How SBV's "Next-Step-Up" Program For K-3rd Graders Is Preparing Players for Premier
If you have a K, 1st, 2nd, or 3rd grade soccer player, then this might be the most important page you read this week
Hi Mom and Dad,
My name is Joe and I'm the phones guy for Sporting Blue Valley.
I'm the "first line" (no pun intended) to hear all the concerns, questions, and inquiries from Recreational parents in our club.
As you might imagine, it keeps me pretty busy - we have almost 5,000 kids in our Rec program every year, and as the season moves along the calls start to increase for next season.
Over the last few years I've been at the club (and especially this year) one of the first questions I get from new calls is,
"Rec is great and we love it, but do you have anything that is a "little more" for my son/daughter? We love the coach and the team is really fun - we just think they need a step up. Do you guys have anything like that?"
And I love this question! Because the answer is always YES!
Not only yes, but "yes, we have a program DESIGNED SPECIFICALLY FOR THAT!"
The program is our Futures & Juniors program, for kids at the Kindergarten, 1st, 2nd, and 3rd grade age levels.
It's a year-long soccer program with 28 scheduled games over the course of 10 months.
It's coached by our SBV pro staff, and runs on a custom curriculum created by coaches Tim Clark & Tom Mura - more on them later - designed to move your player through the year and not only increase A) their enjoyment of the game but B) their ability to prepare them for the Premier level.
What is the Futures & Juniors Program?
The Futures & Juniors program (we'll call it F&J from now on) is the bridge between the Recreational program and the Sporting BV Premier program.
It's for our young players who want a step up from Rec, but are a little too young for the full Premier experience.
It's built for both boys and girls. The Futures program is for Kindergarten & 1st grade, and the Juniors program is for 2nd and 3rd grade.
And all players are run through a US Youth Soccer Grassroots - based curriculum, which means they get a structured, disciplined program for almost a full year. A program they can have fun with, and a program that is experience-based. So the more they play, the better they get. No backwards steps.
All the logistics and details are below, but the program begins in August and goes until May. Over the course of the year (Fall, Winter, & Spring) teams will play twenty-eight games against the other teams in the program.
Futures teams play 3v3, and Juniors teams play 5v5.
Let me back up - when I say "other teams in the program" that's literally what I mean. Your son/daughter will be on an F&J team, playing against another F&J team.
This is a huge benefit of this program for a couple reasons.
First, you know WHO you're playing.
The teams are balanced. More advanced players compete against more advanced players, and less-advanced players compete against kids at their level, too. There's never a mismatch in skill, because a mismatch doesn't allow growth for either player.
But second, it also means that each game is an extension of everything the players worked on that week in practice.
The games are classic 3-a-side or 5-a-side games, but with all the coaches on the floor being paid pros working with the same curriculum, there are also double to triple the amount of learning and application opportunities during each game that you don't really get in the Recreational program.
The Sporting BV Futures & Juniors program is the next step for Recreational players who are extra-talented and need a little bit more.
If this is something you're interested in, click the yellow button below to be taken to our registration portal to get started.
After I answer the first question from parents, however, the next question I usually get is: "This sounds good but I don't want to have to pick between moving up and playing with friends. This is hard!"
So I always say...
Don't worry, you can combine F&J with Recreation!
We have some of the smartest minds in soccer in our club. They're great on the field, but they also "get it" from a parent perspective.
If you're like me, I don't want my kiddos to miss out playing with friends just to advance in a sport. It's not worth it to me, friends and fun always come first.
And our coaches get that, too.
Which is why F&J is structured in a way that allows our players to play both Rec and Futures & Juniors. You don't have to pick!
On the registration, you can literally select which day doesn't work for you and we will not schedule you for practice on that day.
Some people use this to not have practice on their Rec practice day, but you can also use this for days you have other sports like basketball or gymnastics or something.
It's up to you - we're flexible.
This flexibility means the only decision you really have to make is, "Does my son/daughter want (or can they handle) this much soccer?"
If you've got an active kiddo who loves the sport and has the time for two practices a week and two games on the weekends, then by all means do both!
This program is set up to put the ball in your court. You can have your cake and eat it, too.
Speaking of Scheduling...
Futures & Juniors are year-round programs.
They start in August and go until May every year, but they're broken down into three "seasons."
The Seasons:
Fall - August, September, October
Winter - November, December, January, February
Spring - March, April, May
If you joined right now, you'd be registering for the Winter and Spring Sessions. We'd prorate and you wouldn't owe as much for the annual fee and wouldn't owe for the Fall.
In Fall & Spring, we play outdoors. One practice per week and eight scheduled weekend games in Fall. Same for Spring. So 16 total.
During the Winter we switch things up. We cut out the practice during the week and move it to the weekends before the game.
So you get 12 scheduled weekend games, with a 10-15 minute training session before each game.
We do this for two reasons:
We want your son/daughter to have time during the week to play winter sports if they want to.
Winter play is held in the gymnasium of a local school, not at the SCHEELS OP Soccer Complex. It's not all the way across town, but it's not as close as our outdoor complex and it's easier for you if you only have to drive out once a week. Same training, different schedule.
But even if the scheduling and the curriculum sound good to you - there's no point in joining a program not run by quality people.
So let me introduce you to...
The Head Honchos of SBV Futures & Juniors!
You can design the greatest curriculum in the world, but if it's not run by people who know how to teach it to your son/daughter, it'll never work and it won't make them better.
So it pays off to know who's teaching it.
That being said, I've got good news because F&J is directed by some of the best coaches in our club: Tim Clark on the boys side and Tom Mura on the girls side.
Tim Clark
NCAA Champion with Southern Illinois at Edwardsville, Defensive MVP, US Olympic Team, Minnesota Kicks NASL, Philadelphia Fever MISL, Kansas City Comets, MISL
Started the Futures & Juniors program seventeen years ago in 2007. Launched the Blue Valley Stars (SBV Premier Program) in 1995, and has been coaching soccer in Sporting BV Club for 37 years.
QUESTIONS? Email: tclark@sportingbv.org
Tom Mura
Tom Mura has been coaching premier soccer for nearly 35 years. He was born and raised in Kansas City and played two years of college soccer at the University of Missouri Kansas City. He has a B Coaching License and is a Grassroots Coaching Instructor for US Soccer.
Tom has coached every age group from PreK through U19 and his teams have competed at the local, regional and national level. His 2009 girls won the Presidents Cup National Championship while playing teams a full year older than them.
QUESTIONS? Email: tmura@sportingbv.org
To say these guys know what they're talking about is an understatement. They're some of the most accomplished, awarded, and acclaimed coaches in the Midwest.
The point is they have been around the block. I didn't put these awards on here to impress you, but to impress upon you that they know what they're doing.
And they have optimized their approach based on feedback from not only playing the game, but coaching thousands of players just like your son or daughter.
So you get top tier coaches, access year-round to Sporting BV's world-class training facilities, and direct teaching based on a tested curriculum every week.
That's all great but I know you're wondering...
How Much Does This Cost?
$795.00 for the full year - everything included.
Here's what "everything included" means:
When you register, you'll owe $135 in the annual club fee and $125 in a uniform fee. This uniform lasts you as long as you're in the F&J program.
After that, everything is broken down by season. Here's what that looks like if you joined right now for Fall and Spring:
Initial fees collected upon Registration
• $110 Annual Club Fee (prorated)
• $125 Uniform Fee (includes a navy and light blue game jersey, 2 pair black shorts, 2 pair black socks, a red practice shirt, a size #3 ball and sackpack)
Winter Fees collected upon registration
• $100 Winter Registration Fee
• $180 Coaching Fees ($60/mo for Nov/Dec, Jan & Feb)
Spring Fees collected January 31, 2024
• $100 Spring Registration Fee
• $180 Coaching Fees ($60/mo for March, April, May)
Speaking of which, after you pay the fees due when you register you can put the rest on a payment plan to break things up. This makes sure everyone who wants to play with us can.
(This is also beneficial if you're not sure about the whole year. You can register and pay for Winter and if your son/daughter doesn't like it, you can cancel and you won't be charged for Spring.)
Sound good?
Click this yellow button below to register:
(BTW - If you get stuck registering, there are instructions below. We're also open 9-5 M-Th & 9-3 on Friday if you get stuck)
Oh, and Before I Sign Off...
I want to be clear that this program is STILL an introductory program.
At this age level, the main thing that separates players is how many lifetime touches they've had on the ball.
How often do they go outside and kick around, what's their relationship with the ball like, etc.
Most changes aren't going to come from coaching, they'll come from playing on their own or playing with a curriculum that doubles, triples, or even quadruples their touches.
I say this to make it clear that your child can join at any stage in their soccer-skill journey.
This is not reserved for players who are going pro or on track to be the next Christian Pulisic.
The cool thing about Tim & Tom's curriculum is it adapts to players based on the player - not the other way around.
Players can come in at any age level and the coaches will match them to the curriculum to keep them moving forward.
So please don't think this is only for the best of the best or only reserved for beginners.
Any player at any skill level can play in Futures & Juniors - as long as they're K-3rd!
Oh, and yes you CAN play with your friends
Like I said earlier you can do this and Recreational if you'd like, but after chatting about this for a while I usually get the question: "Okay I think I want to do this, but can my son/daughter play with their friends in this program, too?"
And again...the answer is yes. You can.
The curriculum is designed to match players up with who they mesh best with, and the coaches will move players around as the season goes along.
However, at this age level often the players that your son/daughter will play best with are friends or kids they know from school.
So on the registration if you have a request to play with a friend, put it in the "Special Requests/Comments" box and we'll do our best to accommodate you!
Thanks for reading, hopefully we see you soon!
Joe at Sporting Blue Valley
How to Register
All registration is done inside your Sporting Blue Valley account.
Click the link below, and it'll take you to our login page where you can put in your email username and your password, and then you'll see your dashboard.
On your dashboard, click "XX Available Programs" next to your player's name.
You'll see all the available programs for your player.
Select "2024-25 Sporting BV Futures (or Juniors) Program" and select your date.
Once you've selected it, scroll to the bottom of the page and click "Skip" "Continue" or "Next Player" until it brings you to the next page where you can put in your player information.
Once you've put in your info, click "Continue" again and once you've paid on the next page, you're good to go!
(If you have problems selecting it on your phone, turn your phone sideways (landscape) and you'll see a blue button to select instead of just a program description)
Click This Yellow Button to Register!
P.S.
Hey last thing - and friend to friend here - this is a very in-demand program.
Like I said before I get calls about programs in this vein all the time and I recommend it 2-3X a day to Rec parents and new parents coming in to Sporting BV.
This is great for programs like Rec where we can field as many players as possible, but it might make this program tricky as we get closer to the Fall since we can only have a certain number of players on each team to ensure coaching quality and small player to coach ratios.
Since it's a first-come first-serve program I can't tell you when it will close or if it will at all, but if you're interested please don't wait.
Reserve your spot as soon as you can and let your friends know to hold theirs as well so you can all be together.
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