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Oakland County FC and Kickstart Toddler Soccer Team Up as Community Partners

By USLLeagueTwo.com Staff, 04/09/21, 12:00PM EDT

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Oakland County FC enhances player development out of Michigan through youth program partnership

CLAWSON, Mich.- USL League Two’s Oakland County FC (OCFC) announced last week a new community partnership with Kickstart Toddler Soccer, an organization whose mission is to stimulate the bodies and minds of children through soccer while introducing them to the joys of goal-oriented physical activity leading up to competitive play. The partnership will offer toddlers and their parents a chance to see an up close look at the game at a high level through first-hand experience with Oakland County FC’s League Two team. 

“We hope that this relationship engages players to start at an even earlier age in the sport but to also teach them to enjoy physical activity,” said Theo Foutris, Co-Owner of Oakland County FC. “We love that we can provide inspiration to young Kickstart players through OCFC’s pro-development affiliation.” 

Through a partnership with OCFC, Kickstart Toddler Soccer will see the benefits of having OCFC players lead multiple Kickstart practices throughout the season and have the chance to hold a championship toddler match during the halftime of OCFC’s June 26 friendly. In addition, Kickstart Toddler Soccer will offer OCFC staff access to Kickstart locations to set up booths and distribute USL League Two and OCFC information and in turn open up new markets to the OCFC organization that is considered untapped in the state of Michigan. 

Oakland County, along with the neighboring Macomb County, is a central hub for a multitude of youth soccer clubs and communities. However, outside of the recreational programs, there is a major void for toddler development that OCFC aims to fill through the Kickstart partnership. 

“We’ve been providing toddlers with the best soccer learning experience for over a decade in Macomb County and we’ve been waiting for the right opportunity to expand into other areas, said Kelly Schodowski, Owner of Kickstart Toddler Soccer. “With over 3,000 toddlers each year registering for our programs the demand has never been higher for kids to get out and get moving.”

As Michigan slowly develops into one of the leading states in producing players to youth academy, pro-development and national league conference teams, this partnership becomes more essential than ever. By offering a more well-rounded and advanced path to play for toddlers in the region, OCFC is helping to connect youth toddlers at an early age with local and regional professionally-run teams in an effort to build up long term loyalty to local clubs and create residual dedication and a lifelong club member. 

“There is a tidal wave of (good) change coming to the sport here in Michigan,” said Ahren Savickas, Kickstart Area Manager. “We are happy to have OCFC as a committed partner and can't wait to see our partnership unfold."


Toddlers can register for Kickstart Classes online now at www.KickstartToddlerSoccer.com.


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