GFSC Recreational Soccer Programs

These programs are designed to introduce younger children to the basics of soccer in a fun, non-competitive environment.  The goal is to develop the foundation for a life-long love of the game.  With children of this age, team sizes, as well as the number of players on the field at one time during the games are intentionally kept small.  This ensures that the teams are manageable, that each child gets plenty of individualized attention during practice, and that they all get lots of “game time” to put into action what they learned in practice.

Each week, the players will practice with their team for 30 minutes and play a game against another team for 45 minutes.  The games are typically 3 vs. 3 in U6 and 4 vs. 4 in U8.  We intend to minimize the number of players on the field during the game to allow more touches of the ball per player and provide players a better chance to get involved when they are on the field.  The coaches will be assisted by professional trainers every other week to run the practice sessions and introduce ball handling skills.

U4 soccer is designed as an introduction to soccer through dynamic and exciting games. Each session focuses on developing movement and coordination skills.  Good sportsmanship and confidence.  Ratios of coaches to players are kept small to provide individual attention and encourage players to experiment with the skills and activities experienced in each session.  The program is based on introducing the fundamentals of the game while creating an enjoyment for the game that keeps them wanting more!

GFSC uses a child's Birth Year as the basis of age group assignment.  This is in accordance with US Youth Soccer guidelines.  For the Fall 2018 and Spring 2019 Recreation Programs, the age groups are as follows:

• U8 - 2011, 2012
• U6 - 2013, 2014
• U4 - 2015, 2016

During the Saturday sessions, kids in the U6 and U4 groups may be further separated by age and skill sets to ensure an optimal experience for the kids.

U6/U8 players meet each week at Barley Sheaf Elementary School on Saturday mornings for 75 minutes.  During this time there is 40 minutes dedicated to a practice session followed by another 30 minute scrimmage.  You can expect your coach to contact you a week prior to the season start.  At that time the coach will let you know which team your child is on as well as additional logistical information for the first day.

U6 sessions are facilitated by a professional trainer with assistance provided by parent volunteers. There are no team assignments and children are separated by age and skill on a weekly basis.

For U8, players are assigned to team led by volunteer parent coaches.  You can expect your coach to contact you a week prior to the season start.  At that time, your coach will let you know which team your child is on as well as additional logistical information for the first day.

U4 will meet each week at Barley Sheaf Elementary School on Saturday mornings for 45 minutes.  Each session is facilitated by a professional trainer with assistance provided by parent volunteers.  There are no team assignments and children are separated by age and skill.  The first day each child will receive a t-shirt and will be encouraged to wear it each week.

Cancellations are generally made the day of practice.  In general, the sessions will continue provided the fields are not washed out and/or there is no precipitation.  All cancellations will be communicated via email to the email address provided when registering your child.  Please ensure you complete your registration accurately.  We often receive the wrong contact information or birthdate during this phase.

On the first day, coaches will provide their players with a colored uniform shirt that should be worn each week.  Players are also required to wear shin guards at all times.  Players can either wear soccer cleats or sneakers.  If cleats are worn they must be soccer cleats.  Please ensure the cleats are plastic (not metal) and that there is no cleat on the toe as that could injure other players.  Lastly, there is no requirement for color coordinated shorts or pants.  Please just have your child wear whatever is comfortable and weather appropriate.

Coaching is performed primarily by parent volunteers as well as by professional trainers provided by GFSC.  When registering your child for the program, you will be asked if you are interested in volunteering to be a coach or an assistant coach for your child’s team.  If you want to have a great time with your child and create memories that will last a lifetime for you both, please consider volunteering.

Being a coach for Micro Soccer is easy requiring only 75 minutes of your time each week and no previous coaching experience or extensive soccer skills.  All you need is a patient and supportive attitude.

The club makes coaching easy.  You will be provided with a brief training session, a list of common drills to run with your team.

Here's a simple one.  Yes!

Yes, you can request this on the registration form.  We make every effort to honor these requests but cannot guarantee it.

Absolutely!  At this level of play, all you need is a patient and supporting attitude.  This is a non-competitive division where we are just teaching the kids the basics and looking for them to have fun.  The club will provide you with a list of drills you can use with the kids.  The club will also provide a "train the trainer" session run by a professional trainers to help you with approaching each age group.

Yes!  The complete time requirements for a coach are: initial coaches meeting / training 75 minutes, initial call to team parents before start of the season 45 minutes, and Saturday game/practice: 75 minutes

The referee work is done jointly by the coaches of the two teams.  At this level of game play, the coaches are usually on the field with the players during the game.  Together they decide if a ball went out of bounds, who touched it last, etc.   Since there is no official score kept, this is a low-stress activity.

Tracy Ely, Director of Recreation U4-U8

Email:  gfsc.microsoccer@gmail.com

Greg Van De Moere, Director of Recreation U10-U18 (for players in 3rd to 12th grade)

Email:  greg.GFSC@gmail.com