Community Articles
General News · 26th February 2007
Barry Saxifrage
I will be offering kids soccer on two different days each week. Saturday mornings continue for most ages...and now Thursday afternoons will begin for kids in grades 5 to 7 only. Both are open to both girls and boys. Location: Cortes School. Cost: free.
Note: if neither i nor another adult can make it to any given day, i will put a notice on the cortesisland.com calendar by the night before that the soccer cancelled that day.
SATURDAY KIDS SOCCER
Saturday mornings is open to all kids aged 7 to 14. Any 6 year olds who are independent and resilient enough are also welcome. Soccer starts at 10am and ends at 11:30am. There is no charge to play. My only expectations for the kids are:
1) Be ready to play by 10:15am
It is very important for kids to stretch and warm up. If they arrive later they risk injury.
2) Wear soccer shoes
This is another safety issue. If kids don't have soccer shoes they can still come, but they should get them as soon as they can.
3) Wear shin guards
It is a requirement all over the world that all soccer players of all ages wear these. Kids in the city are not allowed to practice or play without having them on. If your kids don't have them please get some as soon as you can. I will be getting more strict on this over time as i believe it is essential.
4) Play safe and cooperatively
THURSDAY SOCCER
Starting this Thursday afternoon I'll be offering soccer for kids in grades 5 to 7 only. Soccer will start at 4:15pm and end at 5:30pm.
If we get enough consistent participation and parental support I will try to take the kids off-island to play in one or more games or tournaments.
The overriding requirement to participate on Thursdays is safe play and team focus. If other kids do not feel safe with your style of play you will need to adjust your play or play elsewhere.
I also expect kids to be on time, wear soccer shoes and shin pads. By the time the weather gets nicer, I expect all kids to show up in standard soccer kit including soccer shorts and soccer socks.
THE BEAUTIFUL GAME
I'm interested in coaching kids to play "the beautiful game"...the magic that has made soccer a universal language around the world. This style of soccer is both physically and mentally demanding. It requires a keen balance of competition and cooperation. It is also tons of fun.
One of the reasons that soccer ("football" to the most of humanity) is the most popular sport in the world is that just about anyone can become a great player. You don't need to be tall, big, strong. In fact as you can see from the photo above, i wasn't any of these. As the dutch great, Johann Cruyff, says "Football is a game you play with your brain." It takes effort, lots of time with the ball, and a love of the game. Those aren't platitudes believe me. Soccer, unlike most sports, is open to many ages, body types and mental approaches. There are many ways to solve the endless "puzzles" that soccer continually puts in front of you and your team.
Cortes has already seen several of it's kids become excellent soccer players...some of the very best i've ever seen anywhere. Your opportunity to become a great player is just as good here as in the city.
I've been playing soccer continuously for almost 40 years now. That photo above is of my team when i was 9 years old. I am grateful to the many adults who gave lots of their time to provide me with soccer opportunities as a kid. This coaching is my way of giving back some of what i was lucky enough to have been given as a kid.
ADULT SOCCER
Adults and teens play pick-up soccer every Wednesday afternoon and Saturday morning also at the Cortes School. Currently Wednesday soccer starts at 4pm and Saturday soccer at 11:30am. Open to all.
Questions? Email me or call me at 6715.
See you on the pitch,
barry
Note: if neither i nor another adult can make it to any given day, i will put a notice on the cortesisland.com calendar by the night before that the soccer cancelled that day.
SATURDAY KIDS SOCCER
Saturday mornings is open to all kids aged 7 to 14. Any 6 year olds who are independent and resilient enough are also welcome. Soccer starts at 10am and ends at 11:30am. There is no charge to play. My only expectations for the kids are:
1) Be ready to play by 10:15am
It is very important for kids to stretch and warm up. If they arrive later they risk injury.
2) Wear soccer shoes
This is another safety issue. If kids don't have soccer shoes they can still come, but they should get them as soon as they can.
3) Wear shin guards
It is a requirement all over the world that all soccer players of all ages wear these. Kids in the city are not allowed to practice or play without having them on. If your kids don't have them please get some as soon as you can. I will be getting more strict on this over time as i believe it is essential.
4) Play safe and cooperatively
THURSDAY SOCCER
Starting this Thursday afternoon I'll be offering soccer for kids in grades 5 to 7 only. Soccer will start at 4:15pm and end at 5:30pm.
If we get enough consistent participation and parental support I will try to take the kids off-island to play in one or more games or tournaments.
The overriding requirement to participate on Thursdays is safe play and team focus. If other kids do not feel safe with your style of play you will need to adjust your play or play elsewhere.
I also expect kids to be on time, wear soccer shoes and shin pads. By the time the weather gets nicer, I expect all kids to show up in standard soccer kit including soccer shorts and soccer socks.
THE BEAUTIFUL GAME
I'm interested in coaching kids to play "the beautiful game"...the magic that has made soccer a universal language around the world. This style of soccer is both physically and mentally demanding. It requires a keen balance of competition and cooperation. It is also tons of fun.
One of the reasons that soccer ("football" to the most of humanity) is the most popular sport in the world is that just about anyone can become a great player. You don't need to be tall, big, strong. In fact as you can see from the photo above, i wasn't any of these. As the dutch great, Johann Cruyff, says "Football is a game you play with your brain." It takes effort, lots of time with the ball, and a love of the game. Those aren't platitudes believe me. Soccer, unlike most sports, is open to many ages, body types and mental approaches. There are many ways to solve the endless "puzzles" that soccer continually puts in front of you and your team.
Cortes has already seen several of it's kids become excellent soccer players...some of the very best i've ever seen anywhere. Your opportunity to become a great player is just as good here as in the city.
I've been playing soccer continuously for almost 40 years now. That photo above is of my team when i was 9 years old. I am grateful to the many adults who gave lots of their time to provide me with soccer opportunities as a kid. This coaching is my way of giving back some of what i was lucky enough to have been given as a kid.
ADULT SOCCER
Adults and teens play pick-up soccer every Wednesday afternoon and Saturday morning also at the Cortes School. Currently Wednesday soccer starts at 4pm and Saturday soccer at 11:30am. Open to all.
Questions? Email me or call me at 6715.
See you on the pitch,
barry