How New England’s club soccer teams navigate training in harsh winters

FC Stars at an Elite Clubs National League event. (courtesy photo)

Editor’s note: This story appeared in our Winter 2019 magazine as part of our “offseason training” issue.

In the quest to navigate the period between seasons, the months that spin one year into the next can be a treacherous journey.

The oft-harsh New England winters pose credible obstacles to a player training in their preferred, natural environs outdoors. Despite the brisk, whipping winds and the steadily accumulating snow, many young players in the area are equipped with two things — thick skin and a club with a plan.

Over the years, the directors and coaches at the local soccer clubs have cultivated specific routes of attack during the winter, using trial and error to fine-tune a strategy that will allow a player to continue to develop in the right direction, in spite of what the season may bring.