October 2026

Welcome to the Kings Hammer Columbus October Newsletter! This edition features, Happy Halloween, Four Players Selected for Crew Pre-Formation Phase II, Supplemental Tryouts, Late Fall Juniors, Celebrating our Coaches, Featured Education: “A Letter from the Technical Desk: Which Risk Did You Take Today?”, GK Union Save of the Month, and more! If you have a player, coach, or team to be highlighted in future newsletters, please send photos and stories to dfry@kingshammer.com. Each newsletter will be posted on our website as well as our social pages.

Happy Halloween from Kings Hammer

Our teams brought plenty of Halloween spirit to the pitch this week with themed practices, creative costumes and lots of laughs along the way! The themed practices gave players a chance to show off their creativity and enjoy some fun with their teammates!

Wishing all our Kings Hammer players and families a safe and happy Halloween!

Four Kings Hammer Players Selected for Crew Pre-Formation Phase II

For the first time in club history, four Kings Hammer Columbus players have been selected for Phase II of the Columbus Crew Pre-Formation Program!

These players will train twice a week with their Crew Pre-Formation team while continuing to work collaboratively with Kings Hammer Columbus, providing an exciting opportunity to further their development.

Congratulations to our four players on this achievement!

Caleb Kwakuye | 2016
Logan Reisinger | 2016
Hudson Sears | 2015
Divine Tabeng | 2015

Help Spread the Word: Supplemental Tryouts

Know a player looking for a club or still searching for a team for the 2026–2027 season? Help us spread the word! Kings Hammer has supplemental tryout opportunities available for boys and girls looking to join our Elite and Academy programs.

Current Opportunities:

Columbus Elite: U15–U19 Boys & Girls
Barcelona Academy: U10–U11 Boys, U15–U16 Boys, U10–U13 Girls
New Albany Academy: U13–U18 Boys & Girls
Polaris Academy: U13–U18 Boys & Girls

If you know a family who may be interested, share this opportunity with them and help connect more players with the Kings Hammer community!

Learn more and register today!

Build Skills and Confidence with Kings Hammer Juniors

Looking for a fun way to introduce your young player to soccer? Kings Hammer Juniors provides a welcoming environment for U5–U8 players to learn the fundamentals, develop new skills and build confidence through age-appropriate training, activities and small-sided games.

Players have the opportunity to grow their love for the game, make new friends and learn alongside teammates in a positive, supportive setting.

Interested in getting involved? Explore our Juniors programs and find the right fit for your family!

Barcelona Late Fall Juniors (Indoors)

Learn more and register today

New Albany Late Fall Juniors (Indoors)

Learn more and register today

Polaris Juniors Late Fall Juniors (Indoors)

Coming Soon

Celebrating Our Kings Hammer Coaches

October 6 was National Coaches Day, an opportunity to recognize the coaches who make a lasting impact on players, teams and communities.

At Kings Hammer, our coaches do more than teach the game. They help players build confidence, develop new skills, learn the value of teamwork and grow both on and off the field. Through every practice, match and challenge, they play an important role in shaping the player experience.

To all our Kings Hammer coaches, thank you for the time, commitment and passion you bring to the club. We appreciate everything you do to support our players and families and help our club continue to grow!

From The National Technical Desk: Which Risk Did You Take Today?

I was in a conversation this week about long term development, the kind that builds a player and a person and not just a result on a Saturday. Désiré Doué (the young PSG and French forward) came up, and what it is that makes him the player he is. Out of that came an idea simple enough to use tomorrow. After the next game, do not ask your child if they won. Ask them which risk they took.

I have been coaching a long time and I have asked a lot of post-game questions. That one is better than most of mine.

Here is why it matters, and why I want every Kings Hammer family to steal it.

The safe game is the expensive game

Most young players figure out early that the safest way to avoid looking bad is to avoid trying anything. Pass it sideways. Give it back to the defender. Use the strong foot every single time. Stay out of the duel you might lose.

That player will have a clean afternoon. They will also stop developing.

I have watched this happen to talented kids for the last twenty years. Somewhere around thirteen or fourteen, a player decides that not losing the ball matters more than learning what they are capable of. They get tidy. They get invisible. And by the time they are seventeen and the game asks them to beat somebody or break a line, the tool is not there, because they spent four years not building it.

The window for taking risks cheaply is now. At ten, a turnover costs nothing. At nine, nobody remembers the result. At twelve, a bad touch is a Tuesday. That luxury does not last. Ask any college coach what they are looking for and it will not be a player who has never made a mistake.

Growth is not a straight line

The other thing I am fighting, in myself as much as anyone, is the urge to believe development moves in a straight line.

It does not. It never has. A player will look sharp for six weeks and then lose their touch for three. They will be brave all spring and timid in September. They will be the best player on the field in one game and anonymous in the next, against the same opponent, with the same teammates. Parents see that dip and assume something is wrong. Usually nothing is wrong at all.

What actually happens in a good environment is that the floor keeps rising. The peaks and valleys do not go away, but the bad day at thirteen is better than the good day at eleven. That is the only measurement that matters, and you cannot see it week to week. You see it over years, which is exactly what the report cards are for.

Here is the connection to everything else in this letter. A player stuck in a valley is the player most tempted to stop taking risks, because risk feels expensive when nothing is going well. That is the moment it matters most. The way out of a dip is not playing safer. It is staying brave while it is uncomfortable.

If your player is in a rough patch right now, the environment they are in is doing the work. Let it.

The five risks we want to see:

These line up almost exactly with what our Game Model asks for, which is why I am putting them in front of you.

1.
Take the 1v1 in the final third. Every time it is on. They will lose it plenty. The one or two that come off create a goal.
2.
Play it forward. The square pass is always available and it is always safe. The forward pass is where games get decided.
3.
Use the weak foot in a match. Not just in training. It is on the report card for a reason. It only gets built under pressure.
4.
Go into every duel to win it. Not wild tackles. The genuine intent to win the ball every time there is a chance. They will lose plenty. Go win the next one.
5.
Ask for the ball right after a mistake. This is the hardest one and the one I care about most. The confident player wants it back after five errors in a row. The scared player hides. Asking again is uncomfortable, and it is the only thing that moves a player forward.

Read that list again and tell me it is not Relentless Action written out five different ways. Tenacity in possession. Effort out of it. Seizing the opportunity instead of waiting for a safer one. That is the KH Way, and it is exactly what your player’s coach is scoring on their report card.

What this asks of us, not them

Here is the uncomfortable part. Players take risks when the adults around them make it safe to fail.

If a kid gets beaten in a duel and hears a groan from the sideline, they will not go into the next one. If they try the weak foot and it skews out for a throw-in and they get a look from the car ride home, they will use the strong foot for the rest of their career. Our coaches have to protect risk-taking in training and in games. You have to protect it on the drive home.

That drive is where a lot of development gets quietly undone.

What I am asking of you

Next game, do not lead with the score. Ask which risk they took, and what they learned from it. Then listen to the answer without fixing it.

If they say they did not take one, that is not a failure either. That is the conversation starting.

A player who is willing to be wrong in public is a player who will keep getting better. That is the whole thing.

Bring the Relentless Action.

– Bronson Gambale, KH National Technical Director

September GK Union Save of the Month Winners

Big-time saves from our September GK Union Save of the Month winners! Liam came up with a full-extension save, and Caroline stopped two PKs in a shootout to help her team win the tournament! Congratulations to Liam from KH Elite Murfreesboro and Caroline from KH Elite Cincinnati on a job well done!

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. Be sure to share throughout the upcoming 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.

Preparing for Your First Physical Therapy Appointment

Whether you're recovering from an injury or exploring physical therapy for the first time, knowing what to expect can help you feel more confident heading into your appointment. Our sponsor, NovaCare Rehabilitation, shares helpful tips on how to prepare, what to bring and what you can expect during your first visit.

Take a few minutes to learn more and feel ready for your next step toward recovery.

Read the Blog

Picture Perfect Moments

Our Kings Hammer Photo Gallery is packed with great shots from the fall season — and more are being added all the time! If you don’t spot your team or player yet, check back soon. All photos are free to download and perfect for sharing with friends and family.