originally sent 12/18/24

Winter Newsletter

The Winter Futsal League is nearing the midpoint, and as such, we are looking ahead to the spring season.  Read on for upcoming deadlines, an end-of-year greeting and reflection, and relevant action items for the spring season!

Upcoming…

• Registration for the spring season is open.  Returning families will have received an email with instructions for registration.  The registration deadline for returning players is Sunday, January 19.  If registration is not complete by then, your spot on your current team may be forfeited to a player on our waitlist.
• If you are not a current player with Anglers and are interested in joining a team, complete the contact form on our website.  We will be holding a supplemental tryout for high school boys in Colorado Springs on Saturday, January 18, weather permitting.  Depending on open roster spots and level of interest, we will hold a supplemental tryout for middle school boys in COS and high school boys in Woodland Park on another date TBD.
• Interest forms for the summer mission trips are open.  Current 8th through 12th grade students can join us in Tres Rios, Costa Rica in June and current 5th through 8th graders can join us for our first ever “local trip” in July.  To learn more about either trip and complete an interest form, click here.

Video Update

State of the Club

Winter is a slower time for Anglers, and really for soccer overall.  For most families, a transition to basketball season or another activity is in the cards, but for some, the Winter Futsal League has become tradition.  We started this league in 2022 to provide some extra opportunities for touches in the offseason.

The league’s format certainly took on a unique approach.  Manual, progressive match scheduling, goalkeepers assigned to matches rather than teams, and ranking teams using a custom Ratings Percentage Index (RPI) were all factors contributing to a unique and slightly quirky league, but there was one element above all else that has benefitted the culture of Winter Futsal the most.  We outlawed coaches, or even parents, from being on the sideline with the teams.  Here in the United States, athletes rarely play without a coach.  Free play, both in sports and just childhood play in general, has been almost completely lost in our current culture.  This may be surprising, but many of the best international footballers (soccer players) grew up not with an abundance of coaching, but an abundance of playing the game with other children in the street, at the park, or just about anywhere else they could.  In some small way, the Winter Futsal League replicates this.  Our Anglers coaching staff still look for small opportunities to speak into an issue a team might be having, but the emphasis is on the players communicating amongst themselves to solve problems.

Please do not misunderstand me.  We at Anglers believe as much as anyone in the importance of a coach in guiding athletes in the growth of their soccer skills and character development.  But we also believe children need space to solve their own problems, form their own social structures with other children, and take initiative of their own development as athletes and people.  In another small way, this too is an opportunity the Winter Futsal League creates.

For those families who have been a part of the Winter Futsal League at some point over the last three years, thank you!  We have been thrilled to see what was initially a casual way to keep kids playing in the offseason grow into a core element and fun subculture of the Club, more than doubling from year one to year three.  We plan to build upon the success of this league with the introduction of the Summer Minisoccer League launching in June at a location realistic for both Colorado Springs and Woodland Park families.  There will be more info to come in our next Community Newsletter, which you can expect around spring break.  In the meantime, we look forward to seeing you on the fields, or, in some cases, on the court!

Action Items

• The Club Shop is open through Admiral.  New players must order a black jersey and a gold jersey; all other items are optional.  Returners may continue wearing their current jersey.  The last day to order within the current order window is Saturday, January 25.  Orders placed between now and then will receive a discount on shipping and will be sent in bulk to the Club and distributed to teams the week of March 17 (for most, matches will begin in April).  Orders can be placed outside these windows and shipped directly to your home, but higher shipping rates apply and on-time delivery cannot be guaranteed.
• Complete registration as directed via email by January 19.

Thank you to our sponsors!

We are a nonprofit, crowdfunded organization. We rely on our growing community of supporters and sponsors to help fund our vision.  If you or your business want to support the work of Anglers, email our Executive Director!  We would love to share more about our vision and financial goals.

Other ways to support…