What does it mean to play soccer at the YMCA?
The YMCA youth soccer program helps kids become not only better soccer players, but better people as well. With an emphasis on fair play and safety first, our program is progressive with age-appropriate rules to help teach soccer for kids and keep it fun. Our youth soccer leagues build winners in life, emphasizing good sportsmanship, fitness, fair play, fundamentals and fun while implementing our core values of caring, honesty, respect, responsibility and faith.
Practices and Games
Practice and Games – One 60-minute practice and 1 game per week. Teams available for ages 3-13. Tiny tots, ages 3-5, is a developmental program that meets once a week for combined practice/game.
Focus
Our focus is participation and fun! While basic skills of the game are developed through practices and games, every child learns sportsmanship and values necessary to be successful in life. Every game begins with a Youth Sports Pledge. We encourage fair play, positive competition and family involvement during youth soccer lessons and games.
Seasons – Vary by YMCA location
Additional Information
In order for your child to be registered for YMCA of Greater Houston soccer programs, please complete and sign this liability waiver and concussion waiver.
PREPARE FOR THE UPCOMING SPORTS SEASON AT DICK’S SPORTING GOODS!
The YMCA of Greater Houston and DICK’s Sporting Goods have partnered to help remove barriers to youth playing sports. As the Official Sporting Goods, Retail Sponsor of our league DICK’s Sporting Goods will be offering discounts on apparel throughout the year. View the flyer with more information. Thank you to DICK’s Sporting Goods for their support of YMCA Youth Sports!
Volunteer Coaching Opportunities
We’re seeking volunteers interested in coaching youth sports. Our coaches make YMCA youth sports possible and create a lifelong impact on children by encouraging participation and emphasizing sportsmanship and strong character. When you become a volunteer, the Y will introduce you to coaching and provide resources specific to the sport you coach. If your child is a player, getting involved at their practices can help them feel comfortable to practice with you outside of official practice time.
Soccer Tips
The goal of becoming a top athlete is a long road for anyone to achieve. Many factors go into developing Houston soccer players that compete at the highest level but a key aspect can start with simple everyday habits as child. Everyone shines in their own way, at their own time. That’s the beauty of soccer; it builds people for whatever comes next in life.
Training Tips
Practice makes perfect! That begins with a good warmup to focus training players to get as many touches on the soccer ball and increase their heart rate to help prepare them for practice and soccer clinics with technical activity, creating an environment where players can get as much repetition of a skill as possible. The more a player practices, the better they’ll get!
Coaching Tips
Coaches who engage in active listening guarantees clear, mutually understood communication makes players more willing to talk to the coach as well as promotes a more meaningful relationship between the coach and player. Communicating with purpose by being aware of posture, eye contact, facial expressions, distance between the coach and the player, distracting behaviors and voice quality is crucial in addressing players and understanding their questions and quandaries.
“The YMCA has been the perfect place for Cori to develop her skills. We weren’t sure if she would like it, but the format of the program allowed her to ease into it and she was not overwhelmed. We are going to be enrolling her in the new soccer academy program as soon as she is old enough. ”
— Cori C.