{"id":130690,"date":"2024-05-15T22:57:03","date_gmt":"2024-05-16T02:57:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/?p=130690"},"modified":"2024-05-15T22:57:03","modified_gmt":"2024-05-16T02:57:03","slug":"artsquests-soccerfest-to-host-kids-clinics-and-tournament","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/?p=130690","title":{"rendered":"ArtsQuest\u2019s SoccerFest to Host Kids\u2019 Clinics and Tournament"},"content":{"rendered":"

Bethlehem, Lehigh Valley, PA, May 15, 2024 \u2013 Earlier this year,\u00a0ArtsQuest<\/a>\u00a0announced the return of\u00a0SoccerFest 2024: Copa America Watch Parties<\/a>\u00a0presented by\u00a0Wind Creek Bethlehem<\/a>\u00a0that will take place this June and July on the Air Products Town Square at the ArtsQuest campus. Up next, the arts-based non-profit organization, in partnership with\u00a0Lehigh Valley United<\/a>, is formally announcing youth clinics and a 3v3 tournament for kids to have fun while improving their soccer skills during this year\u2019s SoccerFest. With the help from partners like supporting sponsor,\u00a0Discover Lehigh Valley<\/a>, and official equipment vendor,\u00a0Kwik Goal<\/a>, ArtsQuest hopes to assist in the development of young athletes in our community at this year\u2019s SoccerFest.<\/p>\n

The Eastern Pennsylvania Youth Soccer Association (EPYSA)-sanctioned tournament will take place on the PNC Plaza on\u00a0Monday, July 1 at 1 p.m<\/strong>. To participate in the tournament, teams can register at\u00a0SteelStacks.org<\/a>\u00a0and click on the registration link. Registration will close at\u00a012:00 p.m.<\/strong>\u00a0on\u00a0Monday, June 24th<\/strong>. Bracket groupings include U9\/U10 Boys, U9\/U10 Girls, U11\/U12 Boys and U11\/U12 Girls.<\/p>\n

Want some practice prior to the big game? Soccer clinics will take place on\u00a0Sunday, June 23\u00a0<\/strong>starting at 1:30 p.m. on the Air Products Town Square. We have teamed up with Special Olympics to provide Clinic 1, a Special Olympics Kids Soccer Clinic. Kids with intellectual disabilities will have the opportunity to practice their soccer skills with drills and techniques hosted by Team Lehigh and Team Bethlehem Special Olympics. Perfect your goalkeeping skills in Clinic 2 with DOMINATE the 18 Youth Goalkeeping Clinic and switch over to dribbling, shooting and passing techniques in Clinic 3 with Lehigh Valley United, Moravian Academy and Perfect Touch Soccer. Register for clinics at\u00a0SteelStacks.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Clinic 1: Special Olympics Kids Soccer Clinic<\/strong><\/p>\n

1:30-2:30 p.m.<\/p>\n

Special Olympics is a global moment that unleashes the human spirit every day around the world through sports and fitness empowering people of all ages with intellectual disabilities. Kids ages 6-12 with intellectual disabilities are welcome to join us for a skills and drills clinic hosted by Team Lehigh and Team Bethlehem Special Olympics. Kids will experience the thrill of learning to pass, dribble and shoot soccer balls as they maneuver through our fun stations.<\/p>\n

Clinic 2: DOMINATE the 18 Youth Goalkeeping Clinic<\/strong>
\n3-4 p.m. (Check-in by 2:45 p.m.)<\/p>\n

In partnership with ArtsQuest, Coach Bob Pipech and staff from DOMINATE the 18 Goalkeeper and Soccer Training will be hosting a FREE goalkeeping clinic for players ages\u00a07 to 11<\/strong>. This clinic is for all young goalkeepers, whether you have been playing goalkeeper for a couple of seasons, an experienced young goalkeeper, or a new goalkeeper interested in the position.<\/p>\n

The clinic will teach goalkeepers about the basics of the position. Fun games will be incorporated in the second half of the session to promote retention and skill development. Goalkeepers will also be shown drills that they can do at home to promote repetition, improve dexterity and coordination and the essential basics of being a goalkeeper.<\/p>\n

Clinic 3: Youth Soccer Skills Clinic<\/strong><\/p>\n

4:15 \u2013 5:45 p.m.<\/p>\n

Kids ages\u00a06-12<\/strong>\u00a0are invited to join Lehigh Valley United, along with coaches from Lehigh University, Moravian Academy and Perfect Touch Soccer as they teach several different drills and games! Lehigh Valley Health Network will also be running a station based on sports performance. Dribbling, shooting, passing and other techniques will be covered as your child goes station to station.\u00a0Parents will be welcome to take photos and even participate. Parents do not need to register, please only register children who will participate. Children of all skill levels are welcome.<\/p>\n

Please email Sr. Director of Programming, Ryan Hill, at\u00a0rhill@artsquest.org<\/a>\u00a0with any questions related to the tournament or soccer clinics.<\/p>\n

During\u00a0Copa Am\u00e9rica,\u00a0<\/strong>(June 20 to July 14, 2024), each of the US Men\u2019s National Team Group Stage games will be shown on a jumbo screen on the Levitt Pavilion lawn. We will have food trucks, beverage service and fun soccer activities throughout the festival. Don\u2019t forget to join us on Levitt Lawn and the Town Square for\u00a0<\/strong>\u00a1Sabor! Latin Music Festival<\/a>\u00a0performances by Herencia Jibara and DJ Breezzy on\u00a0June 27!<\/strong><\/p>\n

Copa Am\u00e9rica Viewing Schedule:<\/strong><\/p>\n

June 23<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013\u00a0USA<\/strong>\u00a0vs. Bolivia \/ Uruguay vs. Panama<\/p>\n

June 27<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013 Panama vs.\u00a0USA<\/strong>\u00a0\/ Uruguay vs. Bolivia (\u00a1Sabor! Latin Music Festival)<\/p>\n

July 1<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013 Bolivia vs. Panama \/\u00a0USA<\/strong>\u00a0vs. Uruguay<\/p>\n

Join us in the Frank Banko Alehouse Cinemas inside the ArtsQuest Center at 7 p.m. on\u00a0June 30\u00a0<\/strong>for a screening of\u00a0Copa 71<\/em>. Enjoy the cool air inside the cinemas while continuing the celebration that is taking place all around the campus.<\/p>\n

The U.S. is the only non-CONMEBOL (Confederaci\u00f3n Sudamericana de F\u00fatbol) country to host Copa Am\u00e9rica, having hosted the event in 2016. The U.S. will be hosting it again this year in what is anticipated to be the \u201cdefining soccer tournament\u201d for the Western Hemisphere.<\/p>\n

\u201cBethlehem\u2019s Hispanic population has increased by 21% over the last decade, comprising about 29% of the city\u2019s population,\u201d commented Curt Mosel, ArtsQuest Chief Operating Officer. \u201cWith the sport of soccer being so prevalent throughout our Latin-based communities, we are excited to present SoccerFest 2024, and are always looking to provide programming that directly identifies with our communities.\u201d<\/p>\n

About ArtsQuest\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

ArtsQuest\u2019s<\/a>\u00a0mission is to provide access to exceptional artistic, cultural and educational experiences using arts and culture as key elements of economic development for our urban communities. ArtsQuest\u2122 supports this mission via the presentation of performing and visual arts, film, arts education classes and outreach, youth programming and cultural events. Through festivals such as its flagship event,\u00a0Musikfest<\/a>; the\u00a0Banana Factory Arts Center<\/a>; and the ArtsQuest Center at\u00a0SteelStacks<\/a>\u00a0arts and cultural campus, ArtsQuest\u2019s programming reaches more than\u00a01.9 million people\u00a0annually. The organization\u2019s programs and events, of which over 50% are free to attend, have a combined economic impact of more than $136 million annually in the region.<\/p>\n

Information provided to TVL by:
\nBryn Keeney<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Bethlehem, Lehigh Valley, PA, May 15, 2024 \u2013 Earlier this year,\u00a0ArtsQuest\u00a0announced the return of\u00a0SoccerFest 2024: Copa America Watch Parties\u00a0presented by\u00a0Wind Creek Bethlehem\u00a0that will take place this June and July on … Continue reading ArtsQuest\u2019s SoccerFest to Host Kids\u2019 Clinics and Tournament<\/span> →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":130691,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[5717,69,482],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-130690","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-bethlehem","category-in-the-valley","category-press-release-2"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/2024-soccerfest.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/130690"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=130690"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/130690\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/130691"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=130690"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=130690"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=130690"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}