Soccer Superstars Kick-In With Youth Soccer Clinic Saturday at BB&T Soccer Park in Bermuda Run
On Saturday, August 6, 4-8 pm, world renowned soccer stars Mia Hamm, Kristine Lilly and Tisha Hock of Team First will be at the BB&T Soccer Complex in the Town of Bermuda Run hosting a soccer clinic for girls 8-12 years old. The clinic will be held at the Twin City Soccer Park in the Town of Bermuda Run as part of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Live Fearless program.
A once in a lifetime opportunity
For the girls selected to attend the clinic from the BCBS Live Fearless Program and from the Twin City youth Soccer Association, this is a once in a lifetime opportunity to spend quality time on the soccer field with some of the women who brought soccer to the forefront of the sports world.
Team First, founded in 2010 by Olympic gold-medalists Mia Hamm, Kristine Lilly and Venturini-Hoch, tours the country teaching young women and girls soccer skills with an emphasis on team play.
Hamm, Lilly and Venturini-Hoch played together in college at UNC Chapel Hill before becoming members of the 1996 Olympic soccer team that won gold. The women possess five Olympic gold medals, five World Cup championships and 12 NCAA titles between them.
Lessons at Team First were designed to go beyond the soccer field.
“We want them to feel better about themselves, more confident, where they are not afraid to try new things” Lilly said. “We tell them when they come here, ‘We are not picking you for a team. We want you to try things you haven’t tried and get out of the comfort zone.’
“Once they get out of that comfort zone, then they are like, ‘Wow, I can do this,’ and they build some more confidence.”
“We know that we might not be able to reach every girl that is out here, but hopefully one aspect of each session will resonate and they’ll be able go and gain confidence,” said two-time gold-medalist Mia Hamm. “Not just on the field, but off the field, and know how they interact with each other – how they approach their schoolwork and really understand it’s about your commitment, your mentality and how you step into the situation.
“Even the players who just come out for the first or second time, who you see the confidence grow in what they’re doing, and you see them come out of their shell. I think, for us, that’s one of the most rewarding things, because we just understand, outside of playing at the highest level, the confidence this game gave us.”
While there are no open spaces available at the clinic this Saturday, please visit the Twin City Youth Soccer Association for information on future events at BB&T Soccer Park in Bermuda Run.