the Game and to provide a SAFE environment for FAIR soccer. And the fans want to be able to see hard work and cheer for success.
We went through many challenges this Spring. Working together for the good of the community is why we register with Heartland. When all is said and done, we judge the success of a season based on 3 criteria:
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The quality of the fields: World-class is the Heartland experience
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The quality of competition: With the number of Divisions in each age group, a good effort can result in a win every match
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The quality of the Referees: We will continue to mentor your officials on the field with the goal of helping them make more correct decisions every half and provide you with SAFE and FAIR matches.
Let us remember how it felt to soccer this past Spring. Yes, absence makes the heart grow stronger. This Spring's absence should make our hearts much stronger, more open, more understanding, and should do the same for our minds. We are the Heartland Soccer Association family. Welcome home. Soccer is almost in the house.
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Dear All,
We all hope that you are staying safe and are having a good summer with your families.
Registration is complete, we are now beginning to seed the teams into divisions for the Fall season. We will take into account any seeding requests that we have received, but ultimately the divisions will be formed from the results produced in the previous seasons. That is the fairest way for everything to be done. Ultimately we are trying to form the most competitive flights that we can. That should ensure that all games are of a equal standard for the teams playing.
Our starting point will be the Spring seedings as there were very few games played to produce promotion and relegation. However, we do understand that teams may have changed during tryouts.
We will announce any restrictions in regards to COVID-19 as close as we can to the start of the season, that way we will have the most recent information from the local and regional medical authorities.
Thanks as always for participating in our league and tournaments, we truly appreciate your support.
See you on the Fields!!
Sincerely,
Heartland Staff
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July Health Tip:
Sports Safety: It's Not Just Child's Play
Playing sports offers plenty of fitness and other developmental benefits for kids, but injuries are common. Every year, more than 2.6 million U.S. children aged 19 and under are treated in the ER for sports- and recreation-related injuries.
If your child plays team sports, start by vetting the qualifications of the coaches.
A questionnaire-based study by the American Council on Exercise found common knowledge gaps among youth-sports coaches -- many of whom are volunteers -- in the areas of proper hydration, strength training, nutrition and concussions. For instance, many didn't know about "second impact syndrome" -- when a second concussion occurs before the first one has healed, a potentially fatal situation.
Make sure your kids learn and practice skills they need for their sport. Proper form helps prevent injuries. If your child isn't in condition for the activity or is new to it, he or she needs to start slowly, ideally by preparing in the off-season for at least four weeks. Developing strong legs in particular will help protect knees and ankles.
Check that your young athletes have -- and wear -- properly fitted protective gear appropriate for their activity, such as helmets to prevent concussions, wrist guards, knee or elbow pads. And regularly check that the equipment is in good condition.
Wearing a helmet is a must for:
Batting and running bases in baseball or softball.
Playing a contact sport, such as football or hockey.
Riding a bike, snowmobile or ATV.
Using inline skates, a skateboard or scooter.
Horseback riding.
Also, pay attention to the weather. Kids need time to adjust to heat and humidity when playing outdoors to avoid both injury and illness. Make sure they drink the right amount of water and are dressed for the conditions.
HCA Midwest Health is the official healthcare provider for Heartland Soccer Association and we work with parents and coaches to keep athletes safe and on the field of play year round, learn more about our services at
www.hcamidwest.com
Source: HealthDay
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Sand Soccer Comes to Kansas!
Kansas Youth Soccer is excited to bring the opportunity for youth players to experience the game of sand soccer! This exciting game is perfect for all levels of players to participate in during future summer months and we hope your club or team takes the time to see what programming they can offer to help improve your overall game.
Questions or interest please email at:
[email protected]
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Referee Corner:
Offside Again...
 Law 11 continues to be one of the most misunderstood Laws of the Game. This month we will once again share this important Law with the goal of helping all of us better understand what factors the Referee and Assistant Referees use when evaluating an Offside infraction in your team's matches.
Let's start off by sharing one of the videos that every certified Referee goes through in their first day of class,
The Offside Rule explained in 2 minutes
. You can click on the link to view this quick overview. Sounds simple, right?
Position:
Offside Position is the easier part to understand because it is defined as being closer to the opponent's goal line than either the 2
nd
last defender or the ball. Assistant Referees are trained to focus on the 2
nd
last defender and to position themselves even with this player. The challenge for the Assistant Referee is to keep their focus on this player when the fun stuff is happening around the ball.
Timing of the Teammate's touch:&nnbsp;
Position is black and white. But soccer is a dynamic and moving game. The Law says you need to be in an offside position
at the moment the ball is played or touched by a teammate.
This means Assistant Referees need to focus on both the position of the 2
nd
last defender and the ball so they can tell when the ball was last touched by an attacker's teammate. Multiple moving pieces to the decision. Assistant Referees are making judgements based on all these moving components. Focus is key to correctly judging the components for an infraction.
Active Involvement:
Finally, the decision is made based on active involvement which means:
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Interfering with play by playing a ball played or touched by a teammate
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Interfering with an opponent by preventing them from playing the ball or obstructing their line of vision
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Gaining an advantage when the ball has deflected off the goal post, cross bar or an opponent or if the ball was deliberately saved by any opponent (i.e., a save is when a player stops or attempts to stop a ball which is going into or very close to the goal with any part of the body except the hands/arms unless it is the goal keeper within the Penalty Area).
Do Heartland Assistant Referees sometimes miss an offside infraction? It is safe to say that might happen. Do they sometimes make the wrong decision? Again, this could happen. Do they get it right sometimes? Definitely. It is always an easy decision? Probably not very often. Does it build their confidence when they are able to make the correct decision in front of players, coaches, and you the fans? Always.
You now know what the Assistant Referee is thinking about before they raise the flag. Think along with them and congratulate them for making the decision because you now know it is not that easy.
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Papa J
ohn's Heartland Referee Spotlight:
A little bit about Margot....
Hi! My name is Margot Tuttle and I'm super excited for this opportunity!
I started reffing in about 2016 officiating smaller, younger games, then worked my way up.
I decided to get certified because I admired the effort I saw from the refs officiating my own games and wanted to be like them.
My favorite part about reffing is being a role model for the players.
I've learned a lot about respect and not only the best way to show it, but also the importance of being respectful in the midst of controversial calls.
I actually have not ever reffed a futsal game, I prefer to be outdoors on the larger fields and the turf.
I aspire to ref semi-pro to professional games some day.
I do play soccer. I've played for a few local clubs, including OPSC and KCSC. I also played and managed for my high school team. I've played soccer since I was two years old. Recently, however, I have suffered an extensive injury as a result of the game and have had to take a few seasons off.
I participate in a few clubs and activities at my school and beyond. I play the cello in the orchestras at my school, and am a part of NHS, engineering classes, and the Latin club. I have also played my instrument in the Youth Symphony of Kansas City for a couple of years now. I greatly enjoy my music classes, and hope to pursue more of them in college as I major in engineering.
I work alternatively as a lifeguard with the City of Overland Park pools. I really enjoy this job, and have done it for about two years now!
As nerdy as it may sound, I just recently completed the Harry Potter series for the third time. :) It's still one of my favorite book series!
I enjoy sci-fi and action movies most. I'm a big fan of Star Wars. I recently went to see The Rise of Skywalker in theaters.
My favorite sports team is Sporting Kansas City. I go to many games with my family. I love the atmosphere and the energy of the stadium. Our fans are the best! If I absolutely had to pick a second, it'd be the Chiefs :)
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We want your photos!
Heartland Soccer Association is seeking action photo shots of kids of all ages and abilities playing soccer in Heartland League Games or Tournaments. Submitted photos may be included in Heartland Tournament, League and other promotional materials as well as social media posts.
Instructions for submitting photos:
All submitted photo files must be .jpg format, must be a minimum of 1,200 x 1,600 pixels, and no larger than 2 MB in size. Submitting a photo doesn't guarantee that it will be used.
By submitting a photo for consideration for use in Heartland Soccer Association promotional materials, you agree that:
1.
You are the sole author of the photograph and control all rights for its use. The photograph is original. You have the rights to grant usage of the photograph as stated below. There has been no prior sale, publication or transfer of rights to the photograph. The photograph shall not contain any libelous or scandalous matter. To the best of your knowledge, the photograph's creation, publication and use shall not infringe any copyright, right of privacy or right of publicity, or infringe or violate any right of any third party.
2.
You grant to Heartland Soccer Association all rights to use the photograph in any and all forms of media, including but not limited to electronic, digital media and print.
3.
You allow Heartland Soccer Association the right to edit, revise, adapt and crop the photo as necessary.
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Visit SCHEELS, your retail destination.
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Attention!
If you have a referee, coach, club, team or player accomplishment or a
photo that you would like to share please email:
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THANK YOU TO ALL OF OUR SPONSORS
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AB May
Academy Sports and Outdoors
AC Print
ALDI
BFAME KC Entertainment
Chick-fil-A
Commercial Capital
Dick's Sporting Goods
Drs. Hawks, Besler, Rogers & Stoppel
Discount Tire
First Watch
Goodcents
Grimaldi's
Hasty Awards
HCA Midwest Health
Heritage Tractor Supply
Hy-Vee
Jason's Deli
JBAR
Jimmy John's
Kansas City Comets
Krusich Dental
Land of Paws
Lenny's Subs
Levine Advertising
Menorah Medical Center
Minsky's Pizza
Molle Toyota
Momo Bands
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Overland Park Regional Medical CenterOverland Park Ballroom
Papa John's
Raising Cane's
Rob Ellerman and
Reece Nichols Real Estate
Research Medical Center
R Todd Laytham CPA, LLC
Salty Iguana
SCHEELS
Security Bank
Scooter's Coffee
Soccer Master
Spin Pizza
Sporting Kansas City
Sporting Kansas City II
Starting Point Pediatric Dentistry and Orthodontics
Storage Mart
Swope Park Rangers
Taco Bell
The Rub Bar-B-Que
Tohi
T-riffic T-shirts
Urban Air
Yokohama
Zaxby's
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