1) To provide an opportunity for the youth of Southbury to play soccer. Everyone who wishes to play may do so, and it is the goal of the program to provide each player with the opportunity to play at his or her competitive level.2) To expand the educat
Kickers (U5 & U6) is designed to help players discover the game of soccer through the use of fun drills and games. We have separate teams for boys and girls and play in small practice areas, generally 4 vs. 4, with no score kept and frequent breaks. Sessions make use of small practice goals with no goalkeepers and a size 3 ball. During the first half of each session, fun drills will be demonstrated by a professional coach and then practiced by each team. The second half of the session will be dedicated to a game. Referees are not used during games - rather coaches will work the sidelines to keep the ball in play, allowing the kids to discover the game.
Basic skills and concepts learned during Kickers
Dribbling and Kicking
No using hands (from shoulders to fingers)
Kick with the inside and top of the foot (where the laces are) not with toes.
Basic moves
Coaching
We encourage parents to volunteer to coach or assistant coach, and no experience is required! This is a great way to learn about the game! A professional coach plans each session and demonstrates the day's drills, so no preparation or knowledge is required.
Registration Costs:
~$110 each season
The club offers Early-Bird discounts (-$15) so register early to save!!
The club also adds on Late fees (+$35) - as any registration past the outlined dates causes additional work for our volunteers and the timelines that need to be met.
Kickers Logistics for Fall 2023
Opening Day for Fall is September 9. One rain date/make-up is TBD if needed, but no refund is guaranteed for canceled sessions. Sessions will be held at Settlers Park in Southbury.
Sessions will run each Saturday morning and are 1 hour.
U5: 9:30 AM
U6: 10:15 AM
At this level, there are no additional practices during the week.
Location for the Fall 2023 is Settlers Park. The field link contains directions and also a field map that can be used to identify the location of field assignments each week. Your team schedule can be located on this web site by navigating to the Team -> In House -> U5 or U6 menu item -> Coaches Name, and then from your team page, select Schedule.
Your Field assignment for the week can be found be selecting the date link for the game from the Schedule page, and checking the Notes field for that matchup. It is extremely important that you remember your coaches name in order to find your team at the field the first week!
All players will receive a team T-Shirt on opening day.
Parents should not expect to be contacted by their coach until the week before the first session. Please be patient.
Please arrive at the field at least 10 minutes before each session for warmup. The professional coaching session will start promptly within the first 5 minutes.
At this age, it is mandatory that at least one parent or guardian stay with each child during the session. This is to ensure we provide a safe environment, and so that we have proper coverage if a child needs to go to the porta-potty or gets injured.
Kickers meet once a week on Saturday mornings, with roughly half of the session dedicated to practice/drills, and half to game time. Start times differ based on the division. One rain date/make-up is TBD if needed, but no refund is guaranteed for canceled sessions. At this level, there are no additional practices during the week.
Checklist for each session
Shin Guards (For safety reasons, all players must wear shin guards in order to play)
Size 3 Ball
Water Bottle
Team shirt
Soccer Shorts or sweat pants (black recommended)
Soccer Socks (black recommended)
Soccer Cleats (optional, but recommended)
If cold, dress in layers with team shirt on top
Make sure you know your coach's last name before arriving at the field so you can find your team
