"The essential elements of character building and ethics in CIF sports are embodied in the concept of sportsmanship and six core principles: trustworthiness, respect, responsibility, fairness, caring and good citizenship. The highest potential of sports is achieved when competition reflects these “six pillars of character.” 

For many kids, middle school is the place where the game of soccer goes from a recreational activity to something more serious and competitive. There are tryouts for positions which also means that there are cuts that will need to take place. Coaches begin to organize practices based around drills that will increase isolated skill-sets vs simply just “playing” in-squad scrims. As a member of the competitive middle-school soccer program you will train 5 days a week which in turn will net you more touches on the ball, and that is always a great thing. Finally, and maybe most important, middle school for most students is the first time they will earn the privilege to don a jersey that represents their school and community.

There is a sense of pride that comes with being able to put a jersey on the day of a game and wear it around school to let everyone know that you will be competing that day. Playing for your school ties academics to athletics and allows you to compete for something bigger than yourself; you are now playing for your community. As a Competitive Middle-School Student-Athlete you are an extension of your school and of our community which brings great new responsibilities that many students will be embracing for the first time.

For many middle school students, competitive soccer is the first opportunity we have to compete exclusively with our classmates as opposed to the array of students that participate in local club and rec leagues. Having the opportunity to compete for victory with your classmates will bestow a sense of camaraderie that you will keep with you for the rest of your life. Your teammates will become some of your best friends and you will get to spend everyday with them growing bonds that will last you a lifetime. 

Lastly, competitive middle school soccer is all about the TEAM. When soccer is played at its truest, most competitive level, no one player can do it all by themself. In organized elementary level soccer this is not always the case though, at lower levels sometimes all your team needs to be victorious is having the fastest player on the field, the physically strongest player on the field, or perhaps the player that simply can kick the ball the hardest/furthest. But in competitive middle school soccer, the game must start to be played the “right way” because the pool of highly skilled players both on your own team and especially on the opposing teams is greater than what most students will have ever participated with up to this point in their lives. Because of this, it is important that as part of a competitive team you learn to trust one another. That you begin learning how to recognize each other's weaknesses and commit to helping build them into strengths. By accomplishing this, and committing ourselves to one another, to getting better as a team, we will ensure that we succeed, regardless of the score at the end of competition.