Welcome to the Kings Hammer April Newsletter! This edition features Tryout Registration, Pre-ECNL Informational Meeting, Paul Hennessey Named Elite Girls Director, Summer Camps, FCC Kings Hammer Family Night, Keeper Wars, Spring Events, Adult Brewery Cup Series, KHFC Tickets Available, and more! If you have a player, coach, or team to be highlighted in future newsletters, please send photos and stories to info@kingshammer.com. Each newsletter will be posted on our website as well as our social pages.

2023/2024 Tryout Registration

The 2023/2024 tryout schedules and team fees have been posted. If you have not registered through PlayMetrics yet, click the links below to register now. If you are not able to attend tryouts please communicate with your Program Director so they are aware. ALL current players must register through PlayMetrics to be placed on a team. Click here for instructions on how to check your tryout registration in PlayMetrics. Please double-check that your email and phone number is correct in the PlayMetrics system, this is the contact information we use when making an offer. Please click here on instructions on how to update your contact information in PlayMetrics.

**Please note we are utilizing a new tryout feature within our PlayMetrics system, so you may see coaches and directors on their phones or tablets during the tryout process.

Click the links below to view the tryout schedule, team fees, and to register:

Elite Boys (ECNL U13-U19)Elite Girls (ECNL U13-U19)Elite Boys & Girls (Pre-ECNL U10-U12)Academy Cincinnati North (U10-U19)Academy Cincinnati South (U10-U19)Academy Bluegrass (U10-U19)Premier Xenia (U10-U14)Premier Lebanon (U10-U14)Premier Sycamore (U10-U14)Premier Wilder (U10-U14)Premier Union (U10-U14)Premier Lexington (U10-U14)Premier Versailles (U10-U14)Juniors Xenia (U5-U9)Juniors Lebanon (U5-U9)Juniors Sycamore (U5-U9)Juniors Wilder (U5-U9)Juniors Union (U5-U9)Juniors Lexington (U5-U9)Juniors Versailles (U7-U9)

Elite (Pre-ECNL U10-U12) Informational Meeting

All U10-U12 families interested in the Elite Pre-ECNL Program are invited to attend an informational video call on May 2nd from 7:30-8:30pm. Directors will explain the program and what to expect.

Save this URL to attend the meeting: https://bit.ly/KHPreECNL 

Kings Hammer Announces Paul Hennessey Elite Girls Director

COVINGTON, KY (April 20th, 2023) Kings Hammer is excited to announce Paul Hennessey as the Elite Girls Program Director. Paul has more than 15 years of experience developing youth players across the United States and holds a USSF ‘A’ and UEFA B coaching licenses.

Paul currently lives and works in Southern California, as the Director of West Coast for NCE Soccer and recently completed 5 years as the Assistant Coach at Cal Tech in Pasadena. Recently, he worked as the Director of Coaching for Los Angeles Surf. At LA Surf, he coached in their Elite program for five and a half seasons, as a club director and had successful tenures with their DA and GA teams, where they reached the playoffs with both the 2008 and 2005 teams as Champions of their Region. Paul also served as the Director of Coaching at Everton America (Norwalk, CT), Regional Director of Challenger Sports (Baltimore, MD) and Head Coach of both College and High School Programs.

“I am delighted to be given this opportunity and begin working with Kings Hammer and the Elite Girls Program. It quickly became clear talking to the leadership of the organization that this is a club and a program with fantastic potential, some extremely talented players and a very supportive environment based in a soccer hotbed, with values similar to my own.

My family and I are very excited to relocate to the area and become a part of the Kings Hammer family. I would describe myself as being hard working and enthusiastic in my approach. I am driven to help this club, these teams and these players take the next steps in their development,” said Paul Hennessey, Kings Hammer Elite Girls Director.

“I am very excited to have Paul joining our staff as our new Elite Girls Program Director. Paul will bring a wealth of experience and knowledge to our Elite Girls Program that will undoubtedly have a huge impact on the coaches and all the players within the program. His skill sets both on and off the field will continue the great momentum the program has made under Chris Black the last few years. I have no doubt that he will be a tremendous member of our team for years to come,” said Paul Nicholson, Kings Hammer Midwest Executive Director.

Summer Camp Registration

Looking for an opportunity to stay sharp this Summer?

Register today for the Kings Hammer Summer Camp Series! Camps will be offered at our Xenia, North, Sycamore, Central, South, Lexington, and Versailles locations beginning June 6th and running through July 27th.

For more information on Summer Camps and to register click here.

FC Cincinnati Kings Hammer Family Night – July 15th

Save the Date! All Kings Hammer friends and families can now take advantage of Special Club Partner ticket pricing for: FC Cincinnati vs Nashville SCSaturday, July 15th – 7:30pm

• A link to purchase tickets, at the special club partner pricing, has been sent to each Kings Hammer Family’s PlayMetrics account.  If you did not receive please email info@kingshammer.com.
• Walkout kid and on-field experience opportunities are available! Names will be randomly selected from the submitted forms: Click to sign up now!

Help Kings Hammer set the youth soccer night club attendance record and purchase your tickets today!

Keeper Wars

Register now for the Keeper Wars Ink City Tour at Town & Country on June 10th-11th! Keeper Wars is open to boys & girls U9-U19 and is a 2-day Goalkeeper Showcase & Tournament. All players are welcome, regardless of skill level or team, club or league affiliation! Games will be played on Saturday & Sunday from 9am-4pm. The registration deadline is May 27th. For more information on the event and to register today, click here!

Event Update

Our third annual Triple Crown Cup was held this month on April 14th-16th and consisted of 100 teams that played at 2 different locations. Additionally, we were thrilled to host teams from 5 different states this year. We were blessed with some fantastic weather which made for a great weekend. We hope that all families at the event enjoyed the weekend in Central Kentucky! Special thank you to our event sponsors: Nike, Trophy Awards, and PYB Sports! The next events we have coming up our the Men’s Blue Chip Showcase on April 28th-30th and the Crown Challenge on  May 12th-14th!

Three KH ECNL Girls Selected for USYNT ID Center

Congratulations to Charlee Siria, Lauren Hoog, and Allie McCauley of our Kings Hammer G08 ECNL team for being selected to participate in the USYNT ID Centerthat took place in Louisville, KY on April 11th. Great job girls!

April Education: Getting Through the Tryout Process

Earlier this month Kings Hammer announced program tryout dates for the 2023-2024 seasons.  Naturally, announcements of this sort, whether for Kings Hammer, high school teams, or local leagues, can create a sense of anxiety or stress around performance and team formation.  This type of multi-day event can be difficult to navigate for players, parents, and coaches alike.  But the good news is that there are ways to help make this time of year a little less stressful for everyone and a little easier to navigate through. Tryouts are a Year-long Process Since you are reading this today, you are likely already a Kings Hammer parent or player and have been performing in one of our current programs with one of our current teams.  With that in mind one thing to remember is that every player has been in a tryout all year long.  Coaches evaluate players throughout the season.  Each practice, game, meeting, or activity provides the coach (and the parent) an opportunity to see the player perform.  Effort, attitude, commitment, communication, engagement, and of course skill and understanding of the game are all being observed throughout the season and are considered when it comes time to form teams for the next year. Regardless of whether your child is looking at a tryout, a showcase event, or improving their ability to promote their performance during the season, here are some helpful steps you can take to frame the process better for them (and yourself). Guides for Parents and Coaches Prior to Tryouts or Team Formation

1. Have a conversation with your child (or players)

Talk to them about their goals, ambitions, and desires.

• Are they happy with their current team?
• Do they want to keep their spot on the team?
• Do they want to move up to a higher team even if it means possibly changing positions or getting less playing time?
• Do they want to tryout somewhere else?

Click here to read the full story.

Adult Brewery Cup Series

Raise a pint to soccer! Kings Hammer Event Management is excited to announce new Adult Brewery Cup events! Grab your friends and join us in Murfreesboro & Cincinnati this summer. Click here to learn more about our new events!

USL2 & USLW 2023 Tickets Now Available

Tickets are now available for the 2023 USL League Two and the USL Women’s League seasons at Xavier University’s Corcoran Field! The first home games are scheduled for May 14th (USLW) & May 19th (USL2).  For more information click here!

Kings Hammer Fan Wear

Come see all our great options online and remember: orders ship fast, and directly to your door. Be sure to check back as we add new styles and colors for our spring tournaments! Shop now: Kings Hammer Gear

GK Union Save of the Month

Congratulations to Makenna D. from KHA South G11 Blue and Ezra R. from KHM B11 Premier 1 for being named the March GK Union Saves of the Month! Did you make an incredible save or a game-saving block? We want to see them! Post your best saves in the Kings Hammer GK Union Facebook group or share on Twitter using the hashtag #KingsHammer. Be sure to share throughout the spring season and YOU could be selected for our Kings Hammer Save of the Month! GK Save of the Month winners will be announced the Friday of the first full week of the following month. Monthly winners will be posted on the Kings Hammer social pages and on the GK Union page.

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