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Heartland Spring 2022 League Registration is Now Open
Registration Closes at
Noon on January 3rd!
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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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Upcoming Events
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 18 Kansas City 3v3 Challenge
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We want to take this opportunity to thank everyone for all their efforts and loyalty throughout the year. The success of our organization is built on the support of the entire Kansas City soccer community. In this past year, we have enjoyed many successes, including remaining as the largest league in the country. Thank you for the dedication and commitment that each one of you has shown us. We are so proud to call all of you family. We can't wait to see you back on the pitch in 2022! |
Looking for the perfect Christmas gift? Shop Heartland merchandise! |
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Referee Corner
The Laws – they change. What is the philosophy and why do we have them?
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The Fall season is over. It is time to get ready for the holidays. Some of you will play in the Winter League. Others will go indoors and play Futsal. But we all will be back in the Spring to play the beautiful game we love. In this column we focus on understanding specific applications of specific Laws based on questions we have during the matches we watch. I wanted to take this opportunity to share the philosophy and the Spirit of the Laws. My source is the IFAB Laws of the Game.
Football (soccer) is the greatest sport on earth. It is played in every country and at many different levels. The Laws of the Game are the same for all football (soccer) throughout the world from the FIFA World Cup Final through to a game between young children in a remote village.
That the same Laws apply in every match in every confederation, country, town, and village throughout the world is a considerable strength which must be preserved. This is also an opportunity which must be harnessed for the good of football (soccer) everywhere.
Football (soccer) must have Laws which keep the game ‘fair’ as a crucial foundation of the beauty of the ‘beautiful game’ is it fairness – this is a vital feature of the ‘spirit’ of the game. The best matches are those where the Referee is rarely needed as the player play with respect for each other, the match officials, and the Laws.
The integrity of the Laws, and the Referees who apply them, must always be protected and respected. All those in authority, especially coaches and team captains, have a clear responsibility to the game to respect the match officials and their decisions...
Although accidents occur, the Laws should make the game as safe as possible. This requires players to show respect for their opponents and Referees should create a safe environment by dealing strongly with those whose play is too aggressive and dangerous. The Laws embody the unacceptability of unsafe play in their disciplinary phrases, e.g., ‘reckless challenge’ (caution = yellow card) and ‘endangering the safety of an opponent’ or ‘using excessive force’ (sending off = red card).
Football (soccer) must be attractive and enjoyable for players, match officials, coaches, as well as spectators, fans, administrators etc. The Laws must help make the game attractive and enjoyable so people, regardless of age, race, religion, culture, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, disability, etc. want to take part and enjoy their involvement with football.
Football’s (soccer’s) Laws are relatively simple, compared to other team sports, but as many situations are ‘subjective’ and Referees are human (and thus make mistakes) some decisions will inevitably cause debate and discussion. For some people this discussion is part of the game’s enjoyment and attraction but, whether decisions are right or wrong, the ‘spirit’ of the game requires that Referees’ decisions are always respected.
The Laws cannot deal with every possible situation, so where there is no direct provision in the Laws, the IFAB expects the Referee to make a decision within the ‘spirit’ of the game – this often involves asking the quest, “what would football (soccer) want/expect?”
The IFAB will continue to engage with the global football (soccer) family so changes to the Laws benefit football (soccer) at all levels and in every corner of the world, and so the integrity of the fame, the Laws and the Referees is respected, valued, and protected.
This Spring we will once again explore the application of specific Laws based on what we see on the pitch. As you prepare for the Spring please think about the philosophy of the Laws, the fact that mistakes will be made, and the importance of respect for the good of the game at Heartland. Happy Holidays.
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The Referee Blog
The Fall Season is Over…. How did we do and what can we do going forward?
There are three things that most everyone will remember about a soccer season:
The fields – were they good
The competition – were we challenged and forced to get better
The Referees – did they allow us to play FAIR and SAFE soccer
In our current world with the Referee shortage, there might be a fourth thing we will want to remember…. Were there Referees at the match so that we could play? Imagine what it feels like as a player if you show up to the field and there is no Referee, and the game is not played. What about needing to use club AR’s?
I know this is extremely basic, but in 2021 it happened more than any of us wanted. Was your team the victim of the Referee shortage of 2021?
From January through the end of the Fall season, Heartland played 15,952 matches including tournaments. Heartland was able to fully staff 94% of these matches with three certified officials. However, this meant that 2,687 Club ARs were used to staff the matches. Yes, this is much better than many other leagues. But the trend is not positive. Two years ago, Heartland was able to staff 98% of its matches with three officials. One thing we have learned is that we need more Referees to keep the soccer experience at Heartland as good as we all want it to be.
Another fact of 2021 is that individual Referees worked more matches than ever before. The question this brings up is how many matches can a Referee do in a weekend and be most effective in delivering quality results? We are thankful that the Referees were willing to do more so that your matches could be played. Again, we know that we need more Referees to keep the soccer experience at Heartland as good as we all want it to be.
Recertifications for the 2022 playing year have been posted on the Kansas Referee website. We hope to recertify most of the current group of experienced officials for next year. As we shared in earlier articles, the attrition rate for youth Referees is in the range of 70% over three years. Some of these Referees will graduate from High School and leave the State to go to college. The ones that leave are some of our more experienced officials, which means we have both a numbers and an experience gap to address. This means that we need more new Referees to keep the soccer experience at Heartland as good as we all want it to be. We will be posting Entry Level Certification courses over the next several months. You are invited to become a Referee and become a part of the solution.
If you don’t want to become a Referee, what can you do to help us develop more Referees to keep the soccer experience at Heartland as exceptional as we all want it to be? Remember that many of your Referees are kids. They are learning how to Referee the game, and they will make mistakes. Some will recognize that they didn’t like the responsibilities of being a Referee and they will be part of the attrition. Some will not get assignments because they didn’t perform at the level Heartland expects. And some will say that it is not worth it to deal with the comments and criticisms from the sidelines.
They will quit before they get the experience that would make them effective. You can’t prevent all the attrition. Prevent the attrition you can by being supportive to the Referees.
Thank you for the opportunity of being your Referees in 2021. We look forward to doing an even better job for you in 2022. Have a Happy Holiday season. See you in the Spring.
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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.
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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
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Get to know Brent
I started refereeing this year, 2021, because I enjoy being a leader as a ref. Being a referee offers a flexible schedule so I can continue to play soccer as well. An important life lesson I have learned is to do my job to the best of my ability even if it's the unpopular opinion during a game. I would like to ref at a professional level, but I enjoy working with the high school ages too. I played soccer in the fall for Olathe North High School and my club team is Sporting Blue Valley and in the spring I play high school rugby. I have been playing soccer for 9 years. I enjoy watching movies and sports, my favorite teams are Liverpool and the Chiefs.
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Kansas State Cup Champions & Finalist
The 2021-2022 Fall State Cup for girls was able to take place this year in Kansas City, KS at the start of November. Here are the Kansas State Cup Champions that will representing Kansas at the Midwest Regional Championships in Indianapolis, Indiana in June of 2022
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Also some congratulations to the finalist and all the other Kansas teams that participated for having a great season this year. |
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Kansas Presidents Cup Champions & Finalist
The 2021-2022 Fall Presidents Cup for girls was able to take place this year in Kansas City, KS at the start of November. Here are the Kansas Presidents Cup Champions that will representing Kansas at the Midwest Presidents Cup in St. Louis, Missouri in June of 2022.
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Also some congratulations to the finalist and all the other Kansas teams that participated for having a great season this year |
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The 2022 Annual General Meeting (AGM) for Kansas Youth Soccer will be done VIRTUALLY on Sunday February 27th, 2022. All soccer clubs in Kansas are invited to attend and get updates from the past year and plans for the future. Registrar & Club Members of KSYSA will be eligible to vote on any bylaw, constitution, policies and elections that are needed to be voted on during the AGM. Non-Direct Members are able to register and express concerns or questions to their district commissioners representing their area of the state. Here are the details:
Date: February 27, 2022
Time: 7:00 PM
Location: Virtually on Zoom
Deadline for Amendment Proposals: December 29, 2021
KSYSA Board of Directors Positions for Election: VP of Competitive, VP of Recreation, Secretary, All District Commissioners and Alternate District Commissioners
KSYSA Board of Directors Candidate Applications Deadline: January 28, 2022
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Kansas City to Host The Coaching Event of the Year, Register Today! |
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The 2022 United Soccer Coaches Convention returns to Kansas City, January 19-23, 2022. The Convention is the ultimate event for soccer coaches and those who work in the game. Rekindle your passion through presentations, on-field demonstrations, exhibits, and events for coaches at every level. Whether you're attending alone or bringing the whole coaching staff, there’s no better place to learn, network, and experience all aspects of the game. Register for the convention before the price increases on Dec. 16 to secure the best rate.
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US Soccer Coaching Courses Coming This Winter!
Kansas Youth Soccer Coaching Education Department is offering multiple coaching courses this winter for soccer coaches to get more education to better their players on the field. Don’t miss out on these opportunities to expand your soccer knowledge during the off season and be a better coach come the Spring season.
To see what coaching courses are coming up please CLICK HERE.
Questions on Coaching Education please contact Kansas Youth Soccer Director of Coaching
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AB May
Academy Sports and Outdoors
AC Print
Barley's Kitchen and Tap
BFAME KC Entertainment
Capelli Sport
Chick-fil-A
Commercial Capital
Dick's Sporting Goods
Drs. Hawks, Besler, Rogers & Stoppel
Discount Tire
Easton Roofing
Goodcents
Grimaldi's
Hasty Awards
HCA Midwest Health
Hy-Vee
Jersey Boyz Deli & Subs
Jimmy John's
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KC Current
Kansas City Comets
K.C. Hopps
Krusich Dental
Land of Paws
Levine Advertising
Menorah Medical Center
Molle Toyota
Momo Bands
Museum at Prairiefire
Orange Leaf Frozen Yogurt
Overland Park Regional Medical Center
Papa John's
Pittcraft Printing
Raising Cane's
Rob Ellerman and
Reece Nichols Real Estate
Research Medical Center
Salty Iguana
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Security Bank
Slim Chickens
Soccer Master
Sporting Kansas City
Sporting Kansas City II
Starting Point Pediatric Dentistry and Orthodontics
State Farm-Harlan Parker
Taco Bell
The Merchant Fitness
The Rub Bar-B-Que
The Sheridan at Overland Park
Trace (Alpine Replay, Inc.)
Tropical Smoothie Cafe
TW Sportswear + Print, Ship & Signs
Urban Air
Xfinity
Yokohama
Zaxby's
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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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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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