July 2023 Hillwood Soccer Newsletter
Hello Hillwood Soccer family,
With summer in full swing, I hope you have many fun plans with family and friends! Hopefully, those get-togethers include some backyard kicking around of a soccer ball! I know some players take advantage of this time to develop soccer skills in one of the many soccer camps happening all around the area. My U8 daughter is going to a weeklong camp at UW which she really enjoys.
School may be on break, but Hillwood Soccer is already preparing to ramp up for fall soccer.
REGISTRATION
A reminder that early Registration ends on July 15th, then a late fee of $15 will apply.
The earlier we get everyone registered, the sooner we can form teams. It is especially important for the U12 – U18 players to get registered soon, as we have to inform SYSA (the league for the U10 and over players ) how many teams we will have in each age group as they plan the schedules and balance the divisions. We want to encourage the older players to register quickly.
Mid-July, we start finalizing teams and figuring out exactly how many coaches are needed. Speaking
Of….
COACHES
If you are interested in coaching your child’s team (or even another team), please reach out to our registrar, Melissa (registrar@hillwoodsoccer.com), so we can set you up. As of writing this, we do have a high demand for coaches. I know from personal experience that coaching for the first time can seem intimidating, but I want to assure you that Hillwood Soccer will give you lots of support and resources to which we can direct you. We will even hold a workshop before our late August ALL COACHES meeting (exact date TBD) to teach you how to run a coaching session to guide you through how to run a practice.
SYSA also wants to set up an in-person coaching clinic following US Soccer coaching guidelines. If you’d like to take an online version of this clinic and become a certified grassroots coach, you can go to https://learning.ussoccer.com/
And for those coaches that want to add to your summer reading list, I highly recommend this book, Making The Ball Roll. Excellent reading for a youth soccer coach. And you can find it on Amazon here – https://www.amazon.com/Making-Ball-Roll-Complete-Football/dp/1909125520 .
PRACTICES
Our official practice sessions should start around August 15th. Coaches will have rosters in early August and will contact parents to let them know when and where practices will be. While some families may take some vacations during August, it’s just good to get communications going between players and coaches and start practicing as soon as possible.
FREE TICKET TO THE REIGN
You should’ve received the email about the free ticket for Hillwood Soccer Players for the OL Reign vs. Portland Thorns on Sunday, August 6th. If you haven’t received or missed the email, please email me, and I’ll resend you the link and instructions to get your player their free ticket. HillwoodSoccerPresident@gmail.com. We want to see as many Hillwood players and families as possible, so please order soon while tickets last!
VOLUNTEERS
A big thanks to everyone who has offered to volunteer for soccer this fall, whether as a coach, manager, or one of our board and volunteer positions. While we’ve been able to fill several spots, we still need to get some crucial roles filled.
#1 – Secretary. We need a secretary on the board. Not only do they take the minutes of our monthly board meeting, but they get a vote on board decisions that help shape the future of Hillwood Soccer. We are in the midst of a transition of new board members, and we have a lot of exciting things we are working on. We’d love to have many of you be a part of this.
If that position interests you, or you would like to help in another position, please email Silas at President@HillwoodSoccer.com.
SOMETHING FUN
Why can’t you play soccer with pigs?
They hog the ball.
How do we know that soccer referees are happy?
Because they whistle while they work.
What kind of tea do soccer players drink?
Penal-Tea.
Okay, I’ll stop now.
Have a great summer. Watch for more exciting news in your inbox.
Silas Lindenstein
Hillwood Soccer President
President@HillwoodSoccer.com