From press materials furnished by Red Bank Recreation

There’s just one day before the January 3 sign-up deadline for Red Bank Recreation’s 2014 Indoor Soccer programs — and, according to RB Rec director Memone P. Chrystian, there are numerous ways for kids and adults of all ages to get involved with this  popular wintertime activity.

Registrations are currently being accepted for participants in the 2014 season of “Games Only” play that commences on Sunday, January 12 and runs through March 23. It’s a ten-week slate of 50 minute games, hosted inside the gymnasium at Red Bank Middle School on Sundays (except for the holiday weekend dates of January 19 and February 16). Games are organized in four grade level groups for young players — Kindergarten, 1st and 2nd, 3rd and 4th, 5th through 8th — as well as a division for High School players, introduced for the first time this year by popular demand.

“Every year we get a flood of people who want to register in the last days leading up to the start of the program,” explained Chrystian in an emailed announcement. “Please ask them not to wait…anyone who registers after January 3 will have to go on a waiting list.

Registrations are also still being taken for this year’s Indoor Soccer “Work with a Trainer” sessions, conducted by professional soccer trainer Frank Cocchi of The Next Level Ball Mastery Program (pictured) and hosted in the Middle School gym on Saturday afternoons beginning January 11.

Each session of the six-week “Work with a Trainer” program lasts for one hour, with 35 to 45 minutes of training followed by indoor games. Classes are organized are organized around Kindergarten and 1st grade levels (1 – 2 pm), 2nd and 3rd grade (2 – 3 pm) and 4th through 8th grade (3 – 4 pm), with no sessions scheduled for the holiday weekend dates of January 18 and February 15.

As this information is posted, registrants are being advised that the available “Work with a Trainer” spots in Kindergarten through 4th grades are “almost completely filled.” Grades 5 through 8 are still welcoming additional sign-ups, with “exceptionally advanced players” in grade 4 also being accepted into the 5-8 category. Players are being asked to wear shin guards, sneakers or indoor soccer shoes (no cleats), and bring bottled water.

The “Games Only” program is especially seeking additional 3rd and 4th grade players to round out this year’s team rosters — and adults who are interested in volunteering are being encouraged to sign up as coaches for the Kindergarten and grade 1-2 teams. A Coaches Meeting will be held at Red Bank Borough Hall on Saturday, January 4, starting at 11 am. There is no coaching experience required — “just a desire for the children to have fun and be safe.”

The tentative schedule of Sunday games features the Kindergarten players at 9 am, followed by 1st and 2nd grades (10 and 11 am), 3rd and 4th grades (noon and 1 pm), and the older players competing at 2, 3, and 4 pm. These times are subject to be adjusted based on final enrollment numbers; team placements and finalized schedules are expected to be announced during the week beginning Monday, January 6.

Again, deadline for registration is Friday, January 3, and interested participants are invited to sign up for both the Saturday “Work with a Trainer” sessions and the Sunday games. Take it here for registration and additional details on these and other Red Bank Parks and Recreation programs.