Kids Have a Ball  Program offers drills, 'friendlies' — matches that take focus off winning    By Robin Roenker    Special to the Lexington Herald-Leader

One soccer field, roughly 30 7- and 8-year-old girls, dozens of balls and an ever-moving maze of simultaneous dribbling and passing drills.

It sounds like a recipe for mass chaos, but the coaches at the Lexington Futbol Club's new academy make it work—and make it fun.

The Bluegrass Soccer Club in Versailles launched academy-style training for its youngest players this year. Other area soccer clubs also have begun implementing variations of academy-style training within their programs, including Lexington's Commonwealth Soccer Club and the Winchester Youth Soccer Association. Academies are also in use in Bowling Green, Louisville and Owensboro, said Dave McIver, program manager and assistant director of coaching for the Kentucky Youth Soccer Association.

While Kentucky Youth Soccer has not required Kentucky select leagues to adopt the academy format with its younger players, it is encouraging clubs to do so, McIver said. To learn more and read the article, please click here.