Welcome to the Kings Hammer Swan City August Newsletter! This edition features, Jackson Maxwell Selected for USYS ODP, Club Curriculum Visit, GK Union Save of the Month and Save of the Year, KH Swan City Hosts Friendlies, DICK’S Sporting Goods Shop Event, Cleat Closet, and more! If you have a player, coach, or team to be highlighted in future newsletters, please send photos and stories to acorbett@kingshammer.com. Each newsletter will be posted on our website as well as our social pages.

Jackson Maxwell Selected for USYS ODP South Region Team

We are incredibly proud to announce that Jackson Maxwell, a player from our KH Swan City P1 2011 boys’ team, has been selected for the USYS ODP South Region team!

Jackson’s hard work, dedication, and passion for the game have truly paid off. We look forward to watching you continue to grow and succeed while representing Florida and KH Swan City on this prestigious stage.

Club Curriculum Visit

We were delighted to welcome our National Technical Director, Bronson Gambale, and Executive Director, Paul Nicholson, to Lakeland last week. They met with our coaches to review the Kings Hammer club curriculum and provided some valuable on-field instructions.

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!

KH Swan City Hosts Friendlies with Florida Celtic

We’re back in action! It was so nice to see our players back out on the field with a successful weekend of preseason friendlies with Florida Celtic SC. We look forward to a great 2024/2025 Season!

DICK’S Sporting Goods Fall Shop Event

Score big with 20% off at DICK’S Sporting Goods during our special shop event from September 13th-15th! Support Kings Hammer and get everything you need for the season. Don’t miss out on this fantastic deal!

Click here for 20% off Coupon

Cleat Closet

As part of our community support initiative, we are accepting gently used cleats, shin guards, and balls every fall and spring season. These items are made available at no cost to members in need. This is a great way for our community to give back and support one another.

Collection Dates:

• 9/14: 8am-11am at Lake Parker
• 9/16: 5:30pm-7pm at Carter Rd
• 9/20: 5:30pm-7pm at Lake Parker
• 9/28: 8am-11am at Carter Rd

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.
• Enjoy the Car Ride – let your player guide the car ride home.  If they want to talk about the game, then take their lead.  If they don’t then that’s OK too.

Click here to read the full article!

Kings Hammer Swan City Merchandise Available Now!

The new season is here, and it’s the perfect time to grab some Kings Hammer Swan City merchandise that you’ll love! Browse and purchase your favorites at shop.KingsHammer.com. Don’t miss out!

Reminder: Photos for the 2024/2025 Season

As we begin the 2024/2025 season, we would like to remind all families that KH Swan City will never charge for photos taken at the field. If anyone is requesting payment, they are not associated with us.