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Referee Availability for League & Tournaments
As our local soccer community grows, the need for new and experienced referes continues. Join America’s Largest Soccer League. More details on referee meeting schedules, training, and education can be found on the Referee Classes page. Games are available at SCHEELS Overland Park Soccer Complex, Swope Soccer Village, Compass Mineral Sporting Youth Fields, and new GARMIN Olathe Soccer Complex.
Sign Up to Become a Referee.
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Heartland Soccer Association
Celebrates 45 Years of Soccer!
9161 W 133rd Street, Overland Park, KS 66213
Phone: 913-888-8768
Heartland Soccer Association is recognized as one of the
largest soccer leagues and tournament hosts in the country. We offer recreational to premier divisions,
ages U8 through U19.
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Let Triffic Shirts & More provide all your custom apparel needs including Uniforms and Spirit Wear for your school, clubs, sports teams, family gatherings, and much more. We provide:
* Screen printing from 1 to 6 colors
* Custom art and design work
*Personalized names/numbers for your team spirit wear
*Embroidery
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This Month in History:
January
25 January 1995 - Cantona Was Kung-Fu Fighting
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On 25 January 1995, Manchester United drew 1-1 with hosts Crystal Palace in a match that proved to be very costly for United and their star French forward, Eric Cantona.
Since arriving at Old Trafford from Leeds in November 1992, Cantona had become a United favorite, helping them to the League title in his first two seasons, as well as being named the 1994 PFA Footballer of the Year. Unfortunately, he had also displayed a quick temper, once receiving two red cards in two successive matches.
In that match against Palace, both teams were scoreless early in the second half when Cantona was sent off in the 48th minute for kicking Palace defender Richard Shaw. As he was being escorted off the pitch, he suddenly turned and launched himself feet-first over the advertising hoardings into Palace supporter Matthew Simmons, who had been heaping verbal abuse on the Frenchman. Down to 10 men, United managed to take a 1-0 lead six minutes later but could not prevent Palace from equalizing in the 79th minute to earn the draw.
Cantona was suspended for the rest of the season, sentenced to 120 hours of community service, and fined £10,000. Without him, United fell just short of winning another title, finishing one point behind League champions Blackburn Rovers.
For his part in the altercation, Simmons was jailed for 24 hours, fined £500, and given a one-year ban from all football grounds in England and Wales.
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Go behind the scenes at Children's Mercy Park! Learn about the history of Sporting KC and take a look at the Pitch, Press Box, Broadcast Booth, Locker Room & more!
For more information contact
or 913-912-7578.
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2022 Tournament Team Numbers
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Border Battle '22 - 155
Midwest College Showcase '22 - 68
Heartland Spring Cup '22 - 139
KC Champions Cup '22 - 439
Mother's Day Classic '22 - 422
Kansas City Invitational '22 - 361
Heartland Open Cup '22 - 61
Fall Kick Off Challenge '22 - 252
Heartland Midwest Classic '22 - 171
Midwest All Boys '22- 209
Midwest All Girls '22 - 291
Heartland Invitational Girls '22 - 391
Heartland Invitational Boys '22 - 427
*In the last 12 months Heartland welcomed teams from a total of 17 states and Canada.
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2022 Heartland Numbers
Spring league teams '22 - 1,291
Fall league teams '22- 1,322
League players - 42,000
Tournament teams - 3,011
Tournament players - 46,000+
Referees - 2,000+
Coaches - 4,000
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Come ESCAPE with us!
Exercise your MIND
at one of KC’s most exciting
escape room adventures.
Lots of fun!
Soccer weekends sell out quickly
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MIDWEST COLLEGE SHOWCASE
Mar 3 - 5, 2023
Registration Deadline:
February 6, 2023
The 2023 Midwest College Showcase tournament is an invitational showcase for young men and women soccer players who want to play at the college level. All who participate will demonstrate their talents and abilities to men’s and women’s college coaches from across the Midwest and beyond. More than 1000 collegiate coaches from Divisions I, II, III, NAIA, and NJCAA are invited to scout players.
This College Showcase is designed by College Coaches for college bound youth soccer players and is expected to be one of the finest collegiate showcase tournaments in the USA.
The 2023 Midwest College Showcase will welcome all boys and girls competitive travel teams ages U-13 through U-19 and provide those teams with a three-game guarantee.
In addition, the Showcase will host an individual Combine for players to gain additional exposure in front of college staff.
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Snacks to Fuel and Re-Fuel Your Body
Being an athlete is practically a part time job. Think of the time you spend riding, running, lifting, doing drills, stretching, driving to and from the gym, taking extra showers and all the extra things that come along with training. Accomplishing this makes a person super busy and constantly on the go. It also requires having fuel on hand at all times to have energy for all the hard work-out sessions while on the go.
Enter the gym bag. Think of this piece of equipment not only as a way to carry all your gear but as a cooler, lunch sack and portable pantry as well. To determine what fuel to stash in your gym bag, it's important to consider the following factors: training duration, intensity, temperature, travel time, performance goals and body composition goals.
Suggestions for Your Gym Bag:
Pick snacks that are easy, portable and mess free. Choose ones with the right protein, carbohydrate, fiber and nutrients for your needs.
Quick carbohydrates like bananas, chews, gels, fruit pouches and sport drinks are essential for fueling energy needs when intense training lasts more an hour.
Whole foods should be brought along whenever possible to fuel the in-between of working out, commuting and working.
Recovery is a big part of a successful workout, so make sure to bring along a powder or pre-mixed protein blend.
Electrolytes are essential for gym workouts where you sweat more due to warm, dry air. Bring a tablet, pill or drink that is low-calorie with potassium, sodium and magnesium.
Investing in portable cups, containers, utensils and ice packs will go a long way in keeping your fuel fresh and easy to eat on the go.
Gym Bag Fuel Options:
-Bananas or other whole fruit
-Protein bars
-Hard boiled eggs
-Gummy sports chews
-Overnight oats, grab a pre-made container or make your own jar
-Single serve cottage cheese or Greek yogurts
-Trail mix or fruit bites
-Crackers and hummus
-Homemade sandwiches—try hummus and avocados or almond butter and honey.
Performing your best depends on a well-fueled and nourished body. Instead of leaving your nutrition to chance, be prepared by stashing a few extra snacks in your gym bag. Always keep a non-perishable option for carbohydrate and protein packed to pull out when you need an energy boost or quick recovery option. When your workouts are longer or when you'll be away from your kitchen for long periods of time, bring a whole food mini-meal along. Making room in your gym bag or backpack for some nutritious fuel will go a long way to achieving your fitness goals.
HCA Midwest Health is the official healthcare provider for Heartland Soccer Association and we work with parents and coaches to keep athletes safe and on the field of play year round, learn more about our services at www.hcamidwest.com
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FIND YOUR FORWARDS
This practice develops playing out from the back and the ability to play through the pitch (between the lines).
Set up
14 Field Players
2 Goalkeepers
2 x 15 Minutes
The field is set up as shown in the diagram. The area is split up into four zones of 18yds in length.
On the half-way line place three mannequins to add “traffic” to play through.
Each team has a goalkeeper, four defenders and three forwards.
The teams alternate playing out of defense with the goalkeeper and four defenders vs the opponents three forwards. The aim is to pass into a forward inside the opponent’s half. After passing, one or both full backs are free to go and join the attack.
When this happens, it's important to have balance and organization behind the attack (in your own half). So encourage the central defenders to play two games
1. Serve the attackers
2. Organize and mark (lock down) behind the attack
Rules
The offside line rule is used behind the lines marked on the field. This enables the forwards to start in a high position and then use movement to receive to feet or to space.
Progress the practice into a normal game by adding the midfielders to each team and removing the mannequins.
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Become a Soccer Referee! Give back to the Soccer Community!
Do you enjoy exercise & fitness? Do you enjoy making your own schedule? Are you interested in making some extra money during your soccer weekends? Are you someone wanting to give back to your soccer community?
Become a Soccer Referee! Our soccer community is in search of more Referees so our players can play the beautiful game.
Click the below link 👇🏽 and follow the specific instruction to register for an Entry Level Referee Clinic.
CLINICS AVAILABLE IN OVERLAND PARK, WICHITA & TOPEKA!!!
Join the Referee Team this coming Fall soccer season and be a part of the Beautiful Game!
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The Referee Corner:
A quick review of Law 11 - Offside…
Because we are between seasons and won’t have the opportunity to experience decisions in Heartland matches for several months, the Referee Corner this month will quickly review the Offside Law based on comments from fans about the World Cup Final between France and Argentina. The subject – what does it take for a player to be called “Offside”?
As we have discussed on multiple occasions, Law 11 specifies what it takes for a player to be called offside. There are 3 requirements:
Position: Offside position is defined as being closer to the goal line than the 2nd to the last defender or the ball. As we have seen technology is making this a very precise position. The only parts of the body that are considered are those parts a player can use to legally score a goal. And it is repeated that IT IS NOT AN INFRACTION TO BE IN AN OFFSIDE POSITION.
Timing: The Offside decision is made when the ball is touched or played by a TEAMMATE. If a defender “deliberately” plays the ball, there is no offside infraction. If the ball is deflected off a defender (not deliberately played) then offside is a possible decision.
Active Involvement: Is defined as:
Interfering with play, which could mean trying to receive a pass from your teammate
Interfering with a player, which could mean blocking the goalkeeper or keeping another defender from being able to play the ball
Gaining an advantage, which could mean that I play a ball that rebounded off a goal post or the crossbar or is deliberately saved (not played) by the goalkeeper or a defender
In the final, Messi was in an offside position when the ball was played by one of his teammates. However, the ball was played to the player who was on the wing. This player was not in an offside position and had every legal right to play the play and continue the play. The attacker did this. When the ball rebounded off the French goalkeeper to Messi, he was not in an offside position, so it was a legal goal. Therefore, the announcer (Landon Donovan) commented on the great decision by Kyle Atkins. Messi was not involved initially and being in an offside position is not a violation unless all three requirements are met.
Again, if you are interested in becoming a Referee, please check out the Entry Level Clinics that are posted on www.kansasreferee.org. Understanding offside becomes critical when you are the official that must make that decision. Join the ranks and help us make the game of soccer FAIR and SAFE and consistent with the Laws of the Game at Heartland.
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The Referee Blog:
Soccer, the World Cup and Referees …
Our last major involvement with soccer was the World Cup played in Qatar. This is high stakes soccer where National teams play for “all the marbles”. The players give it all they have (and sometimes a little extra). The fans are cheering for results in each match, but at the same time are looking for the glory and national pride that comes from having a good showing in this tournament. For some teams a good showing is getting a point. For other teams the goal is to make it to the knock out stages. And for others, a good showing only comes from winning it all.
The Group stage provided some memorable moments. Morrocco’s defense was impenetrable. Japan demonstrated why it is critical to keep playing until the whistle is blown (the ball never totally left the field of play and the goal counted). Cameroon defeated the tournament favorite (the match was officiated by the U.S. crew). Who could ever forget the positive demeanor of the U.S. Referee when he had to issue the Red Card to the Cameroonian goal scorer for taking off his shirt. The U.S. team gave England a match to remember and then got the victory against Iran that put them through to the knock out stage.
FIFA schedules seasoned officiating crews for these matches, but the fans weren’t as impressed as you would expect them to be. It was interesting to read the comments from various countries as the results came in. This was especially true in the final match.
Some fans commented that the Messi goal in Overtime should not have counted because they saw Messi as offside. For those who watched the match on Fox, we heard the announcers praise our very own Kyle Atkins for a great decision to not call offside (see the Referee Corner for more on this decision).
Other fans, who claimed a very detailed knowledge of the Laws of the Game, wanted this goal disallowed because there were substitutes who entered the field of play before the ball wholly crossed over the goal line. The Laws of the Game (Law 3 was their reference for wanting the goal disallowed) could be applied here. The question is: did these substitutes have any impact on the play and the goal?
When the Referee was asked if he got this one incorrect, he presented a picture that showed 7 French substitutes on the field when Mbappe scored the 3rd goal for France on a Penalty Kick. If we are going to apply the Letter of the Law on the Messi goal, shouldn’t we also apply it to the Mbappe Penalty Kick goal? The fans didn’t want to talk about that because it wouldn’t make their argument any stronger.
The players ultimately decided the outcome of the Final. Can you imagine what was going through the Argentinian goalkeeper’s mind when he was forced to make the 1 on 1 save at the end of the match to force Kicks from the Mark? What a save!
After the match the Polish Referee team had the opportunity to meet the Director of Officials for FIFA (Colina, who was voted the Referee of the Century for the 20th Century). The center Referee of the Final, Szymon Marciniak told Colina that Colina had always been his idol because of his success on the pitch. Colina responded to Marciniak that based on the performance in the 2022 World Cup Final, Marciniak was now Colina’s idol. Why? Because of the way he managed the match, made critical match decisions, and allowed the outcome to be determined by the players. Remember, this was the World Cup Final!
Only one team can win the Final. That doesn’t make every other team a failure. Players gave their best efforts and accomplished things that they will remember for the rest of their lives. New heroes were born and will play again. Everyone will come back in 4 years and start all over again. But life will go on every day for the next 4 years. That is the lesson we should take from the World Cup. This is the beauty of the game that we play at Heartland also. Not everyone will have a chance to participate in the biggest game in the world, but everyone will have an opportunity to play and/or officiate soccer matches. And, with hard work and some luck along the way, some of the people we see on the pitch at Heartland may make it to a World Cup Final someday. Just ask Kyle Atkins.
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Support all of our players, coaches and Referees to keep the dream alive. And, if you are a fan or a player, consider becoming a Referee. Entry Level Classes will be posted for the Spring season at www.kansasreferee.org
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And, if you are interested in becoming a Referee, please check out the Entry Level Clinics that are posted on www.kansasreferee.org. There are many ways to create successful young adults in our game. You can build up players. You can support the coaches. You can congratulate Referees on their efforts. You can thank the assignors on site for their contributions. All of us can enjoy the opportunity that we have to enjoy the beautiful game in the Heartland Soccer Association. Remember, this foundation was not created by accident. A lot of committed people spent a lot of their time making this happen. Thank them.
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Monthly Referee Meetings
Are you wanting to improve as a referee? How about get less grief? What about being considered for higher level games and state cup? Attending monthly Kansas Referee Program meetings is a great step to help all of that happen! Don't miss opportunities to hone your craft, win some fun prizes, make new friends and elevate your game as an elite Kansas soccer referee! Referees of all ages and experience levels are encouraged to attend!
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2023 Referee Meeting Dates
Feb 13
March 13
April 10
May 8
Meetings will be hosted at the SCHEELS Overland Park Soccer Complex Field House meeting room, 13700 Switzer Rd, Overland Park KS 66213
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Q & A with Seth
When did you start reffing? I got certified in January of 2020.
What made you decide to get certified to referee? I love playing soccer and I wanted my job to be related to soccer so I decided to become a ref. I also had a friend who was a ref and he encouraged me to become a ref.
What is your favorite part about reffing? My favorite part about reffing is the people you meet and the friendships you make, I also have learned a lot from my experiences in reffing games.
What is a life lesson you feel you have learned from reffing? A life lesson I've learned is being professional, making sure your on time and ready to go.
What level of referee to you aspire to be? I hope to ref in the State Cup and ECNL and maybe one day if I continue to ref I hope to ref in the World Cup.
Do you play soccer? I've played soccer for Sporting Blue Valley.
Do you participate in any other activities? I do wrestling for BVW
Do you have any hobbies? I enjoy playing sports with my friends.
What was the last book you read? The last book I read was the Great Gatsby. It's about a rich and famous guy who's name is Jay Gatsby, Gatsby holds parties and is a mysterious man. My favorite part is when Gatsby reveals his past and who he really is.
What types of movies do you like? I like Marvel movies, the last movie I saw was spider man no way home. My favorite part is when all the 3 spider-man meet each other.
What is your favorite sports team? My favorite soccer team is Liverpool and my favorite football team is the Chiefs.
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AB May
Academy Sports and Outdoors
AC Print
Barley's Kitchen and Tap
BRKTHROUGH
Burger Shed
Capelli Sport
Chick-fil-A 7500 W 135th St
Chick-Fil-A 15919 W 87th St Pkwy
Chicken N Pickle
CH Roofing and Exteriors
City Thrift
Connelly Plumbing Solutions
Dick's Sporting Goods
Drs. Hawks, Besler, Rogers & Stoppel
Easton Roofing
Fearless & Capable
GameChanger
Goodcents
Grimaldi's
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Hasty Awards
Hawaiian Bros
HCA Midwest Health
Hy-Vee
KC Current
Kansas City Comets
K.C. Hopps
Krusich Dental
Land of Paws
Levine Advertising
McShane & Brady Law
Menorah Medical Center
Molle Automotive Group
Museum at Prairiefire
Orange Leaf Frozen Yogurt
Overland Park Regional Medical Center
Papa John's
PinStripes
Pittcraft Printing
Raising Cane's
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Rob Ellerman and
Reece Nichols Real Estate
Research Medical Center
Rock and Brews
Salty Iguana
Security Bank
Soccer Master
Sporting Kansas City
Sporting Kansas City II
Starting Point Pediatric Dentistry and Orthodontics
State Farm-Harlan Parker
The Merchant Fitness (Julah)
The Rub Bar-B-Que
Tick Tock Escape Rooms KC
Tropical Smoothie Cafe
T-riffic Shirts & More
Urban Air
Xfinity
Yokohama
Zaxby's
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Heartland Soccer Association is seeking action photo shots of kids of all ages and abilities playing soccer in Heartland League Games or Tournaments. Submitted photos may be included in Heartland Tournament, League and other promotional materials as well as social media posts.
Instructions for submitting photos:
All submitted photo files must be .jpg format, must be a minimum of 1,200 x 1,600 pixels, and no larger than 2 MB in size. Submitting a photo doesn't guarantee that it will be used.
By submitting a photo for consideration for use in Heartland Soccer Association promotional materials, you agree that:
1. You are the sole author of the photograph and control all rights for its use. The photograph is original. You have the rights to grant usage of the photograph as stated below. There has been no prior sale, publication or transfer of rights to the photograph. The photograph shall not contain any libelous or scandalous matter. To the best of your knowledge, the photograph's creation, publication and use shall not infringe any copyright, right of privacy or right of publicity, or infringe or violate any right of any third party.
2. You grant to Heartland Soccer Association all rights to use the photograph in any and all forms of media, including but not limited to electronic, digital media and print.
3. You allow Heartland Soccer Association the right to edit, revise, adapt and crop the photo as necessary.
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