Freedom Soccer Club Frequently Asked Questions
1. Who is the Freedom Soccer Club? ‐ We are a girls and boys club established in 2003.
2. Has this club had any notable accomplishments? – US Youth Soccer Presidents Cup Tournament: National Champion (U15); two Regional Champions (U14 & U15), two State Champions (U14 & U15) and a State Cup Championship (U12).
3. Where do we practice? ‐ Our teams practice in the Galena, New Albany, Blacklick and Westerville areas.
4. What tournaments can I expect? ‐ We strive to provide opportunities that are both age appropriate and sensitive to the demands of work and family life. At the younger ages, teams attend two tournaments in the fall and two in the spring. All tournaments are LOCAL. As teams get older, age appropriate tournament selection could involve some travel. Likely venues could include Ohio locations such as Dayton, Cincinnati, Sidney, etc. Out of state venues could include Kentucky, Virginia, Indiana, North Carolina, Florida, Pennsylvania, etc.
5. What is the time commitment? ‐ There are two seasons; fall and spring. Pre‐season practices are held three times a week; in‐season, teams will practice twice a week. Games are held once or twice each week. For weeks where there are two games, one is on the weekend. Each season, a team could have approximately 10 league games. The games are played in the suburban areas around Columbus. The fall pre‐season begins the first week of August. Games begin the first week in September and end mid‐October. Spring preseason begins the first week of March. Games begin the first week of April and ends around the third week of May. Some of the upper age teams’ game schedule and locations may vary.
6. Is winter training required? ‐ Indoor training is available and encouraged but is optional.
7. Do Freedom players participate in other sports? ‐ Absolutely!
8. What is the expectation for soccer participation when participating in other sports? ‐ Players that have to miss a training session can make up the training time with other teams within the club.
9. Does the club support player participation in the ODP program? ‐ Our club supports US Youth Soccer Olympic Development Program (ODP). We have coaches that are on the staff at the district, state and regional levels. Yearly, we have players who participate in district, state and regional events. Players are encouraged to participate in ODP.
10. What does the uniform package consist of and how often are uniforms changed? ‐ The Freedom Soccer Club wears Nike. Nike dictates the life span of a uniform style. This typically is two to three years. A uniform package will include: socks, shorts, game shirts, practice shirts, warm‐up pants and jacket, and a bag.
11. Is there financial assistance available? ‐ Our non‐profit parent organization has fundraising opportunities for families that desire assistance.
12. What is Freedom Juniors program? ‐ The Freedom Juniors is an extension of the Freedom Soccer Club. Freedom Juniors is not a team. It is a soccer specific training environment for young players who are interested in improving their soccer skills. The Freedom Juniors program is conducted three times during the year. Contact us for more information and times.
13. Who are our coaches? ‐ Our coaches come from diverse backgrounds. Each coach brings experiences and talents which help each player get to the next level. Some possess the top coaching licenses in the country (“USSF “A”, “B”, & “C”). All have played the game, at some time or another, at various levels (national, professional, semi‐professional, college, ODP, high school and club). Some currently coach at colleges and top local high school programs in the Columbus area. Others are on the Olympic Development Program coaching staff at the district, state and regional levels. You can learn more about our coaches here. To find out more about exactly what each coaching license means, visit: http://www.ussoccer.com/Coaches/Licenses.aspx.
14. How do Freedom coaches keep their training current and/or relevant? ‐ They do so by:‐ Attending coaches’ lecture series. ‐ Getting involved with the Olympic Development Program. ‐ Keeping abreast with the coaching literature and practices of professional clubs. ‐ Disseminating information derived from national conventions and the national coaching staff. ‐ Attending premier licensing courses.
15. What guides the club’s coaching methodology? ‐ It is guided by the premise that each player’s ball control (technical) and tactical development should always receive top priority in training, as is age appropriate. Our program strives to go beyond the static regimented training environment employed by most clubs. Technical and tactical instruction is conducted through the application of small‐sided games so that players experience a training environment that replicates the real game.
Under the watchful eye of our coaching staff, each player’s technical development with the ball is guided by1) what to do 2) how to do it and 3) when to do it. When competence is achieved, they are challenged to perform the skills with speed similar to what is required in the game.
Players are grouped according to age, ability and readiness. This is done to make each player’s experience challenging and enjoyable. Based on staff assessment and recommendation, players may be moved to a higher level group.
Our programs are designed to help players achieve their maximum potential through progressive exercises that are individually challenging as well as appropriate to the age and ability of each player.
Freedom, for good reason, assigns a coach to each team. That professional coach is there for practices, games and tournaments. This approach can cost a little more but in the long term, the player and the team benefit. However, it is not uncommon to see two or more coaches working with a team.
Many clubs utilize an approach where individuals are hired and paid to conduct training sessions. It could be one person or a different person each time. Another variation of this is you have one trainer working with all the players in one age group (2 or 3 teams) at the same time. A different person is with the team at games. Too often, it is a willing parent or individual who manages the team. We believe the benefits of our approach far outweigh that of the other approaches.