NEO Soccer City | Facility | Club
Our indoor soccer facility has been completely renovated and renamed, making it a truly unique facility in Northeast Ohio.
We now boast a large 210' x 120' outdoor style field, indoors.
We also run 2 smaller fields at 80'x 120' for groups U9 and below.
With the renovation, we have also added capabilities for truly unique custom designed inflatables. We offer parties, with our personalized inflatables, expanded field space, a renovated lobby area, and air-conditioning.
Originally coming from a basketball background before being introduced to soccer in high school, I was exposed to a training that we utilized in practice that made us creative players. It was called “open gym”. At certain times, kids would show-up, pick sides, and just play. There were no coaches, no parents, and we were encouraged by those around us to try things in fun game situations that you would not use in more competitive games. Kids of all ages and abilities were involved, and kids learned from the diversity. This type of style of play is seen on the playgrounds in Brazil with the sport of futbol, as older siblings and younger siblings play together or against one another and their friends. Taking this one step further, the teams are selected based on an equal division of talent, as opposed to stacking one side with all of the talented players.
Compare this to American models for development, where kids of the same age and abilities are grouped together. They mainly play with and against each other, and are typically in structured environments with adults present.
At N.E.O., we realize that both of these models are to the extreme, and we try to balance the training with the best of each training style. We have team practices but also have open gym type practices, where kids gain exposure to players from the entire club. We also utilize our central approach, and we give players the opportunity to participate, on many occasions, with different clubmates that consist of different abilities and ages. We have found that over time, this makes our players better leaders that are adaptable and able to react to change and adversity. We believe that our most successful players are those who thrive when faced with challenges in this environment.
- Chris Mueller, Club and Facility Owner