Welcome to the Kings Hammer August Newsletter! This edition features Kings Hammer Walkout Kids for FCC vs Inter Miami FC, Center of Excellence, 3v3 Kickoff Classic, Battle in the Bluegrass, ECNL Player Achievements, Content Feedback Survey, Fan Wear, 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.

Kings Hammer Selected as Walkout Kids for FC Cincinnati vs Inter Miami FC

Kings Hammer was honored to be selected to participate as walkout kids for the FC Cincinnati vs Inter Miami CF match last night. While the result didn’t go FC Cincinnati’s way, we’re still proud of our team & our city! What a special night last night. The players had a once in a lifetime experience and enjoyed every second.

Center of Excellence U8-U12

Registration is still open for the South Center of Excellence (COE) Fall Training Program for U8-U12 players that are not currently on a Kings Hammer roster for the Fall 2023 Season. Players that are currently rostered on a Kings Hammer team for the Fall season do not need to register. The COE Fall Training Program is included in the team fees.

The COE Fall Training Program is a 6-week program that will take place at Town & Country in Wilder, KY. The program will focus on individual player development (technically and tactically) in the four phases of the game: attacking, transition to attack, defending and transition to defending.

South COE (Town & Country Turf: 1018 Town Dr. Wilder, KY 41076)

• Dates: 8/25, 9/1, 9/22, 9/29, 10/6, 10/13
• Times: U8/U9: 5:30-6:45pm & U10/U11/U12: 7-8:30pm

For any questions on the Center of Excellence Fall Training Program please contact Michael Ratliff at michaelr@kingshammer.com

3v3 Kickoff Classic

Thank you to everyone that participated in the 3v3 Kickoff Classic on August 5th & 6th at Town & Country! It was fun to watch all the skills that were on display throughout the weekend. A special thanks to everyone involved for providing rides, encouragement, coaching, and so much more to help these players stay involved! We hope everyone enjoyed the event and we look forward to this event again next year!

Battle in the Bluegrass

We kicked off our fall season by hosting the Battle in the Bluegrass on August 11th-13th! The Woodford Youth Soccer Complex was packed with soccer action the entire weekend.  We appreciate all the teams and families that kicked off the fall season with us. We were treated to some great weather, great games, and very competitive championship matches. Thank you to all of the referees, volunteers, and parents for making the 2023 Battle In the Bluegrass such a great event!  If you weren’t able to purchase event merchandise on site during the event, it’s not too late to purchase. You can visit our online store and have your event merchandise shipped to you. Click here to order online now!

We would also like to send a special thank you to our event partners:

University of Kentucky Sports Medicine- Athletic Training Services
Trophy Awards- Official Awards Supplier of Kings Hammer Events
PYB Sports- Official Event Housing Partner
Nike Soccer- Official Brand Partner

We look forward to hosting our next event the Cincy Challenge on September 22nd-24th!

Kings Hammer ECNL Players Named Ohio Valley All-Conference, All-Regional League, and All-American

Congratulations to the following Kings Hammer ECNL players, we are proud of all your hardwork!

Boys

• Maddox Pemberton – U15 First Team All-Conference
• Chase McCarthy – U15 Second Team All-Conference
• Parker Byland – U16 First Team All-Conference
• Karson Lang – U16 First Team All-Conference
• Donovan Lameier – U16 Second Team All-Conference
• Jason Tiesmann – U17 Second Team All-Conference
• Jonah Arszman – U18/19 First Team All-Conference
• Landon Barth – U18/19 Second Team All-Conference
• Diego Lakkis – U15 & U16 All-Regional League
• David Anataki – U17 All-Regional League
• Brody Blazer – U17 All-Regional League
• Alex Morris – U18/19 All-Regional League
• Tyler Smith – U18/19 All-Regional League
• Kyle Ziegelmeyer – U18/19 All-Regional League

Girls

• Charlee Siria – U15 Player of the Year, First Team All-Conference, & All-American
• Lauren Hoog – U15 First Team All-Conference
• Allison McCauley – U15 Second Team All-Conference
• Lucy Perusek – U16 Second Team All-Conference
• Millie Cluxton – U17 Second Team All-Conference
• Amanda Schlueter – U18/19 First Team All-Conference
• Aliana Weibel – U18/19 Second Team All-Conference
• Megan Johns – U15 All-Regional League
• Emma O’Brien – U15 All-Regional League
• Macy Yelton – U15 All-Regional League
• Keeley Polk – U16 All-Regional League
• Ava Meyer – U17 All-Regional League
• Sydney Bortz – U18/19 All-Regional League
• Brooke Wilson – U18/19 All-Regional League

Content Feedback Survey

We want to hear from you! Please take a minute to complete a quick Content Feedback Survey with 9 questions. Your answers will help as we start creating content for the 2023/2024 Season!

Click here to take the survey!

Kings Hammer Fan Wear

Gear up for the fall season and shop Kings Hammer! Lots of items are available, including hoodies, tees, hats, scarves, stickers plus more on the way.

Click here to check out what’s new in the Kings Hammer Shop now!

August Education: Helping Our Players Become Good Teammates

“Sports build character.” This statement has been a driving force behind getting children engaged in team sports for as long as I can remember.  Being on a team can help develop communication, problem-solving, relationship building, —— But being a good teammate does not come naturally, nor easily.  And, if we don’t help with it the “Character” they build could be a bad one. Most parents, and coaches as well, have likely experienced the season where there may have been skillful and effect players, but there weren’t many good teammates.  Poor attitudes, selfish play, outbursts, constant blaming, players making fun of their teammates, and other negative factors can lead to a bad experience and a long season. This past month all of our coaches and teams returned to practices, working to improve the skills needed to succeed in the game.  Dribbling, passing, receiving, shooting, and other elements of the game are being taught, demonstrated, encouraged, and practiced in order to help players excel and become their best. In order for players to develop good character and become good teammates our players need similar practice, guidance, encouragement, and modeling from parents, coaches, and other players on the components of a good teammate as well. So what characteristics are we looking for in a “Good Teammate”? I would suggest that coaches take 5-10 minutes before an upcoming practice and put this question to their players.  What would they like to see, hear, or experience from a good teammate?  What words or actions do they associate with a poor teammate? How does each of them demonstrate being a good teammate.  You can use their responses to layout a framework to guide your season. The Positive Coaching Alliance put together a long framework for “What Makes a Great Teammate” in 2017.  You can view the entire list by clicking on the link above.  I recently came across a blog: Coffee and Carpools, which explored the topic and some of the characteristics from the PCA article. For this discussion I would like to present five of those characteristics (adapted from the article) for us to focus on.

1. Good teammates are positive, supportive, and encouraging on and off the field.
2. A good teammate hustles and gives it their all at practices and games. Despite their ability level, place on the team, or the outcome.
3. A good teammate shows respect and good sportsmanship.
4. A good teammate is generous and shows humility.
5. Help your teammates in need.

Click here to view the full story.

Ben Kirkpatrick Named Coach of the Year by Kentucky Youth Soccer

Congratulations to Kings Hammer coach, Ben Kirkpatrick on receiving the 2023 Boys Competitive Coach of the Year! We’re proud of all your hard work, Ben!

Soccer Uniform & Equipment Donation Program

Are you interested in donating used soccer uniforms or equipment? Kings Hammer has partnered with Covington Catholic senior and club member, Jacob Brown, to collect used soccer uniforms and equipment to send to children in need at the Canary Islands. We are accepting any of the following types of gear: jerseys, shirts, shorts, jackets, backpacks, shin guards, socks, cleats, and soccer balls. We thank you in advance for your generosity! Donations can be made at the following locations: 

• Kings Hammer Office (50 E Rivercenter Blvd Covington, KY Suite 150) Monday-Friday: 9am-5pm 
• Town & Country (Box will be by restrooms near soccer field) Monday-Friday: 6am-9pm & Saturday/Sunday: 8am-6pm 

We also offer a pickup option. Contact quinn@kingshammer.com for more info. 

Kings Hammer is Hiring

Looking for a career in the sports industry? Kings Hammer Soccer Club is looking to staff positions in our club’s soccer operations, marketing and events departments. Click here to learn more about the open positions

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