In this months Member Spotlight, we head to northwest Ohio to highlight Ada Soccer Association.
So, tell us about the league.
Ada Soccer started in 1980. We participate in the Black Swamp Soccer League out of Findlay, Ohio. Ada is a small town in Hardin County, Northwest Ohio. We have a student population of 825 students in our K-12 school. Ada Soccer has about 250 students who play in the fall and spring.
What kinds of programs do you offer?
We offer soccer to players from U6-U15. We started a girls U15 travel program in 2022. This travel team is made up players from our local school district. It has been a great feeder program for our high school team. We are very fortunate to have some of our high school players do trainings and summer camps.
We have also been fortunate enough to have players and coaching staff from Ohio Northern Univeristy come do some “fun” trainings with our teams. Some of our players have enjoyed being ball girls for our high school team, as well as the Bowling Green State University and University of Toledo women’s soccer teams.
What is the greatest strength of ASA?
The Ada Soccer board takes pride in having great coaches and referees to work with our youth. Ada Soccer has been fortunate to grow our numbers every year and maintain a majority of our players from U6-U15.
Do you have any projects you’re working on?
While we do not have any specific projects we are working on now, we are always trying to make sure we are learning and growing. It is important for us to make sure we are offering the best resources we can to our players and coaches. So to us, that is an ongoing project.
What values does your organization have?
Ada Soccer values all of the people that help make our club a success. We would not have the numbers that we do without great coaches, parents, players, and referees. It truly takes a community to make it a success and we have one of the best. When we need volunteers to help, our community shows up. Without them, we would not be where we are today. We take pride in making sure we have good equipment for our players and coaches.
Why is ASA a member of OSA?
Ada Soccer has been fortunate to be a part of OSA. Ohio Soccer Association offers many programs that our club has benefited from. The one that we have most recently participated in is a coaching session with Dr. Tom Turner. We invited all coaches in the Black Swamp Soccer League to Ada to participate in a hands-on coach training with Dr. Turner. All of the coaches walked away with some great exercises to take back with them for practices. Our OSA membership paid for Dr. Turner to come visit and conduct the training.
One of the other major benefits for us is the insurance that OSA offers for our players and coaches. In addition, when switching registration systems the staff at OSA was amazing at answering all of our questions in a timely manner. They also made sure to provide several training opportunities to make the transition smooth.
Where can someone learn more about Ada Soccer Association?
Our Fall registration will open on June 1 and close on June 30th.
Our Spring registration runs January 1-January 31 and is already closed for this year.
We are always looking for new coaches and referees to help out!
You can visit us here.
