The Director’s Cut, 2021/22, Vol. 10
HVS is entering our 3rd calendar year of existence. We started in 2020 and we are off to a good start for 2022. Our overall record as a club in the fall was 165-134-51. Not a bad season, as all of our teams were playing in leagues that were at a higher level than in 2020.
This spring, we have 12 of our 20 teams competing. Our oldest 4 DPL and NPL teams are off during the High School season. Our youngest 3 age groups and our MLS NEXT teams continue to train and play this spring. Club soccer for High School age boys is something that hasn’t been seen in Alabama for a very long time. The opportunity for our players to continue competing at the highest level all year long is a huge advantage for their development. It also means our players will continue to be scouted and recruited by college coaches all year long. Our oldest boys’ teams will also be competing with some college teams this spring. This is a fantastic opportunity to challenge our players against older players.
Speaking of college recruiting, we have had great success with placing our players into the college game. So far, 13 HVS players have made commitments to play college soccer. Many others are on the verge of making their decisions. It is an exciting time and a difficult time for both players and parents as they try to navigate finding the right soccer program, education, and location for the next chapter in their lives. Look for our posts on social media over the next few weeks as we announce more signings.
We are very excited to announce that we have added 3 new coaches to our HVS Staff.
Seth Torman (GK Coach), comes to HVS after a stellar playing career at UAB. Seth earned the starting role at UAB in his Freshman season and went on to start every year since. Seth has taught Goalkeeping at camps over the past 4 years and brings a wealth of coaching and playing experience to HVS. Before college, Seth was a standout for Pelham HS where he set records and led the Panthers to the 2017 High School State Championship. He was selected, All Area, All Region and All State during his High School career.
Jack Hudson (GK Coach), was born in Atlanta, Georgia and has played soccer since the age of 4. He competed for a number of clubs in the Atlanta area in his youth career while also playing for the ODP state and region teams. Currently a goalkeeper on the UAB men’s soccer team pursuing a Master’s in Public Health, Jack started off his collegiate career at the University of Kentucky and then transferred to Emory University at the beginning of his junior year. While playing at Emory, Jack worked for Inter Atlanta FC, as an Assistant Director of coaching for goalkeepers under former Atlanta United and current FC Cincinnati goalkeeper Alec Kann.
Chandler Shirley (Asst. Coach, 2008 and 2004 Boys), is a former member of the UAB Men’s Soccer team. He arrived at UAB in 2017 as a highly decorated soccer player from Brandon, Mississippi. Chandler was a member of youth teams at Mississippi Fire, Mississippi Rush and Tennessee Rush where he won league championships at every level. He was selected to the Rush National Select Program multiple years and was chosen by the Generation Adidas Program to train at the Real Madrid Academy in Madrid, Spain. Chandler was also a member of the USYS Region III ODP team. In High School, Chandler led his team to annual appearances in the state playoffs, winning the state championship in 2017. He was a perennial member of the all-state team, winning player of the year as a senior. Chandler earned his degree from UAB in Communications Studies with a minor in Sociology.
Here are a few tips on how to help your player be a good teammate:
Make sure they come to as many training sessions as possible, arrive a little early, and dress for the conditions.
Make sure they attend all games, have all needed equipment, both sets of uniforms, and are on time for warmups.
If you can’t attend a practice or game, make sure you tell your coach in advance. Our coaches spend a lot of time preparing their practice and game plans. It is hard to prepare if you don’t know who will be attending.
Be a Positive Parent
Don’t email coaches with concerns, call them up, or schedule a time to talk. All of our coaches are more than happy to answer your questions. But during or right after practice or games and in front of other players and parents isn’t the right time.
Stay current on your club and team fees, it affects the whole team.
Be a Positive Presence at matches
Let the coaches do the coaching. Cheer for your player and their team, but don’t coach. It simply confuses the players to have different ideas being thrown at them by different adults. Think of a game like a test in school. Parents aren’t supposed to provide the answers, even if they know it.
Don’t complain about referee decisions. Even if the ref got it wrong. We know they are going to make mistakes. Learning to play thru adversity is part of development. We need these referees more than they need us!
The Director’s Cut goes LIVE!
We are starting a new series of Zoom Meetings for parents. Because of the pandemic, we simply haven’t been able to have in person parent meetings with each team and as a club. We want to, and we look forward to the day when it is safe to do this again. In the meantime, we are going to hold an open forum for parents to hear the latest HVS news and to ask questions of the Director. Our first will be Sunday, Feb. 20 at 6:30 PM we will provide some updates on the club and then open the floor to questions. We expect this meeting to last 30-45 minutes. The following link will allow access to the meeting:
Meeting ID: 864 1121 0188
Passcode: 150182
Social Media is one of our best ways of keeping everyone informed and of letting the rest of the world know what our club is up to.
Twitter: @HooverVestavia, @getmanm
Facebook: @hoovervestaviasoccer
Instagram: hoovervestaviasoccer
Please follow us on social media but also please retweet and repost as often as possible. Let’s make sure everyone knows how special our players and our club are!
Sincerely,
Mike
Mike Getman
HVS Director of Coaching