MICROS--FALL 2023 
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Welcome to the NECONN Soccer Club MICROS program which includes children from the towns of Brooklyn, Eastford, Killingly, Pomfret, Putnam, Thompson, and Woodstock.

We will be following the guidelines of “MICRO SOCCER” which means that children aged four and five years of age will be learning the skills of the game in a fun and safe environment. You will see how they enjoy themselves playing games like shark and minnows, red light – green light, and marbles. After the skill games, they will be broken out into groups to compete in “The Micro World Cup” 3V3 soccer matches. This game format consists of 2 teams, each having 3 or 4 players. The games are played without goalies and “goal hanging” will be discouraged. This format allows each player to have more touches on the ball during the game. Encouraging the children to make the correct decision to pass or shoot, teaches better ball control and the players learn to work together on the  field as a team. An added bonus is that there will be more opportunities for goals to be scored by all.

WHAT DO YOU NEED?   Each Micro player must have the following equipment: cleats or sneakers, shin guards-- with soccer socks covering the shin guards, a size 3 soccer ball and finally and importantly a water bottle to bring to all practices.  Each child will be given a jersey at the first session. 

This fall, we have one of our travel coaches, Missy Caisse, and some of her players, helping us with our U6 program. Every session will be held a the Woodstock Elementary School in Woodstock and there will be three distinct sessions depending on the town from which you are from:

• The first session will be the players from Woodstock and Killingly and will be held from 9:00-10:00am.
  

• The second session will be the players from Putnam, Pomfret and other towns and will go from 10:15-11:15am.
  

• The third session will be children from Brooklyn and Thompson and will go from 11:30a.m.-12:30 p.m.   
  

The first iteration of events will be held Saturday, Sept 9th

·Practice sessions every Saturday morning through Oct 28, with the exception of Oct 21, 2023.

IMPORTANT NOTICE:  There are very strict rules on earrings and anything metal (including in hair). The rule is “It must come out”. The holes in your child’s ear will NOT close up during practice time. This is a club rule and also a rule from CJSA--our governing body for Youth Soccer. An earring can easily get caught in a shirt, especially with the younger players, as they tend to bunch together when they play.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:

• What do we do about inclement weather? If it is a light drizzle, we continue to play. Very
  rarely do we call the day because of rain, but it has happened before. Our fields can get quite soft and wet. The coaching coordinators will check the forecast and the fields early to make the decision to cancel the practice. Please look for an email in the case of inclement weather.

We are looking forward to having a fun filled soccer season!

If you have any questions or concerns, please don't hesitate to reach out to Missy directly or one of our town reps.