Christine Gloth, NJ Youth Soccer (Photo by Cos Lymperopoulos)
New Jersey Youth Soccer continues its celebration of the 2024 NJYS Awards Dinner Presented by RWJBarnabas Health, officially recognizing Jackson Soccer Club as the NJYS Recreation Program of the Year. This award is presented each year to highlight the accomplishments and dedication that a recreation program has initiated to its players and community.
Jackson Soccer Club has been a member of NJ Youth Soccer for many years and has served as a great partner for the state association, providing fields for NJYS State Cup games and ODP events, as well as hosting several NJYS Coaching Courses.
The Jackson Soccer Club (JSC) Recreation Program consists of intramurals, player development and referee development. JSC Intramurals is a recreation program open to children ranging in age from 3 to 17-years-old. The program strives to create a safe, fun and exciting environment for children to learn the game of soccer, and the club has a goal for every child to leave the soccer field with a sense of accomplishment and joy. The recreation program is a partnership between Tecnica Soccer and JSC coaches and parents. The Tecnica professional trainers plan and lead each session and incorporate parent volunteers to help make the experience better. This partnership allows a fantastic balance between a player’s development, including parent participation and involvement, while making sure players are receiving professional training.
JSC forms teams and divisions based on age. It follows US Soccer principles to develop kids in terms of physically, technically, knowledge of strategy and Soccer IQ. Programs offered include a Mini Kickers Peanut Program for the youngest age groups, Micro Kickers (small-sided games and training), Collegiate Division (7v7 or 9v9), Major League Division for middle school age athletes (9v9 or 11v11) and Premier Division for high school age players.
For further player development, JSC offers several clinics throughout the year. These clinics are run through Tecnica and range from general development to skill specific sessions. Examples include Goalkeeper Training, Shooting, Brazilian Skills Clinic and Defending. These offerings provide a great learning opportunity for those intramural and recreation players who want to improve their skills and gain more from a program. The clinics are open to both travel and recreation players, providing recreation players with the opportunity to play alongside travel players.
The JSC Referee Program has continued to grow over the years, and it has provided a great environment for new referees to practice their skills. One of the initiatives of the program is to bring on new referees to teach them how to officiate games. Many of their referees return year after year and provide mentorship to younger referees.
“Thank you to New Jersey Youth Soccer for honoring Jackson Soccer Club’s Recreation Program,” said Lou Vitanov, JSC Intramural Director. “I want to thank my family, JSC Board Members, training staff and our volunteers. Special shout out to Angelina Vitanov and Sophia Vitanov for their countless hours volunteering to better the community.”
In addition to a plaque to commemorate their achievement, Jackson Soccer Club was treated to a congratulatory video tribute from Luis Robles, former goalkeeper for the New York Red Bulls, that was played on the video screens for the awards dinner audience to enjoy. Jackson Soccer Club also received a custom ball from SIGND displaying a QR code that provided access to their personalized video.
NJ Youth Soccer held its 2024 NJYS Annual Awards Dinner Presented by RWJBarnabas Health earlier this month, where many players, coaches and guests of the soccer community were on hand at the Pines Manor in Edison, N.J. With more than 1,000 attendees, the event saw a capacity crowd for the annual celebration.
To find out more information about New Jersey Youth Soccer or to contact us directly, please email [email protected]. Also make sure to follow us on social media: @NJYouthSoccer