prod-333-nsc

Welcoming Our New President: Rocky Schafer

Wed, 27 Aug 2025 14:45:28 GMT

Welcoming Our New President:

Rocky Schafer

The Neenah Soccer Club is proud to announce that longtime member, dedicated parent, and proud alumni Rocky Schafer has stepped into the role of President.

Rocky’s connection to NSC runs deep. As a former player himself, he knows firsthand the value of the opportunities, friendships, and life lessons this club provides. Now, with his own children having gone through the program, he brings both a parent’s perspective and an alumni’s pride to his leadership.

A True Champion of NSC

Rocky’s vision for the club is rooted in community, growth, and player development. His journey with NSC—first as an athlete, then as a supportive parent, and now as President—gives him a unique perspective on what makes our club special. He understands the importance of creating an environment where every player, from our youngest athletes to our competitive teams, feels supported and inspired to reach their potential both on and off the field.

Looking Ahead

Under Rocky’s leadership, NSC will continue to expand opportunities for players, support our coaches, and strengthen the connection with families and the broader soccer community. His passion for the game and commitment to the club’s mission ensures that NSC will thrive for years to come.

Please join us in welcoming Rocky Schafer as the new President of the Neenah Soccer Club. With his deep roots, strong vision, and unwavering dedication, the future of NSC looks brighter than ever.

Fall 2024 in Review

Tue, 26 Nov 2024 00:25:07 GMT

Fall 2024 in Review

New Paragraph

Desk of the DOC #4

ejohnson@neenahsoccerclub.org (Neenah Soccer) — Thu, 04 Jan 2024 01:04:03 GMT

As we move into the winter season...

Well, another fall season all done and dusted. We saw a great deal of growth from all of our players and age groups, from Academy all the way up to our high school girls teams. Our players had fun, competed and got to play a lot of soccer!

As we move into the winter season, it will soon be time to gear up for winter training. We have again secured school gyms in the Neenah District, and some additional times at the UW-Oshkosh RecPlex Dome. We are still working out the schedules for training sessions. They will be more technical-oriented activities with games at the end of each session. We will also look to participate in futsal tournaments again like last winter. As those begin to pop up, we will get information to everyone.

I would also like to highlight our 2007 Boys team, who will be participating in a showcase tournament down in St Louis at the beginning of December in preparation for their entry into the Youth National League Midwest Conference. This is a prestigious opportunity for them to represent the club in a regional league (league games consist of teams from Wisconsin, Minnesota and South Dakota) and high level tournaments. We would like to wish them good luck this winter. And good luck to all of our teams come spring!

Happy Holidays!

NSC end of Season

ejohnson@neenahsoccerclub.org (Neenah Soccer) — Thu, 23 Nov 2023 00:33:28 GMT

Click here to read full news letter!

From the Desk of the DOC #3

Tue, 02 May 2023 01:42:08 GMT

Well, it’s hard to believe we are finally done with the winter season and are moving into the spring! As of this writing, we have completed about a week and a half of training outdoors at Southview and Mahler Park for our Academy players and at our spring training campus at Great Northern Park for our classic teams. While it is great to see the kids outdoors (we were all beginning to succumb to cabin fever), I feel enough can’t be said about all the work we were able to accomplish throughout the winter months.

Beginning in January, the Neenah SC winter training program began in earnest. A huge thanks to the Neenah Joint School District for allowing us to utilize Lakeshore Elementary, Roosevelt Elementary and the gyms at high school during the winter. Because of their generosity and our coaches’ commitment to the players in the club, we were able to offer all of our players from 8U Academy all the way up to our 19U Boys and Girls teams at least one training session per week, with many getting multiple opportunities every week. Instead of being split up by teams, players were split up by age group. Here is what those numbers look like:

7U/8U Academy Boys and Girls: One training session per week, 10 sessions total, on average around 20 players per session out of a possible 42
9U Academy Boys: Two training sessions per week, 21 sessions total, on average around 12 players per session out of a possible 28
9U Academy Girls: Two training sessions per week, 20 sessions total, on average around 10 players per session out of a possible 19
10U Academy Boys: Two training sessions per week, 26 sessions total, on average around 15 players per session out of a possible 31
10U Academy Girls: Two training sessions per week, 23 sessions total, on average around 10 players per session out of a possible 20
11U Boys: Two-three training sessions per week, 29 sessions total, on average around 10 players per session out of a possible 18
11U Girls: Two-three training sessions per week, 33 sessions total, on average around 10 players per session out of a possible 18
12U Boys: Two-three training sessions per week, 28 sessions total, on average around 10 players per session out of a possible 25
12U Girls: Two-three training sessions per week, 33 sessions total, on average around 15 players per session out of a possible 23
13U Boys: Three training sessions per week, 33 sessions total, on average around 10 players per session out of a possible 18
13U Girls: Three training sessions per week, 35 sessions total, on average around 10 players per session out of a possible 25
14U-19U Boys: Three training sessions per week, 33 sessions total, on average around 12 players per session out of a possible 49
14U-19U Girls: Three training sessions per week, 33 sessions total, on average around 20 players per session out of a possible 48

Out of 364 players on a classic team or in Academy, we serviced on average about 154 weekly. Just under 50% participation in the off-season, especially considering all the other activities kids participate in during the winter months, is great to see. Out of the 364 players, only 47 did not take advantage of winter training. That means 317 of our 364 players (87%) took advantage of these opportunities at least once.

Now, none of these include the additional offerings we provided throughout the winter. As a club we worked with Oshkosh United to hold some play dates at the UW-Oshkosh RecPlex dome and participated in two futsal tournaments, one put on by Concordia University and the other by WYSA (Wisconsin Youth Soccer Association). Beyond all of this, we ended our winter training with scrimmages at the RecPlex dome with the likes of Oshkosh United, Fond du Lac Soccer Club, Waunakee Area Soccer Association and Lakeshore United FC. We were able to provide games for every age group.

Overall, this was a successful winter in terms of participation and exposing our players to more soccer “outside of soccer” (i.e. futsal). It will be great to see how these kids bring everything we worked on to this upcoming spring season. Honestly, I am excited to see it!

See you on the Pitch,

Sean Breitzman

Director of Coaching

Neenah SC

From the Desk of the DOC #2

Sat, 31 Dec 2022 15:38:23 GMT

Our Second installment of "From the Desk of the DOC"

I want to touch on some big soccer happenings, as part of the greater soccer community:

The FIFA Men’s World Cup wrapped up last month with a bit of controversy and few firsts and records made/broken: the first tournament to be held in the Middle East and in the winter months (in the Northern Hemisphere) which made for an interesting Thanksgiving and holiday break; Lionel Messi finally winning the one trophy he has yet to win in his illustrious career; Morocco being the first African nation to make it to the knockout stage; and the US putting in a valiant shift, after not qualifying for the previous tournament.

This was an exciting World Cup and something to be celebrated every four years (not to mention the Women’s Tournament happening this summer). However, the soccer world lost another great, arguably the greatest to ever play the game, when Pele lost his battle with colon cancer just after Christmas. The impression he made not only on the game itself, but the lives he touched around the world in his charity work and example he set as a human being will not be soon forgotten. As Kylian Mbappe so eloquently put it: RIP KING.

I hope everyone has been able to find some time during the Holiday Season to spend with friends and family, and maybe get a little traveling in as well. With the New Year comes the start of the Neenah SC Winter Season for our Classic and Academy teams. While many see this as an “off-season”, we at the club see the winter months as an opportunity to work on continuing developing our players and keeping them engaged with each other and the coaches.

For those who are new to the club or just have some questions concerning the Winter Season, here is an idea of what we will be providing for our players.

Beginning right away on January 2nd we begin our Winter Training sessions at Lakeview and Roosevelt Elementary Schools. We at Neenah SC would like to give thanks to the Neenah Joint School District for continuing our relationship and providing training spaces when it is impossible to do anything outside. Through the NJSD, we are able to offer at least three training opportunities for every age group per week in the elementary school gymnasiums, with the possibility of also utilizing the gyms at the High School. During these sessions, we will be creating training environments which will be more in-tune with futsal, a Brazilian-born form of indoor soccer which utilizes a hardcourt, a smaller weighted-ball (to minimize high bounces and keep the ball on the floor) and is very technical-oriented. Combined with a more confined space, this all creates a fast-paced exciting game where players will be required to think fast, be creative and (most importantly) have fun! Prior to each session, we will work with our players on technical skills and then work on incorporating those skills into a match. There will be a great deal of play and sessions will reflect this joga bonita (Portuguese for “beautiful game”) style of soccer.

Beyond the training sessions, we are also working with clubs and WYSA (Wisconsin Youth Soccer Association) to give our players playing opportunities both locally and around the state. We have setup a couple play dates with Oshkosh United at the UW-Oshkosh Rec Plex Dome, are sending some teams to Mequon for a futsal tournament hosted by Concordia University of Wisconsin Soccer Academy, and are participating in the first Futsal Festival in New Berlin hosted by WYSA.

All of these opportunities throughout the winter are meant to prepare our players for the spring season and work on their technical skills (first-touch, dribbling, passing, finishing, etc.) while providing some competition in order to test those skills. Even the tournaments should be viewed as chances for the players to play and have fun. While we never coach or play to lose, it is important to remember the big takeaway from all of these games and training sessions is to prepare for the outdoor season in the spring. We as a club will put player-development before trophies and medals every time. It is the players’ appreciation for the game and wanting to get better and be competitive which will continue to drive what we do. We are setting these kids up for long-term success and hope everyone keeps things in perspective as we continue to grow as soccer players and people.

We also work with our coaches and staff on growing as well. I want to congratulate all of our coaches who are taking advantage of and completing licensing courses through United Soccer Coaches and the United States Soccer Federation. Your continued work on yourself as a coach and person not improves yourself, but what you offer the kids and the club. We also will be sending some club members to the United Soccer Coaches yearly convention in Philadelphia in mid-January, where President Mike Jones, Vice-President of Soccer Lars Nordang, Assistant Director of Coaching John Pendergast and Staff Coach Andy Borchart will be experiencing some fantastic sessions and presentations put on by some of the biggest names in soccer from all over the world. They will bring what they learn, as we have in the past, back to better help grow the club. Safe travels, gents!

Everyone have a Happy New Year, make some resolutions you definitely will not stick with and I’ll see you on the pitch!

Yours in soccer,

Sean Breitzman

Director of Coaching

Neenah SC

From the Desk of the DOC #1

Tue, 02 Aug 2022 01:45:58 GMT

From the Desk of the DOC #1

W hat a fast and furious start to the 2022-2023 soccer year! With our Classic preseason training camp, Rocket Camp, Academy preseason training camp and finally, our McDonald’s Recreational teams kicking off their season, it has been a wild first month on the job. I have certainly enjoyed seeing our kids, parents, coaches and referees back out on the fields enjoying soccer.

Our classic team training sessions (U11-U19), run by myself and our director team with support from our team coaches, presented an opportunity for everyone to get back into the swing of things and get a feel for the upcoming season. We had a solid turnout and welcomed some new players and coaches to the program.

We held our second annual Rocket Camp for ages 10U-14U. This program is a collaboration between Neenah Soccer Club and the Neenah High School soccer program. Together, leadership from both organizations helped the current high school players put on a three-day clinic of fun soccer-related games and scrimmages, culminating in a tournament played on the varsity field under the lights. The kids got to interact with and enjoy the company of their role models in the high school program. Also, there were Dilly Bars, lots and lots of Dilly Bars (thank you, Dairy Queen!).

This is an excellent way to connect our soccer pathways as a one-club, one-high school community. To say the camp was a success is an understatement. With over forty high school player-coaches working with over 200 campers, we expect nothing but growth for next year — a huge shout out to the high school players, coaches and boosters.

Our Academy program (7U-10U) continued to grow this year as we shifted away from playing in the East Central league. This move provides more freedom and flexibility in scheduling and our

player development model, giving Neenah SC more control over who we play and how we train. So far, it has opened the doors to building relationships with other clubs around the state, like Lakeshore United and Fond du Lac Soccer Club, with more clubs waiting in the wings. Our Academy coaching staff, consisting of parent volunteers, staff coaches and directors, is up for this new challenge and has already got the year going in a great direction!

In association with McDonald’s, our elementary school recreational program has also kicked off, with over 500 players representing Neenah area elementary schools. These kids are joining their classmates to learn a bit about the game (and enjoy free McDonald’s ice cream) in a fun atmosphere. Thanks to our parent volunteers and families for getting involved in this program!

Congratulations to our Neenah SC 2008 Girls 15U Red Premier team, who recently traveled down to Aurora, Illinois, for the Chicago Developmental Showcase Tournament. There, they played three group-stage games against teams from all over Illinois and came out with two wins, one tie and a plus-eight goal differential (nine goals for, one goal scored on them the whole tournament; great job, defenders and goalkeepers! They capped the tournament with a 2-0 victory over the FC Hawks FC Stars 2008 Girls out of the Northern Chicagoland area, sealing the championship and bringing home the trophy. Cheers to our girls and Coach John!

Lastly, games for many of our classic teams started last week with wins, losses and ties. I am pleased with how our teams played and felt our players, coaches and parents represented Neenah SC well. We are moving in a good direction and will grow from these experiences. Here’s to a strong start and good momentum moving into the real meat of the season!

Yours in Soccer,

Sean Breitzman

Director of Coaching

Neenah Soccer Club