Welcome to the Kings Hammer New Albany August Newsletter! This edition features, Josiah Goodlett Named Crew Camp MVP, First-Ever World Cup Camp, Summer Juniors, KH Summer Challenge Winners, KH New Albany Fan Wear, GK Union Save of the Month and Save of the Year, 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.

Congratulations to Josiah Goodlett, Crew Camp MVP

Congratulations to Josiah Goodlett on being named the MVP of the Columbus Crew Summer Camp and for earning an invitation to the Pre-Academy tryouts. This is a great accomplishment, and it shows how much hard work and dedication Josiah has put into his soccer journey. Josiah is rostered on KHA1 New Albany B14 under Coach Blake Holder. Go Josiah!

KH New Albany Presents World Cup Camp, Club’s First-Ever Summer Camp

On July 22nd-25th, our Club hosted our first-ever club summer camp, World Cup Camp. With over 85 players in attendance, the excitement was at an all-time high during our World Cup Summer Camp! Campers brought both energy and focus as they honed their individual and finishing skills, culminating in an exhilarating World Cup tournament. A huge thanks to Coach Geddis and the entire staff for making this camp so much fun! Do you see any familiar faces?

Click here to view the World Cup Camp photo gallery!

Summer Juniors Success

This summer, our club proudly hosted the Summer Juniors League under the guidance of our Technical Director and Juniors Director, Jordan McMurray. The event was a tremendous success, with over 50 Juniors participating. The energy and enthusiasm on the field was incredible, through engaging activities – We are excited to instill a love for the game and help build a solid foundation for future growth. We look forward to building on this momentum in future programs! Don’t forget to check out the Photo Gallery:

• Click here to view the photo gallery from June 29th
• Click here to view the photo gallery from July 6th

Don’t forget, registration is open for our Fall Juniors League! Click here to register today!

Kings Hammer Summer Challenge 2024

Thank you to all who submitted videos over the month of July to the Kings Hammer Summer Challenge! We’re so impressed with the talent in our New Albany Club as well as the other Kings Hammer locations. Congratulations, to our very own, Elias Alshaded, KHA1 New Albany B09, week one winner, and Sam Britton, KHA1 New Albany B14, week five winner. Don’t forget to follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, for new and exciting content!

Gear Up This Fall

Looking to gear up in style? Visit our Team Store and explore the latest and greatest Nike and off-brand fan wear to proudly represent Kings Hammer New Albany! Whether you’re on the sidelines or out in the community, we’ve got everything you need to show your team spirit.

• Click here to shop Kings Hammer New Albany
• Click here to shop Kings Hammer

GK Union Save of the Month & Save of the Year

As we get back into the swing of the season, we wanted to take a moment to introduce our GK Union Save of the Month and the Aubrey Kingsbury Save of the Year initiative.

Save of the Month

Each month goalkeepers from across the club have the opportunity to submit their best saves from their Kings Hammer matches on our GK Union facebook page. At the end of each month, our National Director of Goalkeeping, Lou Liberatore, will select 2 participants, one boy and one girl, as the Kings Hammer GK Union Save of the Month winners. 

To enter your saves for a chance to be named our Save of the Month winner, goalkeepers from across the club should start by joining the Kings Hammer GK Union facebook page. You can upload your save videos to this page with your name, your team name and where the save took place.

Aubrey Kingsbury Save of the Year

The Aubrey Kingsbury Save of the Year was created in collaboration with USWNT and NWSL goalkeeper Aubrey Kingsbury who is also an alumni of Kings Hammer. At the end of the 2024/2025 season, Aubrey will review all of the season’s Save of the Month winners and select a boy and a girl winner for Save of the Year.

Watch the video below from our National Director of Goalkeeping, Lou Liberatore with more details!

August Education: Preparing for Game Day

It’s finally time for game day! Here are some important tips for Players, Families, and Coaches to help make the most of it.

For Players

• Drinking Water – being hydrated for the game starts the night before.  Drink plenty of plain, simple water. Then make sure you have plenty (32-64 oz) of water with you at the game.
• Sleep – getting a good night’s rest will improve your energy and focus for the game.  8-10 hours is recommended for peak performance.
• Energy – eating a healthy breakfast or lunch 3 hours prior to the game is key to being fueled up and ready to go.  Keep it simple and whole as much as possible. Chicken, eggs, whole grains, fruits, and nuts are great.  Try to avoid, greasy or spicy foods.  Pack a banana, energy bar, or some crackers for the game, in case you need a quick energy boost.
• Gear – be sure everything you need for the game is packed up and ready to go.  Shoes (cleaned,) guards, uniforms, etc should be ready by the door and not stressed over while trying to get going.
• Mindset – have a positive mindset, regardless of how the last game or last practice went, be set for a good outcome.  To keep you on track, should things get tough, have a mantra (phrase) or a physical routine (3 loud claps, 2 high jumps, etc) to remind you of your focus.  Finally, the night before pick out three specific actions or decisions that you want to make during the game.  Rehearse them in your head.  Then repeat this on the car ride to the game.

For Families

• Guide the Routine – assist your son or daughter with their pre-game prep but try not to run it.  They need to take ownership and accountability for being prepared.
• Pre Game Send Off – develop a hand shake, gesture, or phrase to set the tone before the game-“Work Hard, Be a Good Team mate, have Fun-I love you!” 
• Smile & Cheer – let the players play, the coaches coach, and the referee ref.  All three are going to have good games and bad, but nothing you yell, or scream will make it any different. So just sit back and enjoy.

Click here to read the full article!

Good Luck this Fall

As the fall season kicks off, we want to extend our best wishes to all our teams, players, and coaches. Your dedication, hard work, and passion for the game have brought you to this moment, and we’re excited to see all that you will achieve this season. Whether on or off the field, know that the entire Kings Hammer family is cheering you on. Good luck, play hard, and make this season one to remember!