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MIDWEST MOTHER’S DAY CLASSIC
May 12 - 14, 2023
Registration Deadline:
April 3, 2023
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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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A CONVERSATION WITH WORLD CUP ASSISTANT REFEREE KYLE ATKINS
Kyle is the first Kansas referee to be a World Cup Assistant Referee. Congratulations, Kyle and thank you for representing our soccer community! Watch his interview below!
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This Month in History:
March
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On 30 March 1946, Stockport County and Doncaster Rovers met in a Division Three North Cup replay at Stockport's Edgeley Park. The match lasted 3 hours and 23 minutes, setting a world record in the process.
The teams had earlier played to a 2-2 draw at Doncaster, requiring the replay. The hosts struck first with a 5th minute penalty kick from Ken Shaw, but Rovers fought back to take a 2-1 lead into the break. In the second half, Shaw was again the hero for Stockport, scoring the equalizer in the 72nd minute. After 90 minutes, the teams were tied at 2-2 and neither side was able to score in 30 minutes of extra time.
Under the rules at the time, the match then went into a golden goal period, so that the first team to score would win the match. But neither team was able to find the back of the net. The match went on for so long that several spectators went home for tea, then returned to find the match still going. Stockport thought they had the winner when Les Crocker put the ball in the goal in the 173rd minute, but the referee called a foul and disallowed the goal. Reportedly, even a few Doncaster players were upset at the call, which meant they had to play on.
Eventually, the match was called off close to 7:00 pm because it was too dark to play (Edgeley Park would not get floodlights for another ten years). The players were so tired that many of them dropped to the pitch at the whistle and removed their shoes instantly. The match lasted 203 minutes, which remains a world record.
When the teams met again in a second replay the following week, they played from the beginning instead of picking up where the previous replay had left off. That time, Doncaster left no room for another marathon match, rolling to a 4-0 win in regulation.
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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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2022/2023 Tournament Team Numbers
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Border Battle '23 - 160
Midwest College Showcase '23 - 85
Heartland Spring Cup '23 - 138
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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2022-2023 Heartland Numbers
Spring league teams '23 1,300
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 Mother's Day Tournament
May 12 - 14, 2023
Registration Deadline:
April 3, 2023
The Midwest Mother’s Day Classic consistently attracts over 425 teams including competition from 7 states every year. The Midwest Mother’s Day Classic offers up to six levels of play ensuring that every team finds itself matched against similar competition. In addition to providing excellent competition, this tournament is formatted to be particularly family friendly.
The tournament will be hosted at the SCHEELS Overland Park Soccer Complex and GARMIN Olathe Soccer Complex
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KANSAS CITY INVITATIONAL
May 26 - 28, 2023
Registration Deadline:
April 17, 2023
Kansas City Invitational is the single largest soccer tournament in Kansas City and consistently sells out. This tournament offers four different levels of competition: Gold, Silver, Bronze and Recreational. Teams have traveled from 14 different states to play in the Kansas City Invitational. Appropriate seeding of teams ensures that everyone can compete against opponents of their own ability level.
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Congratulations to our 2022 Heartland Soccer Award Recipients and thank you to everyone who attended the Gala! |
Are You Drinking Enough Water?
You've probably heard the long-standing wisdom that you should drink 64 ounces—that's eight, eight-ounce glasses—every day, no matter what. But the truth might be a little more complicated.
Since hydration needs can vary tremendously based on your body type or your physical activity level, just to name a few, many nutritionists believe it is better advice to drink half of your bodyweight—in pounds—in ounces of water. Though it sounds complicated, we promise the math is easy!
An Individualized Approach
Let's break down a simple example. Say you weigh 200 pounds. Simply divide that number by half, and you'll see that you should be drinking 100 ounces of water a day—significantly more than the recommended 64-ounce amount.
What's nice about this approach is it's more individualized, which is important for those in higher weight ranges who may have larger hydration needs than someone sitting just slightly above 100 pounds.
However, there are even more factors to consider if you are physically active or live in an extremely hot or dry climate. In these scenarios, it's important to tune into your thirst cues and remember to hydrate both before, during and after any rigorous exercise. Note that the specifics can vary greatly based on type of exercise, length of exercise, height, weight and even gender.
Another important way to stay in-touch with your hydration needs is to pay attention to the color of your urine. It should be light yellow or almost clear; dark yellow or brown urine can indicate you're not drinking enough water.
Can You Drink Too Much Water?
Though it's rare, you can drink too much water. This is known as hyponatremia or when sodium levels in your body become dangerously low. Sodium is an electrolyte and regulates the amount of water that's in and around your cells. If you drink too much water, you can severely dilute the sodium in the same way that adding more water to a soup makes it less salty. As your body's water level rises and sodium diminishes, your cells will begin to swell; this condition can be life-threatening.
Because you lose sodium when you sweat, this is a major concern in the endurance community, where marathoners and triathletes will train for hours under rigorous conditions. This is why hydrating with electrolyte-infused sports drinks, powders or snacks is crucial for maintaining the proper sodium levels in the body.
If you are concerned about artificial ingredients or sugar found within certain products, you can simply add a teaspoon of sea salt to your water bottle. Whatever your approach, it's important not to forget proper electrolyte replenishment in addition to hydration.
How to Drink More Water
For those of us who are simply looking to meet our water needs during our regular day-to-day life, there are plenty of easy ways to up your intake. Start with these simple ideas:
-Remember that other liquids (milk, coffee, tea) and even certain foods (watermelon, tomatoes, oranges) can count toward your hydration needs.
-Invest in a reusable water bottle that you can take on-the-go to continue hydrating. A "smart" bottle or bottle that encourages you to drink around the clock can be especially helpful.
-Log your hydration until you get used to the amount you should be drinking each day; this can be done on paper or on a mobile app.
-Establish daily routines to remind you to drink. Examples include: Drinking a glass right after you wake up, drinking a glass before and after every meal, taking a few sips after every bathroom break, etc.
-Don't be afraid to infuse or carbonate your water if that encourages you to drink more; however, try to stay away from sugar-heavy ingredients or formulations.
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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THOMAS TUCHEL INSPIRED GAME
Rules:
- Two penalty areas long, with the edge of the area acting as a halfway line
- “Danger Area” marked out by red zone (width of goal posts to pk spot)
- Game starts left to right (yellow arrows) with teams playing to small goals at each end
- After a goal is scored, the game switches to up and down (green arrows), with the team that scored attacking the penalty area with the red zone (which provides opportunity to score extra points)
- Once a goal is scored, the game switches back to left to right.
- The up and down game is 7v7 including keepers
- The left and right game is 6v6 +2 with the keepers acting as neutrals
- Offside rules applies in the up and down game, but only to team attacking penalty area with red zone
Scoring:
- Normal goal – 1 Point
- Scoring in red zone – 3 points (scoring 1st touch – 4 points)
- Scoring 1st touch in penalty area – 2 points
- Scoring 1st touch in mini goals – 2 points
Coaching Points:
- Quick combinations in attack
- Get numbers into penalty area when attacking large goal
- Switching play/overload to isolate (mini-goal game)
- Protect the middle
- Force play in one direction
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The Referee Corner:
Let’s look at a couple of situations and see what the Laws of the Game say the correct decision should be…
You are all invited to download the FREE IFAB application from the Google Play Store or the Apple store. We encourage our Referees to do the same. The reason is to create more consistency in decisions. As we stated in this month’s Referee article, the Laws cannot deal with every possible situation, so where there is no direct provision in the Law, we have to make decisions within the spirit of the game and the Law. Let’s look at some specific situations. Did you make the correct decision?
Question 1: While the ball is in play in the middle of the field, a defender starts a fight with an attacker and strikes the opposing player in the defender’s Penalty Area. What is the Referee’s decision?
If the first offense was by the defender in their Penalty Area and the ball was in play, it is a Penalty Kick – It does not matter where the ball was when the offense occurred as long as the ball was in play. The defender is also sent off (shown a red card) for violent conduct. This is the application of Law 12 to the situation.
Question 2: During the taking of a penalty kick, the goalkeeper has one foot in front of the goal line and one behind it at the moment the ball is kicked. The goalkeeper saves the kick and prevents the ball from entering the goal. What is the Referee’s decision?
The amended Law 14 requires the defending goalkeeper to have at least part of one foot touching, in line with, or behind the goal line until the moment the ball is kicked. Therefore, the goalkeeper has not committed an offense and the Referee allows play to continue.
Question 3 : An attacking player accidentally touches the ball with their hand/arm and then passes the ball to the teammate who immediately has a clear goal scoring opportunity. What is the Referee’s decision?
Accidental handball by a teammate creating a goal scoring opportunity is not a handball offense (unless it was deliberate or the hand/arm has made the body unnaturally bigger so the Referee will allow play to continue.
Question 4 : An attacker accidentally touches the ball with their hand/arm (it has not made their body unnaturally bigger) and then passes the ball to a teammate who immediately passes the ball back to the attacker who scores. What is the correct decision?
This is not a handball offense. The Referee will award the goal.
Questions 3 and 4 demonstrate how understanding the Law is critical in addition to the judgement making by the Referee. For there to be a handball, the player must deliberately handle the ball with their hand/arm, for example, moving the hand/arm to the ball. Concerning making their body unnaturally bigger, the Law says that a player is considered to have made their body unnaturally bigger when the position of their hand/arm is not a consequence of or justifiable by the player’s body movement for that specific situation. There is a lot of judgement going on in these decisions. And, depending on your role (for example, cheering for the defender or for the attacker) getting the decision correct can be difficult.
Soccer is a beautiful game. The goal of FIFA is to see that the Law is applied consistently across the world – on every field, in every league and in every country. Yes, judgement by the Referee is required, but when the Referee shares his/her decision based on judgement the final decision should be accepted.
To understand more about the Laws and the application of the Laws to the game, consider becoming a US Soccer Referee. We would love to have you in one of our Entry Level Clinics.
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Let the games begin. The Soccer Community gets ready for the Spring 2023 season…
The wait is over. Last weekend there was a college showcase tournament at the Overland Park SCHEELS Soccer Complex with local and out of state teams participating. The League starts on February 24th as does the first Heartland Tournament of the Season, The Border Battle. We will be playing in Kansas weather (high of 34 on the 24th and 58 on the 26th). Everyone will be glad to be playing including the Referees who will be coming off of their winter breaks and working on their game management for the Spring season.
The Laws of the Game for 2022/23 shares the following in discussion of the philosophy and sprit of the Laws:
Football must have Laws which keep the game fair – this is a crucial foundation of the ‘beautiful game and a vital feature of the ‘spirit’ of the game. The best matches are those where the Referee is rarely needed because the players play with respect for each other, the match officials, and the Law.”
Heartland is a competitive league. In the heat of competition there are times when the players challenge each other in ways that are not in keeping with the Laws of the Game. This is why the League follows the FIFA Laws and has Referees. Again let me share some additional text from this year’s Laws of the Game:
Football’s Laws are relatively simple compared to most other team sports, but as many situations are subjective and match officials are human, some decisions will inevitably be wrong or cause debate and discussion. For some people, this discussion is part of the game’s enjoyment and attraction but, whether decisions are right or wrong, the ‘spirit’ of the game requires that Referee’s decisions must always be respected. All those in authority, especially coaches and team captains, have a clear responsibility to the game to respect the match officials and their decisions.
The Laws cannot deal with every possible situation, so where there is no direct provision in the Law, FIFA expects the Referee to make a decision within the ‘spirit’ of the game and the Law…
The Laws must also contribute to the safety and welfare of the players…Accidents inevitably occur, but the Laws aim to help make the game as safe as possible, balancing player welfare and sporting fairness… The Laws embody the unacceptability of unsafe play in their disciplinary phrases such as ‘reckless challenge’ and endangering the safety of an opponent’ or ‘using excessive force’.
In the past year almost 900 new Referees have certified in Kansas and registered to work Heartland matches. This means you have a large number of new officials who are learning how to deliver the most effective game management for Heartland’s Leagues and tournaments. We have talked about this in the past – how Referees improve. They follow the same path that your players do. The game is the teacher and experience is the only way to grow in confidence and capabilities.
KSYSA is once again funding the Referee Peer Mentoring program as a part of their contributions to the growth of soccer in Kansas. You will see the new officials and the mentors out at the fields for the Spring season. We look forward to providing you with SAFE, FAIR and ENJOYABLE matches. We will make mistakes, but we will learn from them in the same way that players do.
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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
March 13
April 10
May 8
All other 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 Stella
When did you start reffing? I started reffing futsal in December of 2021 and outdoor soccer in the spring of 2022.
What made you decide to get certified to referee? One of my soccer teammates talked about it at a practice, so we went and got certified together. It seemed like it would be fun and a good chance to start earning some income.
What is your favorite part about reffing? The sense of community among all of the referees.
What is a life lesson you feel you have learned from reffing? All refs have experienced angry parents or coaches or players. Whether or not it is justified, I've learned that you just have to keep going and move on.
Do you referee Futsal? Yes, I referee futsal. I started reffing futsal in December of 2021.
What is your favorite part about reffing futsal? I enjoy the fast pace and being closer to the action, and it gives me more chances to ref higher-level games. I had the aooportunity to ref at the regional futsal tournament this year and it was a great experience.
What level of referee to you aspire to be? I would like to be able to ref at the college level some day.
Do you play soccer? Yes, I play soccer. I started playing rec ball when I was 4-years-old then moved to competetive in 3rd grade and since then have played for SBV Holland 09.
Do you participate in any sports/activities? I attend Summit Trail Middle School in Olathe and have ran cross coutry and track and wrestled. In 7th grade, I took 1st place in the Olathe district cross country meet. I also play the bass clarinet and bari saxaphone for my school's concert band and jazz band.
What do you enjoy most? My two dogs, Adley and Alex!
Do you have any hobbies? I like baking, sewing, and of course reffing!
What was the last book you read? It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover.
What types of movies do you like? Any movies, really. But I enjoy older movies like the Goonies or Princess Bride. The last movie I watched was Cars. I know it's a kids movie, but I was sick and when I don't feel well, watching kids movies makes me feel better:)
What is your favorite sports team? The US Womens National Team!
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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
Levine Advertising
McShane & Brady Law
Menorah Medical Center
Molle Automotive Group
Museum at Prairiefire
Nautical Bowls
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
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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