The Midfielder: October Newsletter

THE MIDFIELDER

October 2021

Upcoming Events

Oct 15-17 League play

Oct 22-24 League play

Oct 29-31 Rainout Weekend

Nov 1 Spring 2022 League Registration Opens

Nov 5-7 Heartland Invitational Girls

Nov 12-14 Heartland Invitational Boys

Jan 3 Spring 2022 online registration deadline by noon on January 3

Feb 11-14 Dick’s Sporting Goods Discount Weekend

Feb 16 Spring 2022 schedule posted after 5pm

Feb 18-20 Academy Sports + Outdoors Shop Event

Feb 25-27 Border Battle Tournament / First weekend of League play

Mar 4-6 Midwest College Showcase / League play

Mar 11-13 League play

Mar 18-20 Heartland Spring Cup / League Play

Mar 25-27 League Play

Apr 1-3 League Play

Apr 8-10 Kansas City Champions Cup / League Play

Apr 8-11 Dick’s Sporting Goods Discount Weekend

Apr 15-16 League Play

Apr 17 Easter No Games

Apr 22-24 League Play

Apr 29-May 1 League Play

May 6-8 Midwest Mother’s Day Classic / League Play

May 13-15 League Play

May 20-22 Rainout Weekend

May 27-29 Kansas City Invitational Tournament

June 19 Kansas City 3v3 Challenge

COVID 19 GUIDELINES

effective August 5, 2021

In compliance with State and county issued updates, everyone must wear a mask inside ‘walk in’ concession stands and bathrooms.

Masks are not required outdoors at the complexes whether an individual has been vaccinated or not, however, it is worth considering wearing a mask in crowded outdoor settings and for activities with close contact with others who are not fully vaccinated.

Fully vaccinated people might choose to mask regardless of the level of transmission, particularly if they or someone in their household is immunocompromised or if someone in their household is unvaccinated.

Click here for league rules

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.

Get Your Kickin' Chicken at a Kansas or Missouri Restaurant Near You!

8 Local Locations

Raisingcanes.com/locations

@raisingcaneschickenfingers

Futsal Central Regional Championships

Registration Now Open

CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFO

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER

This Month in History: October

22 October 1899 - From The Humblest Of Beginnings,

Great Things

On 22 October 1899, A Swiss businessman in Spain placed a notice in a local newspaper to drum up interest in forming a new club. It went on to become known as FC Barcelona.

The businessman, Hans-Max Gamper, who had once captained FC Basel, had founded FC Zürich three years earlier. His trip to Barcelona in 1898 was originally intended as a short visit, but he fell in love with the city and decided to remain (eventually adopting the Catalan form of his name, Joan Gamper).

In order to continue playing football, he submitted a notice to the local paper, Los Deportes. Translated into English, the notice read "Our friend and partner, Mr. Kans Kamper, from the Foot-Vall Section of the 'Sociedad Deportes' and former Swiss champion, wishing to organize some matches in Barcelona, requests that everyone who likes this sport contact him, come to this office Tuesday and Friday nights from 9 to 11." The notice generated a positive response, leading to the first meeting of FC Barcelona on 29 November.

Gamper was the club's first captain, making 44 appearances and scoring 100 goals between 1899 and 1903. He later served as club president five different times, for a total of 25 years, during which Barça won the Copa del Rey three times.

They have since become one of the world's most successful clubs, with 26 league titles, 31 Copa del Rey trophies, five European Cup/Champions League trophies and 3 FIFA Club World Club titles.

This article was taken from http://tdifh.blogspot.com/2017/10/22-october-1899-from-humblest-of.html

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 kperkins@sportingkc.com

or 913-912-7578.

2021 Heartland Numbers

Fall league teams '21- 1,304

Spring league teams '21 - 1,298

League players - 42,000

Tournament teams - 3,011

Tournament players - 46,000+

Referees - 2,000+

Coaches - 4,000

Heartland Soccer Association is America's Largest Soccer League

Watch Todd Graves, Founder & CEO of Raising Cane’s give back with the help of some close friends to restaurants around the country after COVID-19.

Click here for trailer and on RestaurantRecovery.com

Teaching Gratitude with Youth Athletes

#1: UNDERSTAND PROCESS VERSUS OUTCOME

Gratitude helps ground athletes in the present moment by reminding them of the positives that are happening right now. Depending on what an athlete is struggling with, you may find that getting them to be more attentive to feelings of gratitude is an antidote to some of the difficulties they face. Anytime you have negative self-talk and thoughts, those lead to strong emotional experiences that can inhibit your performance. In those cases, it’s always helpful to identify the things that you’re grateful for.

For instance, some athletes struggle with not scoring goals. Many of those athletes will focus on that negative outcome and will tend to perceive their identity as part of their results and their performance, which can result in a lot of negative self-talk. But you can help them by reminding them why they’re playing the sport, as opposed to the outcome of playing their sport. That’s a simple way to get them to shift their attention to being present, being grateful, being thankful that they can play. The goal is to get them back to enjoying the game, as opposed to focusing on the future or the outcome of the game.

#2 REWRITE SELF-TALK

When an athlete who struggles with self-talk, it’s really important to specifically identify the negative things that they’re saying to themselves that are outcome-focused. Once they can identify the negative self-talk, then that forms the basis to replace it with more flexible thoughts associated with gratitude.

You can work on this with your athletes by first having them list five negative self-talk phrases that come to mind for them, then identifying what they could say instead to flip the script to something more positive.

Get athletes to focus on what they’re going to say to themselves before, during, and after competition. Statements like ‘I love this game,’ or ‘I feel good when I focus on my own game,’ can help them concentrate on those feelings of gratitude. Get athletes to memorize about five positive self-talk statements that they can easily recall in various instances during sport performance. That way, when they do have a bad performance, they can use one of those affirmations while doing some deep breathing, and then move on.

#3 MAKE A CUE CARD

Have each athlete make his or her own index card with a list of a few things they’re grateful for, and at least one positive self-talk mantra at the bottom. Have athletes write this out and put it in their locker, keep it in their duffel bag for competitions, or even go digital and put it on the home screen of their phone so they can see it all the time.

You can also recommend that athletes make one of these cue cards on a monthly basis. New negative self-talk will constantly be buzzing in the background, so it’s important to make sure that positive self-talk is regularly responding to the new stimulus.

#4 ASK THE RIGHT QUESTIONS

After a competition, a lot of athletes, parents, and coaches will focus on the outcome, what went wrong, and what a team can do better the next time rather than the effort and the process.

Asking athletes—and getting them to start asking themselves—things like, ‘What did I learn today?’ is a really good way to not only keep a process-focus, but to also focus on gratitude. You can also ask gratitude-specific questions, like what they were most thankful for during the game, or have them tell a teammate how grateful they were for their support.

Allow them to experience their emotions and thoughts, just try to shift them towards a more positive pattern.

#5 START A GRATITUDE BOARD OR TEAM PRACTICE

As the coach, you can create a team culture of gratitude. One way to do so, especially with younger athletes, but also with teens, is by having a large team gratitude board set up where athletes can write out one thing that they’re grateful for each day. Alternatively, you can have athletes do this out loud.

Let your team decide on how they want to start a gratitude practice together. It depends on the athletes and it depends on what speaks to them.

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

Coaches

Corner:

1v1 Games

Moment

Attacking to Defending / Defending to Attacking

Objective

Move quickly to defend in 1v1 situations.

Player Actions

Close down space quickly • Body Shape • Make Contact

Key Qualities

Read and understand the game/make quick decisions

Organization

Field space can vary depending upon age/ability of players. Approximately 15x15yards

8 Flags

Supply of soccer balls

Ten players are split into two teams of 5. Blue players line up North and South (3 and 2) and Red players line up East and West (3 and 2).

Goal is for attacker in possession of the ball to dribble and pass to teammate at opposite side (through the flags) and trade sides. New attacker brings the ball out and continues to attack 1v1 against the same defender. A point is scored each time a new attacker is brought into play.

If the defender steals the ball, they must get the ball to one of their teammates so that they can start the attacking process. (If the ball goes out of bounds), the opposing team brings a new ball into play.

Progression:

Progress to play 2v2

2021 Tournament Team Numbers

Border Battle '21 - 235

Midwest College Showcase '21 - 54

Heartland Spring Cup '21 - 160

KC Champions Cup '21 - 405

Mother's Day Classic '21 - 417

Kansas City Invitational '21 - 309

Heartland Open Cup '21 - 61

Fall Kick Off Challenge '21 - 257

Heartland Midwest Classic '21 - 172

Midwest All Boys '21 - 215

Midwest All Girls '21 - 289

Heartland Invitational Girls '21 - 383

Heartland Invitational Boys '21 - 411

*In the last 12 months Heartland welcomed teams from a total of 17 states and Canada.

Heartland Spring 2022 League Registration Opens

November 1st

Heartlandsoccer.net

Referee Review

Referee Corner

When can a Goalkeeper not use their hands?

Law 12 defines when the goalkeeper is not permitted to use their hands in a soccer match.

When the goalkeeper leaves the Penalty Area they are under the same Laws as any other field player. Here is the text from Law 12: “The goalkeeper has the same restrictions on handling the ball as any other player outside the Penalty Area…”

Inside the Penalty Area, the goalkeeper cannot be guilty of a handling offense incurring a direct free kick or any related sanction but can be guilty of handling offences that incur an Indirect Free Kick.

“An Indirect Free Kick is awarded if a goalkeeper, inside their penalty area commits any of the following offenses:

•Controls the ball with the hand for more than six seconds before releasing it. Referees are instructed to inform the goalkeeper to get the ball back into play when they are holding it. If the goalkeeper does not respond positively (i.e., put the ball in play), the Referee will blow the whistle and award the Indirect Free Kick.

•Touches the ball with the hand after:

•Releasing it and before it has touched another player. An example would be the goalkeeper putting the ball on the ground and when recognizing that an attacker was making a play for the ball, picking it up again. The proper execution by the goalkeeper would be to kick the ball while on the ground.

•It has been deliberately kicked to the goalkeeper by a teammate. This can be a challenge with youth players because you don’t know the exact skill level of the player who is playing the ball back to the goalkeeper. The Law does specify that the ball must be deliberately kicked. This means the defender used his/her foot and meant to play the ball by kicking to their goalkeeper. Can they use their knee or head or other legal parts of their body to play it back to their goalkeeper? According to the Law, yes.

•Receiving it directly from a throw-in taken by a teammate. Again, this is very clear. The goalkeeper can play the ball with their feet. They cannot legally pick it up. If they do, an Indirect Free Kick will be awarded.

Each of these infractions has to occur in the Penalty Area. When the goalkeeper leaves the Penalty Area, as outlined above, they are under the same Laws as any other field player, which means they cannot use their hands.

A question we are often asked is when is the goalkeeper considered to be in control of the ball. Again, we turn to Law 12.

A goalkeeper is considered to be in control of the ball when:

•The ball is between the hands or between the hand and any surface (e.g. ground, own body) or by touching it with any part of the hands or arms except if the ball rebounds from the goalkeeper or the goalkeeper has made a save.

•Holding the ball in the outstretched open hand

•Bouncing it on the ground or throwing it in the air

A goalkeeper cannot be challenged by an opponent when in control of the ball with the hands.

We stress this in our Referee Certification and Recertification classes.

The Referee Blog

The Referee Shortage is real!... Let’s not focus on how we got here. Let’s focus on how we resolve the shortage starting with Recruiting and Retention!

Last month we talked about building the Referee pool – one Referee at a time. This month we want to stay on this subject because Heartland, like many other leagues across the country is being impacted by a shortage of certified officials to cover League matches. Some of you have not experienced the problem this shortage can create. Others of you have seen that the shortage can create several different outcomes. Parents may be asked to be “Club” Assistant Referees when we have a certified Referee to handle the whistle. If there isn’t a certified Referee for the center, games are cancelled.

There are a number of reasons for the Referee shortage. Because of the Covid-19 pandemic some of the certified officials decided to sit out the season to make sure they are safe. The tournament schedule and high-level leagues like the National League and ECNL means more soccer matches in a given weekend, which again stresses the available Referee pool. As we talked about last month, many of our more experienced Referees have gone to college which again reduces the Referee pool. And, we continue to have the challenge of young officials not coming back for a variety of reasons. The statistics show that over 70% of soccer Referees quit within their first 3 years.

The problems are not unique to Heartland. Soccer has been growing, Referees have been going off to college, and Referee retention have been problems for years. Every state is experiencing the same kinds of problems. Let’s see what solutions we can come up with for our League and our State. Let’s put our focus on how to resolve this shortage so games can be played, and players and fans can reap the benefits of “the beautiful game.”

Recruiting new Referees: This is the first step in resolving the shortage. Our recruiting pool has been soccer players. They are the most qualified candidates because they have both an affection for the game and the knowledge of what it takes to play soccer. Here is the recruiting picture over the past 5 years:

*Through September 30, 2021

Fewer people are getting certified as Referees at a time when the game continues to grow. This leads to the conclusion that step 1 is understanding why fewer people are choosing to become Referees and what can be done to get more to make the decision to become Referees?

One step the Referee Development group is taking is to take the first steps of the certification process to the teams as they practice. Coaches know that their players will be even more effective when they have a more in-depth knowledge of the Laws of the Game. We will see how this outreach works over the next few months.

Another direction is to get more adults to become certified. There are fathers who decided to become Referees since they are driving their kids to the complexes so the kids can officiate. Why sit around and wait for them? Why not join them and work with them as a Referee? The people who are doing this today say it is a great parenting experience.

Retaining our Referees: We know that our Referees will make errors as they gain experience. The more matches they officiate the more effective their decision making becomes. The benefit is safer and more fair matches for the teams, a definite win-win for everyone.

If 70% quit within the first 3 years this means that of the 950 new Referees in 2018, there are only 285 left. When you factor in going away to college and other reasons to leave officiating (other jobs, increasing academic workloads that limit the amount of time for officiating, etc.) it is apparent that increasing the retention rate could make a significant difference in the size of the available Referee pool.

Why do Referees quit? Many of them report a primary reason is the hostility of the fans when calls don’t go their way. Are we becoming more unruly as fans? If so, this is something we have control over. Understanding the benefits to you and your teams when your Referees become more effective (i.e., when they have more experience based on doing more games at a higher level with proper coaching) means we are asking you to be more understanding. If they don’t come back next week, you will always have new Referees.

We are all in this together. There isn’t one group that can solve the current Referee shortage. We have to do it together as a soccer community. Fans - if you have concerns, talk to your coach. Coaches – if you have concerns talk to the field marshals or complete a Referee evaluation form so we can focus on the performance of those who worked your last match. Adults – become a Referee and help us grow the next season’s pool of Referees.

Heartland Referee Meetings

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.

Become a referee

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

Referee Classes page.

Q&A with Ashley

When did you start reffing? I started reffing when I turned 12.

What made you decide to get certified to referee? I wanted to get to know the rules of the game and it was a great way to get experience from a young age.

What is your favorite part about reffing? My favorite part about reffing is getting to meet so many new people and just being able to be outside and away from the stress of school.

What is a life lesson you feel you have learned from reffing? A life lesson that I have learned is responsibility and time management. With everything going on with school and work, you need to be on top of things and not fall behind.

What level of referee to you aspire to be? I want to possibly start centering games, and even make it to working high school games.

Do you play soccer? I play soccer for the 03/04 USL team at Toca FC. And I have been playing soccer for around 13 years.

Do you participate in any sports/activities? I am involved in National Honor Society, CAPS, AVID, FCA, environmental club, and Rez youth group. I also play softball at Blue Valley High.

What was the last book you read? The last book I read was Surrounded by Idiots by Thomas Erikson. And it is about the different types of human behavior and it is interesting to get to know what kind of person you actually are.

What types of movies do you like? I like to watch all types of movies, but my favorite movie is probably Top Gun.

What is your favorite sports team? My favorite sports team is Sporting KC and the Kansas City Chiefs.

Keeper Wars Return to Kansas!

Olathe, KS (September 30, 2021) – We are proud to announce that the Kansas Youth Soccer continues its partnership with Keeper Wars Ink, to bring back Americas 1v1 Goalkeeper Competition to Kansas for another year! The partnership will bring two sites for the competition to Kansas in the areas of Kansas City and Wichita, the two most populous amounts for youth soccer players in the state. The events will officially be the following dates below:

KC Keeper Wars 2021 City Tour

Dates: November 13-14, 2021

Location: Compass Minerals Sporting Fields - Kansas City, KS

1500 N 90th St Kansas City, KS

This event does take place in conjunction with the Fall State Tournaments also being held that weekend.

Registration Deadline: October 31st, 2021

Keeper Wars 2021- Wichita

Dates: December 4-5, 2021

Location: Stryker Sports Complex - Wichita, KS

Indoor Facility

2999 N Greenwich Rd Wichita, KS 67226

Registration Deadline: November 21st, 2021

The goal of our Centers of Excellence training is to create a fun and challenging environment that helps develop and identify creative young soccer players for the Kansas Youth Soccer Olympic Development Program. We want to help create a passion and love of the game in the players we work with. We emphasize developing the complete player in all 4 pillars of the game including technical, tactical, physical and psychological components of the game.

Our Centers of Excellence trainings offer something different because our licensed coaches are innovative in their training techniques and foster playing environments for developing soccer players. Our goal is to provide a great soccer experience emphasizing learning in a creative, fun and challenging environment where players have the opportunity to develop both as soccer players and as individuals.

We want our participants to improve, have fun, make friends, and look upon their time playing soccer as a positive period in their lives. We accept players of all levels as we have the staff with the knowledge and ability to coach at all levels.

City Locations: Dodge City, Garden City, Kansas City, Salina, & Wichita

Costs: $130.00 for Six (6) Indoor Winter Sessions

Boys & Girls Birth Years: 2013, 2012, 2011

Players receive a training T-Shirt to be worn at trainings!

Registration Deadline: November 7, 2021

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER

Olathe, KS (Thursday August 5, 2021) – Kansas State Youth Soccer Association (KSYSA) along with SafeDefend, LLC, the nation’s leading provider of comprehensive crisis management solutions, in collaboration with #NotYourDaughter, an advocacy organization focused on protecting children from predatory behavior. The collaboration will provide comprehensive training for Board of Directors, Club Directors, Administrators, Coaches, Managers, Parents and Players to better understand appropriate adult/youth relationships.