The sport of soccer might be all the rage right now for anyone who loves the World Cup and a cold mug of beer. On the flip side, there’s the Buffalo youth that we must consider. Soccer is a great sport no matter how old you are. While you might want to hang out in a bar and watch the sport, there are others, much smaller than you, who can’t get enough of playing it.
A new non-competitive, youth introductory, soccer program has come to town, and it has infiltrated our parks, neighborhoods, and even the waterfront. Called Soccer Shots, this program (with free clinics) is designed to get young kids playing in the great outdoors, learning about social activities, formulating lessons on being responsible, etc. It’s also a great way to get the most productive use out of our parks for families.
Take the soccer clinics at Canalside for example. Talk about a great way to get families down to the waterfront – soccer clinics! “Our goal is to give kids a great experience as an introduction to sport,” says Mark Miller, Executive Director of Soccer Shots. “Our motto is “Stronger Youth Beyond The Game” because we want children to be more active. Our curriculum uses character development, gross motor development, and basic soccer skills as a foundation. Our focus is kids having fun and we’ve developed an age-appropriate program for them to do so.”
I emailed Eli George, Director of Business Operations at Soccer Shots, a few questions, asking about the program, as it pertains to Buffalo.
What do you want kids to take away from the program?
We are a non-competitive introductory soccer program that focuses on FUN. We want every child who takes part in Soccer Shots to leave our program with a positive impression of sport and physical activity. Kids learn basic soccer skills, such as dribbling, pullbacks, chops, etc. And our coaches reinforce character development that begins at home through a word of the day, such as honesty, teamwork and sharing, and use that word throughout the games and lessons for that session.
What age kids are you working with?
We work with kids ages 2-8 and are located in dozens and dozens of day cares, elementary schools and public parks throughout Buffalo and Western New York. Right now, we have 17 public park programs for the summer season, including a return to Delaware Park, which is one of our most popular locations!
Canalside – I hear that the waterfront location is the site of one of the fields that you access? If so, that’s a great call.
For the first time ever, we’re running a summer season at Canalside. As a way to give back to the community, we are holding three free clinics there this summer, once of which has already passed. It’s a chance for kids and parents to come out and have fun outside and get a sense for the value that our program or a program like ours can offer kids by keeping them active in a fun, non-competitive setting. There are also free clinics offered at other park programs in WNY as a way to introduce the community to Soccer Shots.
Free clinics? What if a ‘soccer kid’ wants to take it to the next level and participate in a summer session?
The clinics we offer are free of charge. Our seasons are generally speaking around $11 per week. Most of our summer seasons are 8 weeks for $93, but the season at Canalside is 10 weeks for $115.
There are other soccer programs out there. What makes Soccer shots so unique?
As far as I’m aware, we’re the only program in Buffalo and Western New York that is created by educators to provide children with a positive introduction to sport. Most other programs have a competitive edge, and that isn’t our focus. At the ages we coach, it makes little sense to have kids scrimmage against one another, and that also serves to isolate kids who may not be developing their motor skills as quickly as their peers. Our age-appropriate games are all-inclusive and insure that no child feels left out or left behind.
For more information about Soccer Shots Buffalo, tune into their Facebook page. Or visit their website.