Welcome to the Kings Hammer May Newsletter 2022! This edition features Tryouts Rescheduled, Summer Camps, Keeper Wars, Ryan Handbury Named Academy North Director, National Champions Celebrated, 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.

Tryouts Rescheduled for U11-U19 Premier North, Sycamore, Central, & South

U11-U19 Premier North, Premier Sycamore, Premier Central, and Premier South Tryouts originally scheduled for May 25th & 26th have been rescheduled to Tuesday, May 31st and Wednesday, June 1st. Please double check your tryout schedules below:

• Premier North
• Premier Sycamore
• Premier Central
• Premier South

Summer Camps Begin June 20th

Looking for an opportunity to stay sharp this Summer?

Register today for the Kings Hammer Summer Camp Series! Camps will be offered at our North, Sycamore, Central, South, and Bluegrass locations for boys and girls U4-U15 beginning June 20th and running through July 28th.

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

Keeper Wars Ink City Tour June 18th-19th

The Keeper Wars Ink City Tour 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 at Town & Country. The registration deadline is June 3rd.

For more information on the event and to register today click here!

Lindsay Basalyga offered Position with United Soccer Federation – Ryan Handbury to Take Over Academy North Role as Director

LEBANON, OH (May 16th, 2022) – Lindsay Basalyga, Kings Hammer Academy North Program Director, has recently accepted a scouting position with the United States Soccer Federation (USSF). Lindsay was instrumental in starting the Academy North Program during the 2021/22 season and we thank her for all her hard work. Lindsay will have a great opportunity in her new role and we wish her all the best for the future.

“We are all extremely excited for Lindsay to have an opportunity to work for the US Soccer Federation. On behalf of the club, I would like to thank her for everything she has done for Kings Hammer and especially our North Academy since its inception. We wish her all the best as she gets started in this new and exciting chapter in her career,” Paul Nicholson, Kings Hammer Technical Director.

Effective immediately Ryan Handbury will serve as the Kings Hammer Academy North Program Director. Ryan currently serves as the Premier Sycamore Program Director and most recently served as the Central U7-U10 Girl’s Director. Ryan also serves on the Technical Staff for the USL-2 Men’s Team at Kings Hammer. Ryan has coached and directed both girls and boys teams at Kings Hammer for over 10 years. He is currently pursuing his USSF ‘B’ License, holds his NSCAA Advanced National Diploma, and the UEFA C Alternative.

“Ryan has been a director with the club for over 10 years and will bring a wealth of experience and knowledge to the North Academy. We have full confidence that he will be able to build on the good work that’s been started in the area and take Kings Hammers North Academy to the next level,” Paul Nicholson, Kings Hammer Technical Director.

Ryan will be continuing his duties as Premier Sycamore Program Director. His new role in the Academy North will allow him to connect the North and Sycamore Programs to create a stronger pathway to the Academy North Program.

Click here to view the full release.

ECNL Boys Announces New ECNL Regional League – Great Lakes Alliance in Ohio Valley

RICHMOND, VA (May 13, 2022) – ECNL Boys is excited to announce the launch of the new ECNL Regional League – Great Lakes Alliance (GLA) for the 2022-23 season with 16 clubs from Ohio, Kentucky, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Western New York.

“The development of an ECNL Regional League in the Ohio Valley has been a priority for us during this past year, in response to both strong desires of our member clubs for additional competition and from quality clubs performing in the GLA to have an established pathway to ECNL,” said ECNL Boys Commissioner Jason Kutney. “Partnering with the Great Lakes Alliance allows us to align more clubs and leadership within the ECNL and US Club Soccer pyramid and to provide more players with tremendous experience and opportunities throughout their youth careers.”

“The primary reason for creating the Great Lakes Alliance was to produce a predictable and logical next-step environment focused on the players and their development,” added Ed Bernstein, Great Lakes Alliance League Executive Director. “We are very excited about the new opportunities that the ECNL Regional League – Great Lakes Alliance creates for our clubs and players.”

The 16 clubs competing in the ECNL Regional League – Great Lakes Alliance are as follows:

• Barca Academy Columbus (Columbus, OH)
• Blast FC Soccer Academy (Columbus, OH)
• Cincinnati Elite FC (Cincinnati, OH)
• Cleveland Force (Cleveland, OH)
• Club Ohio (Dublin, OH)
• Flash Central (Rochester, NY)
• Kings Hammer (Covington, KY)
• Louisville City (Louisville, KY)
• Michigan Wolves (Livonia, MI)
• Nationals SC (Detroit, MI)
• Ohio Elite SA (West Chester, OH)
• Ohio Premier (Dublin, OH)
• Pittsburgh Riverhounds (Pittsburgh, PA)
• SCS United (Pittsburgh, PA)
• SPIRE FC (Geneva, OH)
• WNY Flash (Buffalo, NY)

National Champions Celebrated

Celebrating our champions! Our KHA B05 Red team received their 2021 National Championship rings ahead of the 2022 Blue Chip Men’s Showcase action. We are so proud of each of you!

USL2 & USLW Seasons Underway

Kings Hammer FC USL League Two and the new USL Women’s League kicked off their seasons earlier this month. All home matches will be played at Mustang Athletic Complex at Bishop Brossart High School in Alexandria, Kentucky. This will be a very family friendly environment for everyone in the club to enjoy and we encourage players, parents, coaches, and staff to attend these games to cheer on our USL-2 and USL-W teams.

Taking the next step!

Alongside current KHFC member and KHA alumni Roberto Burlew, we had several current Kings Hammer Academy players join Kings Hammer FC’s scrimmage earlier this month against FC Cincinnati 2. Great job by all!

May Education: Summer “Off-Season?”

Best practices for supporting your child’s development this summer.

By the time most of you are reading this article your son or daughter’s spring season will have concluded.  So, what is next?  Whether your child had their best season ever or found themselves still searching for their ‘best self”, what can families being doing to support their growth and development and prepare them for the next season.  Here are some quick tips to help guide these efforts.

1. Mental and Physical Rest and Recovery-after a long season and the stress of tryouts, every player deserves a little R&R! Be sure your athlete has a chance to disconnect for a week or two (longer if possible) from the rigors of the sport. This includes high-level competition and formal coaching. It does not mean kids have to be laying on the couch for weeks.  See #2
2. Engage in Alternative Activities-athletes of all ages benefit from cross-sport performance, doing something that stimulates different muscles, utilizes different movement patterns, and requires different decision making. Swimming, tennis, pickleball, basketball, and biking are all great ways to provide foundation fitness and reduce sport burnout (mental and physical.) Balance activities that can provide aerobic benefits with those that highlight agility and quickness.
3. Creative Individual Technical Improvements-the season focus is on the team, the summer focus is on the player. Spend time (3-4x per week, 20-30 minutes per session) working on ball control and manipulation…dribbling, passing, receiving, shooting.  Can be done on your own or with some friends. Be creative in how this is accomplished.  Here are some suggestions:
   • TECHNE-each KHSC player will have access to their account ALL summer. There are great, daily programs for players to follow.
   • Soccer Horseshoes-easy activity to work on passing and receiving. Horseshoe-YouTube
   • Soccer Marbles- another passing and shooting activity for 2-3 players that can be done anywhere- USYS Soccer Marbles-YouTube
   • Total Soccer Show Podcast-10 Best Backyard Soccer Games
4. Participate in a CAMP– these can provide a new and unique experience, offering structured training and playing opportunities, as well as potentially providing opportunities to meet new players as well! Kings Hammer offers a variety of camp opportunities throughout the summer.  For details and to register click on the link-Kings Hammer SC Camps
5. Watch Soccer–MLS and NWSL seasons continue throughout the summer. In addition, Kings Hammer FC’s USL men’s and women’s will be playing.  Whether live or on tv, players should find time to watch 3-5 games this summer.  Analyze formations, determine styles (short/long passing, building out short v long, combining centrally or wide, pick the players in your position and take notes on things you can/should do.

• Ohio University Online Master of Athletic Administration: Why is Off-Season Athletic Training Important?
• I Love to Watch You Play-What Should Your Athlete Be Doing This Summer?

Good Luck to all teams Participating in President’s Cup this Weekend!

Be sure to follow our social channels for updates on our teams competing in the Ohio & Kentucky USYS State Championships.

Spring Event Series Wrap-up

We wrapped up our Spring Event Series this month with our Blue Chip Showcase & Crown Challenge! Over the course of the two Blue Chip Showcase weekends, we hosted 662 teams from over 200 clubs around the country and Canada, over 400 College coaches, and 300 referees. We hosted nearly 1000 games at the two main complexes over the course of 6 days. During the Crown Challenge weekend, we hosted 462 teams from over 108 clubs from around the region as well as 195 referees. We hosted 762 games at the two main complexes over the course of 3 days. While we had a little bit of bad weather to deal with on Saturday evening, we enjoyed hosting some fantastic competition throughout the weekend! We appreciate everyones understanding and flexibility with any logistical challenges throughout both event weekends. We look forward to our Fall Events that will kick off in August with the Battle in the Bluegrass! Special thank you to our event sponsors: Nike, Trophy Awards, and PYB Sports!