Micros
MicroSoccer is uniquely designed to provide children ages 3-5 with their first exposure to soccer. We want that to be the most fun and exciting experience possible. It is not meant to be a competitive forum and we strongly encourage participation from all of the volunteers and families. If we can get the players to go the right direction, kick the ball and not pick it up with their hands, and understand the very basics of soccer then we will be successful!
See age chart below for birth dates.
So....here is how the program will be run:
- Teams will practice for 30 minutes and then have a 30 minute "fun game".
-Sessions will be run by club partnered professional trainers.
- There is no practice during the week!
- We fully expect children to be shy and scared, so we greatly encourage parents to be
involved (during the games you can even have parents around the field to keep the ball
inbounds).
- Each child will get an STM MicroSOCCER jersey.
- Games are played at Relevant Church on the north side behind playground.
Fall Season
Games/Practice are played Saturday mornings at 9 or 10 am. The Fall Season generally begins the first Saturday after Labor Day in September and finishes up the last weekend in October. No games are scheduled on Columbus Day Weekend. 2023 dates are 9/9, 9/16, 9/23, 9/30, 10/14, 10/21, and 10/28.
Spring Season Games/Practice are played Sunday afternoons at 1:00pm at Relevant Church field, adjacent to St. Thomas More and Trident Swim Club. The Spring Season begins the Sunday, April 7th and finishes up on May 19th. No games are scheduled for Easter, Mother’s Day, or Memorial Day Weekend.
Game Dates for Spring 2024:
- 4/7, 4/14, 4/21, 4/28, 5/5, and 5/19/2024
Kick Off Night:
A kick off event will be held on Wednesday April 3 for the Micro's program from 5-5:45 PM
STM Hot Shots
The Hot Shots Program (U6 and U7) is for children in kindergarten and 1st Grade. The “U” stands for “under”, so the U6 division is for children under 6 years old (usually a kindergartener) and the U7 division is for children under the age of 7 (usually a 1st grader).
See age chart below for birth dates.
The STM Soccer Hot Shots Program is made up of two seasons - Fall of one year and Spring of the following year, each with separate registrations. Fall registration is held in June/July, and Spring registration is held in February/March.
The Hot Shots Program is a developmental program designed to introduce your child to the basics of soccer while having fun. Your child’s team will consist of both boys and girls and will have approximately 5 to 8 players. Each team will have a parent coach and an assistant coach. Practices and games last approximately 1 hour. There is no emphasis placed on scoring and there are no playoff games.
Fall Season
Hot Shots practice every other Wednesday with clubs professional trainers. Games are on Saturday at STM usually at 10 or 11 am. The Fall Season generally begins the first Saturday after Labor Day in September and finishes up the first weekend in November. No games are scheduled on Columbus Day Weekend. 2023 dates are 9/9, 9/16, 9/23, 9/30, 10/14, and 10/28.
Spring Season Games are played Sunday afternoons at 2:15pm at Relevant Church field, adjacent to St. Thomas More and Trident Swim Club. The Spring Season begins the Sunday, April 7th and finishes up on May 19th. No games are scheduled for Easter, Mother’s Day, or Memorial Day Weekend.
Game Dates For Spring 2024:
- 4/7, 4/14, 4/21, 4/28, 5/5, and 5/19/2024
Practices:
HotShots have Bi-Weekly practices scheduled Wednesdays during the season from 5-6 PM at the soccer fields behind St. Thomas More Church. Sessions are run by our club partnered professional trainers. Coaches are encouraged to attend these sessions to work with your team in conjunction with the professional trainer.
Kick Off Night A kick off event will be held on Wednesday April 3 for the Hot Shots program from 6-7:00 PM
INTRAMURAL
The Intramural Program is a developmental program that focuses on skill development. It is broken down into non-coed age groups from U8 ("Under 8") to U17. After the U8 division, intramural teams are 2-year divisions. For example, the division after U8 is U10 which is made up of 8- and 9-year-olds. The U12 teams are made up of 10- and 11-year-olds, and so on. Players at this level are eligible and encouraged to try out for teams in the travel program. The STM Intramural Program is made up of two seasons - fall of one year and spring of the following year, each with separate registrations. Fall registration is held in April, and spring registration is held in February.
See age chart below for birth dates.
In the Intramural Program, the younger age groups play small-sided games. Players practice once a week with our club partnered professional trainers and their volunteer coach. There is usually 1 game per week and the games are approximately 1 hour long (including warm-up, halftime, and post-game coach chat).
The game fields depend upon the age division and league that the team participates in. Each player receives a STM uniform shirt but the player is to be responsible for having cleats, socks, shin guards, and water at every practice and game.
Fall Season
The Fall Season consists of 8 - 11 games. Practices usually begin the week of Labor Day since the fall season begins the first Saturday after Labor Day in September. The season finishes up the first or second weekend in November. No games are scheduled on Columbus Day Weekend.
Spring Season
The Spring Season consists of approximately 7 games. New for Spring of 2024 – teams will play with the 7 v 7 formation and have (6-7) total games and normally played on Sunday afternoons. Dates, times and locations for the games are determined by the league. Travel is local for all of our teams. Each team will end the season with a local one-day tournament
Practices Teams will have WEEKLY practice during the season on Wednesdays from 6-7 PM at the soccer fields behind St. Thomas More Church. Sessions will be led by our club partnered professional trainers and their volunteer coaches.
Kick Off Event A kick off event will be held on Wednesday April 3 for the Hot Shots program from 7-8:00PM
Coaching
Our program relies on parent participation. If you have any interest in coaching or being an assistant coach, please contact the coordinator to discuss your options. The club can supply you with coaching tips, requirements, and materials that will give you the basic knowledge of the game you will need for this level of play.
If you are interested in coaching or volunteering to assist in the Intramural program, or if you have any questions about the program, please contact the intramural coordinator.
TRAVEL
The St. Thomas More Soccer Club has a travel soccer program for boys and girls ranging in age from 8 to 18. Travel soccer focuses on player development, with our teams playing at the highest level of competition appropriate for each team. Additionally, St. Thomas More Soccer Club encourages participation in tournaments and indoor soccer to provide opportunities for enhanced competition.
See age chart below for birth dates.
The majority of our travel teams play in leagues comprised of teams in Lehigh, Northampton, Carbon, Monroe, and Bucks counties. Prior to ninth grade, the STM Travel teams participate in both fall and spring seasons. Typically, players are selected for travel soccer via try-outs held in April, May, or June of each year.
Traditionally, STMSC has fielded boys and girls travel teams in most age groups. We expect to field teams as follows, though not all age groups may have teams, depending on the number of players who register for a particular program:
Travel teams are managed by individuals with qualifications substantiated by NSCAA and USSF coaching education courses required by Club and travel league standards. All travel teams are trained in a partnership with professional trainers and our coaching staff. Also, St. Thomas More Soccer Club encourages use of coaching staff from our local high schools and colleges to elevate the level of training for our players. A portion of the registration fees paid to the Club is allocated for additional training and tournaments.
Players on travel teams from U9 to U15 (pre-high school) will be expected to participate in the travel program both during the fall soccer season as well as the spring soccer season. Re-registration for the spring season is not required, as the registration fees for the travel program paid in the fall include the fees required for the spring programs.
The determination as to which soccer league or division a particular travel team will play in is not dictated by the St. Thomas More Soccer Club but is left to the discretion of the particular coach and the Travel Program Coordinator, based on the coach’s assessment of level of competitiveness of the different leagues, the travel distance to games, and possibly, but not necessarily, parental input.
Besides league play, most travel coaches typically opt to enroll their teams in a number of weekend soccer tournaments throughout the fall and spring seasons. The decision as to which tournaments a team plays in, and the number of tournaments, is also left to the discretion of the travel coach. In addition, some coaches may also wish to field an indoor soccer team during the winter months. While players are encouraged to participate, participation in winter indoor soccer is not required by the club.
The St. Thomas More Soccer Club allocates a certain amount of funds that the coach can use toward the cost of tournaments, trainers, and indoor soccer leagues. Depending on the coach, it is possible that the costs will exceed the amounts allocated to a team. In this situation, the additional costs are generally passed on to the players’ parents. In some cases, a team may choose to institute a fundraiser in order to defray these extra costs.
It is the Club’s position, however, that the inability to pay for a team’s fees should not be a reason for a player not to participate on an STM team. In some cases where a family does not feel that they can afford to pay the costs associated with membership on a team, parents can privately request financial assistance from the soccer program.
Which program is right for your child?
