January Newsletter 2025

Welcome to the Kings Hammer January Newsletter! This edition features Kings Hammer Heads to United Soccer Coaches Convention, Having a Blast at Kings Hammer Winter Juniors Camp, Fostering a Love for the Game, 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 heads to United Soccer Coaches Convention

Six locations, one club! Earlier this January, a handful of Kings Hammer directors and coaches from all six of our Kings Hammer club locations converged at the United Soccer Coaches Convention in Chicago. It was an amazing opportunity for our staff to meet each other while learning from some of the best coaches from around the country. We had a fantastic weekend and can’t wait to put this new knowledge to practice at home!

Having a Blast at Kings Hammer Winter Juniors Camp

We’re having a blast this month learning, laughing and scoring big at our Kings Hammer Winter Juniors Camp! Campers are learning the basics of soccer while having a great time with their friends and our Kings Hammer staff at The Pitch Lexington. Kings Hammer is always excited to help players grow and learn. It’s been a joy working with each of you so far!

Another Electrifying Weekend at Volta Cup Cincinnati

Put down another electrifying year at Volta Cup Cincinnati in the books! This past January, futsal teams from around the midwest came to Cincinnati to compete for the Volta Cup Champion title. Matches were held Friday through Sunday at both Queen City Sportsplex and T&C Athletic Center. Shout out to all the teams that gave it their all, we saw a lot of hard work, technical skill and heart out on the court. Congratulations to our Volta Cup Champions and our Finalists! Check out the video below to view some of the highlights at this year’s event.

January Education: Fostering a Love for the Game

As parents and coaches, we all want to provide the best opportunities, support, and chance for success for our children and players. Sometimes though, we may not even be aware of the small ways we may be contributing to them losing their love of the game. Here are six key areas for parents to explore from an article published by the people at I Love to Watch You Play.

We Turn Every Game into a Judgment
- When every game becomes a performance instead of an experience, kids lose the joy of just playing.
We Micromanage Their Journey
- Too many kids feel like passengers in their own sports journey—with parents and coaches at the wheel, mapping out their future before they even know what they want.
We Overcorrect Instead of Letting Them Struggle
- Sports are supposed to teach resilience. But too often, we don’t let them actually struggle.

Click here to continue reading the full article!

GK Union Save of the Month

Diving from 2024 into 2025! We had some outstanding, full-extension saves in December that were selected as our GK Union Save of the Month winners. Congratulations to Ryland D from KH Murfreesboro and Aubrey F from KH Swan City on their tremendous saves to keep the opponent out of the net. Great job to both of you!

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 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.

ALUMNI HIGHLIGHT: DANI HICKS NAMED USC SCHOLAR ALL-AMERICAN

Congratulations to Kings Hammer alumna Dani Hicks on receiving second-team Scholar All-American honors by United Soccer Coaches following her fantastic fall season at Ashland University. Dani and the Ashland University Women’s Soccer team kicked it up a notch this season, becoming G-MAC regular season champions in November and making it to the second round of the NCAA tournament. Dani was invited to and recognized at the United Soccer Coaches Convention this year in Chicago for her achievements at Ashland. In addition to Scholar All-American, Dani also received the following honors this season:

Second Team College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-American in NCAA Division II
First Team United Soccer Coaches (USC) All-Midwest Region
Second-team Division II Conference Commissioners Association (D2CCA) All-American
D2CCA Midwest Region Player of the Year and First Team All-Region
Great Midwest Athletic Conference Offensive Player of the Year and First Team All-League

Way to go on an incredible season, Dani. We are so proud of you!

NEW KINGS HAMMER LEXINGTON GEAR

Kick off 2025 with some awesome new merchandise! We’ve added new Kings Hammer Lexington fan gear to our Kings Hammer Shop that you’re sure to love! Now with extended sizing, we have Kings Hammer t-shirts, sweatshirts, hats, and more available at shop.KingsHammer.com. Check it out now!