JAMESTOWN — If you want to get better at soccer — Brandi Harty says you should play during the winter.
"I don't discourage them from doing other sports, I just want that to be known," said Harty, the Jamestown Soccer Club director of coaches. "If there are children who want to continue to get better at soccer and they don't do anything in the winter, we really try and encourage them to get involved in our club and try these tournaments.
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"Indoor is a much faster game," she said. "Kids need to make decisions quicker and their foot skills need to be very good. Kids who maybe struggle with these aspects of the game they get better at it if they do participate in indoor. It's funny — a lot of people who come and watch games, they really enjoy it because there is a lot of scoring."
Registration is now open for the Jamestown Soccer Club's winter session. The session will be held at the Nelson Bubble on the University of Jamestown campus beginning Jan. 6. The session will conclude on Feb. 27.
"Our little U6 and U8 kids, they practice twice a week for the first four weeks then in the last four weeks, one day will be a practice day and then the second day will be like a game day," Harty said.
"The older groups, U9 through U12, they will practice two days a week and then there is a tournament at the University of Jamestown in January that they will participate in and they will play teams from different cities," she said.
The club also fields a high school team made up of many of the same boys who play for Jamestown High School during the fall season.
"Winter soccer has helped me develop my technical ability and decision-making as well as giving me an opportunity to work on my leadership skills while having fun with my teammates," JHS junior Grady Eckart said.
Eckart has been involved in the winter soccer program since he moved to Jamestown in 2019.
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Unlike the younger groups, the high school team, coached by Harty's husband, Ryan, only participates in indoor tournaments. So far this winter season, Eckart and his teammates have played in two tournaments. The team has four more scheduled in the new year.
"We started in Bismarck where we just fell short of first — losing in the championship," Eckart said. "Most recently we played in Sioux Falls (South Dakota) where we took first."
An indoor game is played five on five — four field players and one goalie.
Eckart said indoor soccer is played in a smaller enclosed field with flying subs and no offsides, which allows for fast-paced and high-scoring games. The junior said he likes the small field that allows for quick passes and skillful dribbles.
This winter season, Eckart said he is trying to get better on his commutation with his teammates. The junior said the team's goal for the year is to get better every game so the squad can make it to the NDHSAA State Soccer Tournament for the third year in a row.
Anyone interested in the winter soccer opportunities can find out more information at Jamestownsoccer.org or contact Harty directly.
"We are always looking for new players and winter soccer is a great place to try out soccer," Eckart said.
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Harty is not allowed to coach the high school boys team as she acts as the head boys coach at the high school level but she does work with a slew of other coaches at the younger levels. Harty said since she has been helping out with winter soccer, she has seen multiple kids improve their skills and grow their love of the game.
"It really is fun to see them excel," Harty said. "By the end of the session, our little 6s and 8s get a better understanding of the game. It is so exciting to watch them actually play games. I just love watching them grow and develop.
"Even if your kid doesn't end up being a soccer player, it's still really good skills for anything else they decide to pursue," she said. "It's such a good thing for them to try."
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