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Community Corner

John Jay Futbol Club Presents New Fall Programs and a Revamped Website

Dear Parents and Players,

Beginning in the Fall of 2013, the Lewisboro Soccer Club will now be the John Jay Futbol Club, or John Jay FC.  We are extremely excited to bring this change to our community and promise you that it is NOT just a change in name.  

Over the last 6 months we have embarked upon a full review of our club’s offerings, consulted with a host of training professionals and have fully flushed out those initiatives that are truly working for us, and those that can be improved upon.  We believe we’ve developed a program that will elevate our offering and, at the same time, drive continued interest in our program for as long as our children play this “beautiful game.” 

To that end, our desire is to bring our program to the next level. Not only do we want to make the JJFC the preferred choice of all players within our community, we also want to attract those players that may have chosen to leave soccer, pursue opportunities elsewhere, or simply want a “Fall or Spring-only” option that still challenges them.

For our community, travel soccer begins at grade 3.  As part of our culture and growing demand from parents, we expect travel soccer to begin younger and younger…potentially at the kindergarten level a few years from now.  Currently WYSL, our league, allows U8 travel soccer for children entering 2nd grade.  We feel strongly that no child should have to decide at the tender age of 7 or 8 to commit themselves to solely focus on soccer.  This is why our travel program only consists of a three day/week commitment and begins at the 3rd grade level.  Children should be allowed to explore other sports and participate in many extracurricular activities.  What we have seen is that once children leave our recreational program, i.e. In-Town Program, numbers plummet to such a degree to make hosting a vibrant In-Town program for grades 3rd and older very difficult.   

Out of our findings and watching our In-Town program diminish over the years for 3rd graders and older, we have carefully considered our options.  USYSA, US Youth Soccer Association, is pushing towards a playing model that is focused on small-sided games, i.e. 3v3, 4v4, and 5v5.  USYSA believes that small-sided games is the best “teacher” of soccer and allows kids to get many touches on the ball.  This model contradicts what LSC has historically moved towards as kids age through our system, i.e. the full-sided 11v11 game.  The 11v11 game requires a sizable number of kids to support at least 4 teams so kids can rotate opponents each Sunday afternoon.  With few numbers in the older grades, we’ve been forced to combine grades as well as merge boys and girls.  If we lift the constraints of full-sided games and instead adopt USYSA’s vision, we can have a program for example, with 7th and 8th grade boys…even if there are only 15-20 boys.    So, beginning this September, all age divisions will focus on small-sided play.  This has been very successful for the Pre-K’s through 2nd graders and we want to extend that for the 3rd and older grades.  Professional trainers will work with K’s through 8th graders on weekdays beginning at 4:45.  We hope that pushing the time to a 4:45 start, as opposed to 4:15 in the past, will enable more families to take advantage of the weekday practice.  On Sundays, all grades will have a pre-game practice followed by small-sided games.  Pre-K’s and K’s will play on the Increase Miller side of town, 1st through 4th graders will play on the Meadow Pond side of town.  The 5th through 8th graders location of play will vary.  On Sundays, professional trainers will work alongside parent volunteers up through 4th grade to run the sessions.  We absolutely still need parent involvement at all ages and by providing qualified “coaches” we hope that parents will learn the best practices to model.  Once children advance to 5th grade and older, parents will have been thoroughly educated and will be knowledgeable and confident coaches.  For the older grades John Jay Futbol Club is working with New Canaan, Ridgefield, Wilton, and other neighboring towns to schedule periodic friendly games on some Saturday and Sunday afternoons.  Our hope is to mix things up and make soccer a fun experience that will enhance each child’s playing ability while also still teaching life skills.   

Again, this is not just a logo and name change.  Our promise to you is that we will deliver upon each of the following goals within the next calendar year:  
·  Deeper, more visible ties, to our community
·  Better integration with both the Middle School and High School athletic programs
· Enhanced in-town program featuring an “Academy-style” curriculum for Pre-K thru 8th Grade
· Improved scheduling of practices and games
· More effective Player to Trainer ratios
· Increased exposure to supplemental training
· Spring-Only Travel options for HS Boys and Girls  

We would not exist without the thousands of children that have played on our town's fields, nor the parents and volunteers that have supported our program since 1977.  The foundation that has been created is extremely stable and we are very excited about this opportunity to bring a host of new improvements to you.   Now, without further adieu, we bring you The John Jay Futbol Club.  Please check out our new club website at www.johnjayfutbolclub.com and join us this Fall.  Registration for our New in-town program, “Fall 2013 John Jay FC Academy” is now open!

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