Sporting Club Jacksonville hosted its fourth annual Sporting JAX High School Soccer Media Day on Thursday at the Winston Family YMCA in Riverside. Coaches and players from more than 45 boys and girls high school soccer programs across North Florida attended the event. The gathering helped student-athletes prepare for the upcoming season while bringing the region’s soccer community together.
Presented by VyStar Credit Union and Honda of the Avenues, the event included headshots, group photos and hype photos. Participants also spoke with members of the media during the day. Players and coaches received lunch provided by Hood Family Concessions.
A platform for North Florida soccer
Media Day gave student-athletes an opportunity to be recognized before the upcoming season. Mike Pickett, head coach of The Bolles School girls high school soccer team, said the event offered value beyond its media activities. He pointed to the chance for players to gain confidence and recognition.
“For these kids, it’s great,” said Mike Pickett, head coach of the Bolles School’s girls’ high school soccer team. “It’s a great opportunity to elevate themselves, to feel good about themselves, to be recognized; it’s huge.” The event brought coaches and players from boys and girls programs into one setting. That format also allowed participants to connect with athletes from other schools.
Players build connections across programs
Charlotte Andrade, a senior center back at Sandalwood High School, said the gathering changed how she viewed the size of the local soccer community. Student-athletes had an opportunity to meet or reconnect with players from other teams. They also shared experiences during the event.
“I feel like it’s more important because then you get to see, like when you think of soccer teams, you think, ‘Oh there’s only one team for this school and there’s not a lot of schools around us,’ but once you see everybody in one big room, [you realize] this is a much larger community than what I thought it was,” said Charlotte Andrade, a senior center back at Sandalwood High School. “It’s nice to have connections with other people on the team and that are from other teams and hear their experiences as well.” Her comments reflected the event’s emphasis on connections across programs. The shared setting gave players and coaches a chance to interact outside their individual school teams.
FSB Take
Sporting JAX used its fourth media day to give more than 45 North Florida boys and girls soccer programs a shared platform ahead of the upcoming season. The event combined media exposure with team photography and opportunities for student-athletes to connect. That combination makes the gathering a practical way to strengthen relationships across the area’s high school soccer community.
Source: Original report