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As a recreational game, arena soccer has fewer
coaches, and less pressure is on the players to
perform. From a business perspective, it makes our
facilities special, offering a form of the game that is
uniquely American, which can be a draw for players.
In his experience, one of the big draws for adults to
play amateur arena soccer is the coed leagues offered
at his facility. "Men and women get to play in an
environment where they can play at near equal levels,"
says Jan. "The walls can be a little bit more forgiving,
and they can provide a little bit more of an opportunity
for female players to participate and really excel and
better themselves."
In addition to being a soccer coach and business
owner, Jan also has playing experience. "Having played
on a team that was the U.S. Open Cup amateur
division in the 90s, we almost exclusively trained in
arena soccer."
Jan says training through arena soccer helped the
squad develop into a championship team. "It gave us
a speed of play, a recognition, mobility, touches that
needed in close proximity, and it allowed us to play the
long ball."
Jan finds that playing with depth and width is
comparable between the outdoor game and the
boarded arena game. "If you look at the ball and where
it is in an outdoor game and you were to count the
number of team players on both sides of the field that
are in about a 150' by 80' area, you're going to see
on average close to fourteen players in that area. That
proximity of play is what you see in arena. You have
that many players inside that area on a much more
frequent basis."
The subject of walls often comes up in the discussion
of boarded vs. unboarded games, something Jan has
heard a lot. "I've argued with a lot of coaches about
this. Your typical player, once they play in an arena-
