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From the Desk of the DOC #1

What a fast and furious start to the 2022-2023 soccer year! With our Classic preseason training camp, Rocket Camp, Academy preseason training camp and finally, our McDonald’s Recreational teams kicking off their season, it has been a wild first month on the job. I have certainly enjoyed seeing our kids, parents, coaches and referees back out on the fields enjoying soccer.


Our classic team training sessions (U11-U19), run by myself and our director team with support from our team coaches, presented an opportunity for everyone to get back into the swing of things and get a feel for the upcoming season. We had a solid turnout and welcomed some new players and coaches to the program.


We held our second annual Rocket Camp for ages 10U-14U. This program is a collaboration between Neenah Soccer Club and the Neenah High School soccer program. Together, leadership from both organizations helped the current high school players put on a three-day clinic of fun soccer-related games and scrimmages, culminating in a tournament played on the varsity field under the lights. The kids got to interact with and enjoy the company of their role models in the high school program. Also, there were Dilly Bars, lots and lots of Dilly Bars (thank you, Dairy Queen!). 


This is an excellent way to connect our soccer pathways as a one-club, one-high school community. To say the camp was a success is an understatement. With over forty high school player-coaches working with over 200 campers, we expect nothing but growth for next year — a huge shout out to the high school players, coaches and boosters.


Our Academy program (7U-10U) continued to grow this year as we shifted away from playing in the East Central league. This move provides more freedom and flexibility in scheduling and our

player development model, giving Neenah SC more control over who we play and how we train. So far, it has opened the doors to building relationships with other clubs around the state, like Lakeshore United and Fond du Lac Soccer Club, with more clubs waiting in the wings. Our Academy coaching staff, consisting of parent volunteers, staff coaches and directors, is up for this new challenge and has already got the year going in a great direction!


In association with McDonald’s, our elementary school recreational program has also kicked off, with over 500 players representing Neenah area elementary schools. These kids are joining their classmates to learn a bit about the game (and enjoy free McDonald’s ice cream) in a fun atmosphere. Thanks to our parent volunteers and families for getting involved in this program!


Congratulations to our Neenah SC 2008 Girls 15U Red Premier team, who recently traveled down to Aurora, Illinois, for the Chicago Developmental Showcase Tournament. There, they played three group-stage games against teams from all over Illinois and came out with two wins, one tie and a plus-eight goal differential (nine goals for, one goal scored on them the whole tournament; great job, defenders and goalkeepers! They capped the tournament with a 2-0 victory over the FC Hawks FC Stars 2008 Girls out of the Northern Chicagoland area, sealing the championship and bringing home the trophy. Cheers to our girls and Coach John!


Lastly, games for many of our classic teams started last week with wins, losses and ties. I am pleased with how our teams played and felt our players, coaches and parents represented Neenah SC well. We are moving in a good direction and will grow from these experiences. Here’s to a strong start and good momentum moving into the real meat of the season!


Yours in Soccer,

Sean Breitzman

Director of Coaching

Neenah Soccer Club

By Neenah Soccer 04 Jan, 2024
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By Neenah Soccer 04 Jan, 2024
As we move into the winter season...
By Neenah Soccer 23 Nov, 2023
Click here to read full news letter!
By Mike Jones 26 Aug, 2023
Updates as our fall season kicks off!
08 Mar, 2023
Hello Neenah Soccer Club, hope all is well and everyone is getting excited for the spring soccer season. Did you know that this year NSC turns 50. Yes that is correct, we will be celebrating our 50th anniversary this year. It is an amazing accomplishment that we celebrate 50 years as the city of Neenah celebrates 150 years. Over the 50 years, NSC has grown. How we run and function as a club today we have to thank the countless board members and coaches that made Neenah Soccer Club what it is today. We are the oldest club north of the Milwaukee & Madison area. This past month I was able to catch up with Tony Ansems, Lee Hillstrom & Marti Coan. All 3 are past NSC Presidents and people I have known for years and thank them for everything they have done for the club over the years to get to where we are today. We discussed the history of the club and said it would be great to have a celebration for turning 50. On Aug 13, we will have a 50th anniversary dinner and gathering. This will culminate a week of Rocket Camp for our current younger players and then potentially a golf outing on Aug 11. More info to follow for all 3 events, so please stay tuned. We are looking forward to a great year and hope to see you at the fields. Thank you, Mike Jones Neenah Soccer Club President
By John Pendergast 02 May, 2023
Well, it’s hard to believe we are finally done with the winter season and are moving into the spring! As of this writing, we have completed about a week and a half of training outdoors at Southview and Mahler Park for our Academy players and at our spring training campus at Great Northern Park for our classic teams. While it is great to see the kids outdoors (we were all beginning to succumb to cabin fever), I feel enough can’t be said about all the work we were able to accomplish throughout the winter months. Beginning in January, the Neenah SC winter training program began in earnest. A huge thanks to the Neenah Joint School District for allowing us to utilize Lakeshore Elementary, Roosevelt Elementary and the gyms at high school during the winter. Because of their generosity and our coaches’ commitment to the players in the club, we were able to offer all of our players from 8U Academy all the way up to our 19U Boys and Girls teams at least one training session per week, with many getting multiple opportunities every week. Instead of being split up by teams, players were split up by age group. Here is what those numbers look like: 7U/8U Academy Boys and Girls: One training session per week, 10 sessions total, on average around 20 players per session out of a possible 42 9U Academy Boys: Two training sessions per week, 21 sessions total, on average around 12 players per session out of a possible 28 9U Academy Girls: Two training sessions per week, 20 sessions total, on average around 10 players per session out of a possible 19 10U Academy Boys: Two training sessions per week, 26 sessions total, on average around 15 players per session out of a possible 31 10U Academy Girls: Two training sessions per week, 23 sessions total, on average around 10 players per session out of a possible 20 11U Boys: Two-three training sessions per week, 29 sessions total, on average around 10 players per session out of a possible 18 11U Girls: Two-three training sessions per week, 33 sessions total, on average around 10 players per session out of a possible 18 12U Boys: Two-three training sessions per week, 28 sessions total, on average around 10 players per session out of a possible 25 12U Girls: Two-three training sessions per week, 33 sessions total, on average around 15 players per session out of a possible 23 13U Boys: Three training sessions per week, 33 sessions total, on average around 10 players per session out of a possible 18 13U Girls: Three training sessions per week, 35 sessions total, on average around 10 players per session out of a possible 25 14U-19U Boys: Three training sessions per week, 33 sessions total, on average around 12 players per session out of a possible 49 14U-19U Girls: Three training sessions per week, 33 sessions total, on average around 20 players per session out of a possible 48 Out of 364 players on a classic team or in Academy, we serviced on average about 154 weekly. Just under 50% participation in the off-season, especially considering all the other activities kids participate in during the winter months, is great to see. Out of the 364 players, only 47 did not take advantage of winter training. That means 317 of our 364 players (87%) took advantage of these opportunities at least once. Now, none of these include the additional offerings we provided throughout the winter. As a club we worked with Oshkosh United to hold some play dates at the UW-Oshkosh RecPlex dome and participated in two futsal tournaments, one put on by Concordia University and the other by WYSA (Wisconsin Youth Soccer Association). Beyond all of this, we ended our winter training with scrimmages at the RecPlex dome with the likes of Oshkosh United, Fond du Lac Soccer Club, Waunakee Area Soccer Association and Lakeshore United FC. We were able to provide games for every age group. Overall, this was a successful winter in terms of participation and exposing our players to more soccer “outside of soccer” (i.e. futsal). It will be great to see how these kids bring everything we worked on to this upcoming spring season. Honestly, I am excited to see it!  See you on the Pitch, Sean Breitzman Director of Coaching Neenah SC
31 Dec, 2022
Our Second installment of "From the Desk of the DOC"
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