New Casa soccer coaches plan youth camps

Casa Grande High School’s new, but veteran, soccer coaches are hoping to spark interest in their sport from the beginners up.

Casa coaches Kevin Richardson and Jordan Schlau are planning two, one-day camps for young players from ages 8-14. Camps will be held at Casa Grande on Nov. 23 and Dec. 7 from 10 a.m. until noon.

The camps will not only give young athletes a chance to run drills with Casa varsity players, but it will also serve as a fundraiser for the Casa program. No set fees will be changed for the camps. Participation will be by donation.

“We don’t want to turn anyone away,” explained Richardson. “We want people to donate whatever they would like to donate.”

Not only will young players get a chance to practice with the high school players, but they will benefit from instruction by Gaucho team members.

For more information on the soccer camps, visit the website at: https://www.facebook.com/events/438632443453259/?event_time_id=438632450119925 or visit Facebook and search for Casa Youth Soccer Camp.

Although Schlau and Richardson are taking over the Casa Grande program from Michael Briceno, they are no strangers to Gaucho soccer. They shared duties as coach of the Casa junior varsity team last season and this year will coach both varsity and JV teams.

Schlau, a former Casa player, has been involved with the Casa program in some capacity since the 2014-2015 season. Richardson has coached both boys and girls teams at Petaluma and St. Vincent as well as Casa Grande. Both have been long involved in youth soccer.

The co-coaches say the partnership approach will work well.

“Jordan relates well to the players,” says Richardson. “He is always coming up with new drills that make things fun,” says Richardson.

“Kevin has a great knowledge of the game,” adds Schlau. “The players respect his European insights.”

Although both Schlau and Richardson have a long history of coaching, both acknowledge that being a head coach at a time when that means raising funds, arranging transportation, filling out schedules, checking grades and the thousand and one other things coaches must do can be challenging.

“We spend more time off the field on the computer than we do on the field coaching, Schlau points out.

They also note that coaching the players is more than improving their soccer skills and improving them on he field.

“It is not just about what happens on the field, but what they do the classroom and at home,” explains Richardson.

Fortunately, the coaches say, they don’t have to do everything themselves.

“We rely on our parents for support,” says Schlau. “Whenever we’ve asked, our parents have always stepped up to help.”

Although the new coaches are familiar with many of the players who they coached last season on the junior varsity level, they aren’t certain what to expect from a varsity team that has few returning veterans.

One thing Schlau says will happen. “We are going to finish every game strong,” he says. “We’re going to be playing hard to the end no matter what the score is.”

“We’re going to respect our selves, our opponents and our school,” adds Richardson.