Category: Community

What Are the Benefits of Playing Recreational Soccer with North Whidbey SC?

The beautiful game involves more than scoring or stopping goals and getting wins. Our pitches at Fort Nugent and other community partner are also a playground for life lessons, especially for our young players.

Playing recreational soccer within the Whidbey Island Recreational Soccer League (WIRSL) can be an enriching experience for players, coaches, referees, and other volunteers. There are physical, psychological, and social benefits to consider.

If you’re thinking about rec soccer this year, let’s lace up the boots together in this post to explore how kicking a ball around can become more than “just a game” for the players in your home.

Physical Fitness & Health

Soccer is a physically demanding sport. Not only does it require constant movement on and off the ball through running, dribbling, and kicking, but there is also a contact aspect to it. North Whidbey SC players work to enhance endurance, foster muscle development, improve flexibility, and focus on coordination as they practice getting better in this game that we love.

In a world where digital distractions are plentiful, our recreational program offers a #SoccerForEveryone approach to deliver dynamic ways to get kids moving.

Cognitive Development Benefits

Soccer is a thinking game. When I’m working with our high school boys in Deception FC programming or working with our goalkeepers, I often compare it to games like chess or poker. When you can predict and anticipate what your opponents will do as a reaction to you, it becomes that much easier to find success on the pitch.

Within our recreational program at North Whidbey SC, we encourage a focus on persistence, concentration, and strategic thinking to enhance a player’s problem-solving skills.

This development is transferrable, helping kids navigate the challenges they face off the pitch from the lessons learned on it.

Social Skills and Teamwork

The reason why I love soccer so much is that it provides a platform for individual creativity within a teamwork environment. Players must work together to achieve a common goal. On the pitch, communication is an essential element of this process.

In recreational soccer, players take the first steps forward to learn how to express themselves, listen to others, and understand the value of having a supportive team. These lessons and interactions foster a sense of belonging that often develops long-lasting friendships outside the game.

With our WIRSL approach, our teams get to face other players in the same age group from across Whidbey Island. You get some of the benefits that travel soccer offers while getting to play at home or on the south end, facing Central Whidbey SC and South Whidbey YSC.

Emotional Resilience

I wish we could win every game. However, the highs and lows that soccer offers mirror the ups and downs we face in life. There are thrills, excitement, disappointment, and frustration. In the lens of recreational soccer, each moment teaches a valuable lesson in how to handle success or failure with grace, empathy, and pride.

As our players become resilient and adaptable, they become able to be more present as they persevere through challenges. Winning is something, but it isn’t everything, and at North Whidbey SC, we strive to show the kids in our programming that there is a bigger picture to embrace.

Seeds of a Healthy Lifestyle

I approach soccer in the concept of “tradition, passion, and pride.” By taking lessons from the past, embracing a love for this game, and recognizing what you and a team have accomplished, the first elements of healthy physical and emotional habits get planted. As kids get older, they can see how decisions affect them in specific ways, allowing them to ignite a desire to stay active, focus on positive coping, and pursue what interests them.

In the whirl of excitement that a game brings at any level, it becomes easy to overlook the profound impacts that this game and our reactions to it can have on a youth player’s development. Our kids do more than chase a ball on a field. They’re building skills for life!

Our registration deadline for Spring 2024 at the $100 rate is February 1st. You can get your player involved by going to our Registration page and following the recreational links there. Thank you for considering North Whidbey SC for your family’s needs as it relates to the beautiful game!

-Graeme

What to Expect from North Whidbey SC

Are you thinking about joining North Whidbey SC? Whether you’re a young player, a parent, or interested in our volunteer or paid coaching opportunities, you’re in for an exciting journey!

Here’s what you can expect when working with our team as we bring youth soccer opportunities to Oak Harbor and Whidbey Island.

Our Focus on Community

North Whidbey SC takes the word “community” seriously. We’re active members of the Oak Harbor Chamber, function as the lead club for the Whidbey Island Recreational Soccer League (WIRSL), and we provide soccer development opportunities for 600+ players annually. You will find our club participating in parades, sponsoring other activities on the island, and supporting small businesses in whatever ways we can.

You’ll find a warm and welcoming environment where teamwork, passion, and pride are the essence of who we are as a club.

Professional Coaching and Development

Since 2020, we have emphasized coaching development at the grassroots level for volunteer and paid coaches. North Whidbey SC subsidizes the entry-level US Soccer courses for our volunteers to help them get started on their exciting journeys in our sport on the right foot.

Miko (President) played with the Whidbey Islanders while growing up and brings her considerable personal experiences in the sport to club leadership and as a coach.

Graeme (VP) & Beth Sandlin (DOC) both hold USSF D licenses. Graeme is also a C license candidate. They provide direct learning opportunities for player of all ages, in all club programming, to creatively explore and experiment with different skills and styles.

Our board of directors also offers significant local experience in the game, along with playing and coaching experience in other sports.

Graeme is also one of the senior referees on Whidbey Island. He supervises youth referee development for teens 13 and up who want to stay connected to the game this way while earning a little money.

Recreational and Competitive Play

North Whidbey SC players can join a team in the spring and the fall for WIRSL competition. During the spring league, that includes our annual Matt Mikos Memorial Recreational Tournament. This option is highly affordable and a fantastic way to try our team sport without significant travel requirements. Most games are played at Fort Nugent Park.

For players wanting more of a challenge, our Deception FC program delivers a competitive experience with experienced coaches. These teams travel throughout Western Washington, from Lynden to Aberdeen, to compete against other clubs at a similar level.

In the 2023-24 season, we had teams competing in Divisions 1-4 within the North Puget Sound League.

Are You Ready to Start Your Soccer Journey Today?

Joining North Whidbey SC means you’re becoming part of an engaged community of players, parents, referees, coaches, sponsors, and volunteers. Together, we believe that this game we love has the power to make a positive impact on the lives of everyone who plays. That’s why our focus is squarely on #SoccerForEveryone.

Are you interested in joining or want more information about our programming? If so, please visit the program page on our website or reach out to the board member responsible for that area of our club. See you on the pitch soon!