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Soccer Haven:
Afterschool Soccer in New Haven’s Public Schools
Soccer Haven is an afterschool program, newly organized in Spring 2008, that aims to bring soccer clinics to children in grades 4-8 in New Haven’s inner city public schools. The program is sponsored jointly by the Connecticut Junior Soccer Association (CJSA) and the South Central District (SCD) of CJSA, together with New Haven Youth Soccer and the New Haven Public Schools.
At present, the program runs once a week for children in grades 4-8 and targets five schools that are close together: John C. Daniels Elementary School; Cl emente Leadership Academy; Vincent Mauro Math, Science, and Technology Magnet School; Truman School; and Hill Central Music Academy. This spring, the program serves about 50 kids per week. We hope to expand to more schools and younger age groups.
Coaching is provided by professional coaches from NHYS and CJSA, supported by volunteers (including some great high school kids from Hopkins School) and some neighborhood youths who love the game. The goal of the coaching staff would be to help each participant develop as a player relative to his or her own potential – not to focus only on the highest caliber players. We see soccer as a game that people can play through much of their adult lives. We also hope to reinforce healthy habits of exercise and physical fitness. We also hope to instill in the participants the broader values of teamwork, cooperation, sportsmanship, and fair play.
If resources and volunteers are available, we also hope to combine the afterschool soccer program with an additional period of tutoring or mentoring, in which local college or university students could assist the coaches with soccer programs and then, at the conclusion of the soccer programs, could help participants with homework and serve as “big brothers/sisters”. This would broaden the impact of on-field activities.
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