The indoor winter soccer program started on Monday at the YMCA in Batavia, coached by Batavia girls Varsity coach Roger Hume.
He calls the program "club soccer."
It is open to soccer players from third grade through 12th, and it's never too late for a parent to get a child started in the program. Hume said as long as a class has room, the class is open at any time of the winter, November through March, and there is an open registration time again in January.
JV and Varsity players practice and train on Mondays, junior high on Wednesdays, and elementary school kids on Thursdays. On Saturdays, all grade levels participate at different times of the day.
Since many of the JV and Varsity players often play other winter sports, the Monday classes tend to thin out once those seasons start, Hume said.
The session starts with some warm-ups followed by skill work, ball handling.
"We want to do a lot of group stuff, too," Hume said. "Then they'll do some scrimmaging at the end. We try to work on teamwork, try to work on passing, receiving. Indoors is good for more skill work and then some passing, the physicality of the game. But you know, you can't mimic what you're doing outside. I mean, I wish we had turf. Yeah, I always say I wish we had turf, but we don't have turf. So we take advantage of what we have."
In February and March, club players typically participate in tournaments. Batavia, Attica, Keshequa, and Byron-Bergen are among the locations of indoor tournaments.
Photos by Howard Owens
