Youth Soccer fifth grade girls’ travel team prepares for season

By Matt Pascarella

Windham Youth Soccer Association’s fifth grade girls’ team will begin their season on Labor Day Weekend with a tournament in Cumberland. Until then, they’ve been practicing hard and are looking good. They held a practice at Gambo Field in Windham on Monday, Aug. 18 showing that they are communicating well and coming together as a team.

Windham fifth grader Addesyn Salazar, left, maneuvers by a
teammate during a practice for the Windham Youth Soccer
Association's fifth grade girls' travel team at Gambo Field 
in Windham on Monday, Aug. 18.
PHOTO BY MATT PASCARELLA

“I like running and I like playing defense,” said Windham fifth grader Charlotte Brown, who’s in her second year of playing soccer. “It’s fun playing defense and trying to score goals even though I don’t like offense that much. (I’d like) to get more into offense this season. I’d like to play in high school and still like the game as much (as I do now). I’m looking forward to the new season. It’s fun practicing with all my friends.”

This season will be a little more challenging as on-field players will increase to nine players-on-nine players where previously games were seven players-on-seven players. This season will also include new field formations and new rules, like offsides.

WYSA’s fifth grade girls’ coach, Geoff Sparrow is now in his fourth year of coaching the team. When he first began coaching, he had a few years of soccer experience but really dug into being a good coach and the research and studying necessary to make sure the kids have good, productive practice sessions.

“It’s so much fun, just seeing the kids develop over the course of the season,” said Sparrow. “To set up an environment where they are learning, building their personal relationships and developing their soccer skills in the game is pretty rewarding. My goal is to coach them to compete well but also make sure they are developing that love for the game and building their bonding relationships with their teammates.”

It is important to keep the game at a fast pace. Sparrow said If the players are idle for 15 seconds, you risk losing their attention. One theory of good coaching for kids is maximizing touches on the ball and not standing in line, doing drills, it’s also important to make sure everyone is involved.

Ridley Fulton, a Windham fifth grader, said she’s been playing soccer since she was very little. She wanted to learn the game so she could improve her skills. Fulton really likes scoring and playing scrimmages. Her goal for the season is to get faster and score more goals; she’d also like to improve her footwork. Fulton says that she likes her teammates and she’s played with a lot of them for a while.

Dorothy “Dottie” Sparrow, a Windham fifth grader, said she has been playing soccer since she was 3. Her sister played, and it seemed like it would be really fun, so she wanted to try it. Sparrow has learned how to pass better and play new positions she’s never tried. She is the team’s goalie and her aim this season is to improve her skills as goalie. Sparrow is looking forward to the season and her long-term goal is to play on the varsity team one day. 

The Windham Youth Soccer program is a great way for kids who are into the game to develop more than they might otherwise with a recreation soccer program; there’s a higher level of coaching that comes with it and it’s a great opportunity for the kids, with not as much travel as people think. For the fifth grade girls’ team, the farthest they travel is 45 minutes away, with most games in neighboring towns.

After the practice Coach Geoff Sparrow gets feedback from his players on what they thought went well, or didn’t go well. He asks them what they learned and uses that feedback to improve future practices. <