Jerseyville Strykers Soccer Club

Soccer Clinic

2011-11-23T13:07:00.000-06:00

Indoor Soccer Clinics with Coach Brad Kimble

Coach Brad Kimble is a Nationally “D” Licensed coach who has been coaching boys and girls youth soccer for eleven years. He is currently the Club Manager and Coach for the Jerseyville Strykers Soccer Club and the Varsity Girls Soccer Coach at Jersey Community High School.

He is offering a six-week training series for players in grades 1 – 8 to accelerate their individual performance on the field. His training curriculum offers fundamental skills and proper technique with dribbling, trapping, passing, shooting, and offensive and defensive spacing.

Classes will be held at the Susnig Center in Jerseyville on Friday nights beginning December 16, 2011 and run through January 27, 2012 – excluding December 9 and 30.

Classes are offered at $10.00 per session or $50.00 for all six sessions.

Individual times will be determined at the close of registration. Coach Kimble will do his best to keep participants within a close age grouping and/or gender.

Registration is currently open until November 30, 2011. Contact Coach Kimble directly:
Cell: 618.535-9530
E-mail: jerseyvillestrykers@yahoo.com

Submitted to the newspaper:

2010-10-10T18:42:00.004-05:00

The following article has been submitted to the local newspapers [minus the picture].

Sensational Soccer
By Brad Kimble

Chances are, if you read the title of this article and saw my name, you probably know that I have a little bit to do with soccer in this town. But for those of you who might not know me, my name is Brad Kimble. I have been involved with this game since I was five years old and soccer has become one of my passions. In addition to playing, I have coached at the Parks and Recreation level for nine years, I am the coordinator and one of the licensed coaches for the Jerseyville Strykers Soccer Club, and I am the assistant varsity and junior varsity coach for the Jersey High School girls’ teams. I take great pride in the fact that Jerseyville Strykers Soccer Club has had a certain amount of success and that is now filtering into the boys and girls high school programs. There is a good chance that if your child plays soccer in this community, our paths will cross at some point or another.
I’d like to take a moment to share what is on my heart, if you don’t mind. I firmly believe that I have surrounded myself with the absolute best people in the world. I have a fantastic wife who puts up with my never-ending schedule. I have fabulous children. I have great coaches who work within the guidelines I’ve put over them. I have an awesome level of business support in this community that helps me reach the financial obligations of the Strykers Soccer Club. And most importantly, I have the most excellent parents ever. They have allowed the other coaches and me to train their children not only the game, but also a certain level of character that allows them to play the game with dignity. To all of you, “Thank you, from the bottom of my heart!”
A few months ago, the Jerseyville Strykers Soccer Club held its annual summer soccer camp. There were just over seventy campers this year and right at thirty volunteer coaches to help run the various stations. We have had two other soccer camps run by professional level trainers within the past few months. The high school program brought in a local college coach to run their conditioning camp. In July, a former soccer Olympian, John Carenza, was at the high school for an “Olympic Day.” Three of the Strykers teams participated recently in The Kickoff Classic in Carlinville. Those same three teams either have or will participate in the Gillespie tournaments. Three of the five Stryker teams have begun playing in the Southern Illinois Soccer League (SISL), which includes several of the teams involved in our current high school conference – further increasing the chances of high school success. The Jerseyville Parks and Recreation Soccer season is now underway. And finally, the high school boys are completing their season with nearly forty players. With all of this soccer activity, no one in this community would deny that soccer is thriving. In fact, when adding all players who play soccer throughout the year in our community, the total number is near 400 players.
I’d like to challenge this community to consider what this game could really do for our local economy. With the exception of the few who play for our local Parks and Recreation Department’s Fall league and the home games for the high school teams, all of our families travel to other communities for games, whether playing in tournaments or leagues. Consider the Carlinville Tournament, for example, that services soccer teams from approximately sixteen communities for their week-long Kickoff Classic. There are approximately forty-four teams involved within six age levels, each team paying approximately $150.00. That is nearly 700 players attending this tournament. Add to that the number of family members and friends who watch these exciting games, work up an appetite, and decide to quench their hunger at the tournament’s concession stand or frequent several local businesses. By the way, The Kickoff Classic boasts a minimum of thirty local business sponsorships to help fund the tournament. The Gillespie tournaments include roughly 26 teams. And the SISL league varies by age and gender divisions which could include anywhere from 8 to 18 teams. These teams all play a minimum of ten games traveling for half of their games to other communities. Our Strykers teams have to rent fields at Gordon Moore Park in Alton for our home games because there are no suitable soccer fields in this community. Not only do we not have fields, we do not have the revenue generating from the ability to host our own tournaments and league home games.
As the Coordinator for the Jerseyville Strykers Soccer Club, I’d like to think we could do better for so many children in our community. Personally, my main focus is to develop the best quality players through training and frequency of competitive play. I am not a politician. I am not part of the money machine. I am not part of the decision making process of social or athletic growth in this community. But I am a coach who knows the potential of our players. I am concerned because there are obvious obstacles placed in the way. I am frustrated because we allow ourselves to spend in other communities without providing more opportunities for people of other communities to spend here. I believe soccer could generate a substantial increase to our local economy. It has already proven to be successful despite its obstacles. It is growing numerically and competitively. It has allowed families to collectively cheer for teams that work together. Those families continually support their players even if that means traveling an hour to watch a game – sometimes doing that three times a week. Imagine what the game could do to our community as it gains support from a broader audience!
If you would like to know more about the Jerseyville Strykers Soccer Club, please contact Brad Kimble through E-mail: jerseyvillestrykers@yahoo.com, or check out the Strykers’ blog: http://jerseyvillestrykers.blogspot.com. If you would like to come watch a Strykers Soccer Club team in action, please check out the “game schedules” link on the site: www.sisl.org. We play through November, so bring your hot cocoa, blankets, and layers.

Carlinville Tournament 2010

2010-09-05T20:21:00.004-05:00

Great weekend at the Carlinville Tournament.

[If you have a picture of the U-10 team, please forward one to me so I can post it here.]

The U-14 Girls and the U-14 Boys . . . . I am SO PROUD of ALL of you.

Thank you Sponsors!

2010-08-11T12:22:00.002-05:00

The Jerseyville Strykers Soccer Club would like to recognize and thank our sponsors for the 2010-2011 seasons:

Alfonso’s Pizza
Prescription Shop
Arter & Sons Const.
Sackman Gas Co. Inc.
Bishop Family Eye Care
Schell Insurance
Bob and Mary Sue Norman
State Street Antiques
Heneghan and Associates, P. C.
Strang and Parish, LTD
Colonial Title & Escrow
IMA – Dr. John Palcheff
Strauss Concrete Concepts
Jerseyville Banking Center
The Homeridge
Lacy Ice Cream Distributing
Turner’s Tumbling
McDonalds
We Be Ink
Phone Masters LTD
WJBM

If you get a chance, let the sponsors know how much you appreciated their support of our Stryker Summer Soccer Camp.

Strykers 2010 Camp Shirts

2010-08-11T12:16:00.003-05:00

I have a few camp shirts for sale. If you would like a shirt, they are $15.00 each. I have just a couple of youth mediums, a hand full of youth larges, quite a few adult smalls, mediums, and larges.
Let me know.

About SISL -- YES, WE ARE MOVING ON!

2010-05-26T19:21:00.003-05:00

Many of you have expressed support of the transition TO a more competitive level.

As I have been in contact with SISL, it seems that this is the right step for us. We will ALL be moving into this level [U-10's through U-14's].

Keep in mind, the Swanner camp will be required for all current players. This will be the best opportunity to get TEAM training before we make this big move. The Core training camp is about $70.00 per player. There will probably not be much as far as scholarship money this year. So, please be prepared for that.

The following information is about the SISL. . . .

Here are the QUICK notes:

League = U-10 through U-14 / Cost is $670.00 [U-10], $700.00 [U-12], $780.00 for the registration. This cost is for the TEAM, NOT individual costs.

Players DO need to be carded – they no longer allow “recreational” teams. When carded through the state, it does include a secondary insurance plan (part of the fee, which I am not sure about yet).

League cost does NOT include referee fees [about $140.00] and field maintenance fees [$minimal?].

Registration fee is for the YEAR, not just a season. They have a Fall AND Spring season, total of 18-22 games.

Coaches HAVE to be licensed with either Class E or D. There are classes for this in June and July. The D license, which is the oldest group for us, DOES cover all age groups. In addition, coaches have to attend a coaches/rules clinic. Teams HAVE to have two coaches listed who are both licensed. As of now, there are three of us interested.

It is possible to have an unlimited roster size – only 14 at the game. Roster CAN be filled with girls if there are not enough boys to play. So, girls can play in the boy's league, boys can NOT play in the girl’s league.

If you check out the site, you will notice that we would be playing GREAT teams AND they are teams we would meet at the high school level.

The lady I talked to was extremely helpful and is offering to help us with getting all information we need, including the carded process.

Brad

Strykers Philosophy

2010-01-23T13:00:00.000-06:00

I have been thinking for quite some time about writing a philosophy statement of what I believe the Jerseyville Strykers Soccer Club should demonstrate. The simple fact is that the Club is a growing entity. Strykers is growing in numbers, acceptance, and financial support. With these things in mind, I feel it is very important to develop and write a philosophy so that, while we continue to expand, we will never leave our core principles as an organization. A philosophy is simply a set of basic principles or concepts established and associated with an organization. I will begin with what I believe is the Mission, Vision, and Values of our Strykers organization.

Mission [Why does the Club exist?]:
It is the mission of the Jerseyville Stryker Soccer Club to help our players grow and develop:
1. Physically, by learning soccer skills, improving physical conditioning, developing good health habits, and avoiding injury.
2. Psychologically, by learning to control their emotions and developing healthy feelings of self-worth.
3. Socially, by learning cooperation in a competitive environment and understanding and acting with appropriate standards of behavior.
4. Mentally, by helping the players rehearse and prepare mentally before taking action. To have fun, enjoy, and develop a passion for the game of soccer.
5. Morally and spiritually, by helping each player develop a code of conduct that honors God on and off of the soccer field.

Vision [What does the Club want to accomplish?]:
It is the vision of the Jerseyville Strykers Soccer Club to produce the best soccer players in the Central and Southern areas of Illinois. By competing in tournaments and leagues, both indoor and outdoor, Strykers players will continually test their abilities against neighboring communities and consistently strive towards excellence.

Values [What is most important to the Club?]
The Jerseyville Strykers Soccer Club values:
1. Consistency in execution for both coach and player.
2. Consistency in character demonstration for both coach and player.
3. Continual and collaborative coaching education in the development of player skills and tactical strategies.
4. Constant and consistent communication between community, coaches, parents, and players.
5. The pursuit of the best opportunities to demonstrate the players’ abilities.

What is Success?

2009-11-12T16:58:00.002-06:00

Yeah, that's right, WE ARE!!!!!
The following is a copy of an article I submitted to the Jersey County Journal AND to the Jersey County Star [now online]. My next step - and if you want to help, please let me know - is to send SEVERAL pictures of our teams to these papers, too. As you will read, we are doing several things right. Let's toot our own horn for a while. We all know that not all athletic programs in this town can claim this level of consistent performance. Happy reading . . . .

Success Equals The Jerseyville Strykers Soccer Club
By Brad Kimble

One of the beautiful things about the Jerseyville Strykers Soccer Club is the fact that it is still alive and growing. The Jerseyville Strykers Soccer Club was established in 1991 as an opportunity to allow youth in our community to learn the game. Soccer is used as a tool to foster the character growth and development of its players and through this game, coaches can encourage players to develop the skills necessary to work with others, persevere through tough times, celebrate success, and control emotions. These principles provide the foundation for this organization and its efforts to remain active and growing in this community. While, at times, it seemed as though the obstacles outweighed the opportunities, Jerseyville Strykers is, in fact, growing. There are now five committed coaches that are focused on developing the best players in the Jerseyville area: Brad Kimble, coordinator and coach for the U-12 girls team; Ryan Arter, coach for the U-14 boys team; Robb Ridenhour, coach for the U-12 boys team; and, Brady Dabbs and Rusty Kallal, coaches for the two U-10 boys teams.
In the past year, Jerseyville Strykers Soccer Club has been very active. Through its participation in indoor competitive leagues, hosting a 3V3 tournament, running concessions at the Jerseyville Legion during Little League baseball games, hosting a very successful youth camp, inviting Jami Swanner of the St. Louis Illusion and CORE Soccer Training to train our players, and winning championship titles with each of the boys’ teams, Strykers has developed a consistent reputation for excellence. Our neighboring towns acknowledge this, too. Coaches consistently compliment our players for their level of skill, unselfish play, and sportsmanship. The Strykers’ reputation is even to the point that a nearby club team encourages our players to consider joining their program – even though we beat them in a friendly exhibition game.
Of course, the success of the Strykers is largely dependent upon its financial supporters. Not only do parents foot the bill for uniforms and tournaments, but local businesses and philanthropists help the organization offset the costs of tournaments, supplies, shipping costs, and advertisements. The number of financial supporters has more than doubled in the past three years. This has allowed the Strykers program to increase its numbers of players from approximately 18 for most of its existence to nearly 80 for the past three years. It is with a deep sense of gratitude that the Strykers would like to say “Thank you” to those supporters. One way we express our thanks is to include the list of sponsors on our summer camp T-shirts, which is approximately 170 shirts. The following is a list of those sponsors:
The Jerseyville Strykers Soccer Club would like to recognize and thank our sponsors for the 2009-2010 seasons: [In a really messed up order]

Alfonso’s Pizza
Plaza Cleaners & Laundry
Alton Physical Therapy
Prescription Shop
Arter & Sons Const.
Sackman Gas Co. Inc.
Bishop Family Eye Care
Schell Insurance
Heneghan and Associates, P. C.
State Street Antiques
IMA – Dr. John Palcheff Strang and Parish, LTD
Colonial Title & Escrow
Jerseyville Banking Center
Strauss Concrete Concepts
Lacy Ice Cream Distributing
The Homeridge
McDonalds
Turner’s Tumbling
Norman Brothers Inc.
We Be Ink
Phone Masters LTD
WJBM

History

2009-09-21T22:17:00.003-05:00

There are many in our community that could do a much more adequate job explaining the history of the Jerseyville Strykers Soccer Club. If you are one of those "if the know," I strongly encourage you to comment to this posting. I think we would all be interested in the specific details.
Here is what I do know . . . .

The Club was established in 1991 by a few men in the community to serve two basic purposes: 1) to grow the soccer players in Jerseyville; and 2) to promote strong Christian character traits in those players as they play the game. These purposes were carried out in two formats: traveling teams and summer camp. For many years, Stryker players were able to travel to local areas and enjoyed a certain level of success. The teams were typically hand-picked and would fluctuate each year. Again . . . . this part of the history is vague to me because I was not necessarily around to play or to coach any of the players.

Where I come on to the scene would be in 1999 when I helped with the summer camp. For the next two years I was one of the camp coaches, helping with the youngest age groups. When my oldest son began playing for the Parks and Recreation Department, I decided to coach. Stryker teams were practically at a stalemate. I heard about the Carlinville Kickoff Classic and the fact that Jerseyville teams would send one or two Stryker teams there. I called my previous Park and Rec. team and took them as my first co-ed Stryker team. At that point, I became passionate about helping the Jerseyville Strykers Soccer Club grow into the best soccer organization in this area.
In 2005, I had a conversation with the Coordinators about the future of the Stryker program. We agreed that I should take it over because I not only had two of my own boys playing for the teams, but I also firmly believed in the Stryker's purposes. [By the way, I will have another post about that specific topic very soon.] I was a little over ambitious and in that year's Carlinville tournament, I coached two teams. Yes, I was crazy for that. The 2006 Stryker Camp was a transition year where I began to take the reins of the program. I began to add coaches and teamsand opportunities for play. I am proud of the fact that there are now five strong teams and six committed coaches.
Yes, I've left out a lot of details for you to fill in. Now it is your turn. I can't wait to read what you say.

Welcome to the Jerseyville Strykers Blog

2009-09-21T22:08:00.002-05:00

Hello and welcome to the Jerseyville Stryker Soccer Club's blog.

There is always a little hesitation when using today's technology to highlight a group's accomplishments or recognize a player's skills. So please allow me to establish a few basic ground rules for this blog. First of all, I will be filtering all comments before they will be allowed to be visible to the mass public. Secondly, we all need to agree to limit the amount of person information shared. With that in mind, if and when a team or child needs to be recognized, I will do my best to only mention first names or division/team names. Thirdly, the PRIMARY purpose of this blog is to share information about the organization and the opportunities that are available.

With that, welcome. Explore and enjoy!