The Maryland State Youth Soccer Association’s Let’s Play! program is an after-school initiative designed to transform the lives of participants by providing a safe, character building, community supported program that helps to teach social and emotional skills while fighting obesity and related illnesses. Let’s Play! is designed by a Doctor in Education and also by an industry expert with more than 25 years of experience designing and implementing programming for school age children.
Let’s Play! is designed to reduce negative behavior, improve mental health and well-being, and improve educational and academic achievement all while growing excitement around the beautiful game of soccer!
Details:
By working in collaboration with partner Title 1 & Community Schools, Let’s Play! is a FREE, safe, after-school program that uses soccer as a vehicle to directly, and positively impact the lives of participants while indirectly, strengthening and positively impacting communities.
The program takes place at school one day per week for eight (8) weeks in the fall (Sept./Oct.) and again in the spring (April/May). Each session lasts 75-90 minutes, focusing on soccer training and incorporating nutrition and life skills training (SEL).
Each participant receives a free soccer ball, t-shirt, and water bottle. Each child receives a FREE pair of cleats through our partner by Leveling the Playing Field, and all coaches are trained with key Coaching for Character and Coaching with Empathy fundamentals through the Positive Coaching Alliance. The coach-to-student ratio is kept small (1:10-15) to ensure optimal relationship-building
Sample Curriculum:
| Week 1- Welcome to the Program (coming to play, showing up, being ready – FUNdamentals) | Week 5- Empathy (shooting and finishing) |
| Week 2- Persistence (Dribbling/Turning with the ball) | Week 6- Persistence (passing/teamwork) |
| Week 3- Optimism(1v1 skills) | Week 7- Optimism (shooting/finishing) |
| Week 4- Self-Regulation (passing skills) | Week 8- Self-Regulation: End of Season Games (games and competition) |
