Issue 6 May – June 2016

Plaza Sports Center is a hub for soccer enthusiasts of all ages. Victor Farias is a player on our Veteran’s league who has done a lot push soccer in the RGV, and Victor’s philosophy on the sport is a lot like ours. He has a successful career in real estate bu he speaks about soccer in a way that reveals it as his true passion.

“I’ve always played soccer,” says Farias. “I met my wife at a soccer stadium; her brother played it professionally. Soccer has been in our lives for a long time”. This love for the sport and dedication to good technique has led Victor and his family, who is also ver interested in the sport, to experience the competitive soccer circuit through his daughter’s participation in youth leagues. He started coaching his daughters at age seven, and they participated in many soccer academies and teams over the years. His older daughter, Paloma, is 16 and has already made the Youth 17 National Team, and was also later called by the Mexico National Team. Through that experience, both Paloma and Farias learned a lot and made several important connections in Houston, Austin, San Antonio, and Dallas with talent scouts, coaches, and soccer academies.

What is remarkable about Farias is that he doesn’t hesistate to share his knowledge with anyone who feels they have the drive to go down that path. “Scouts are starting to look down here to find talent,” says Farias. Dr. Caso and Alma Caso of Plaza Sports Center have formed a relationship with Farias that tries to provide more opportunities for kids to make it to these teams and tournaments. “I’ve recommended kids to teams further along the line,” says Farias. “We have a path now that we can provide for these kids, but the fundamental person must be the child themselves.”

Farias believes a player’s success doesn’t depend on the soccer academy or the coaches, but on the child’s own drive. Competitive soccer players have to be doing well in school, be very commmitted to the sport, and be willing to make sacrifices with their time. “Understand that this is a long process,” Farias tells young, impatient players. But giving up weekends for games and afternoons for practices is nothing for a child that is determined to be the best player they can be.

“It’s not about teaching them how to hit the ball; they already know this,” he explains. “But what you do have the train them in is how to think to win.”

Through conversations with Dr. Caso and Alma, they have come to the conclusion that it has to be child who says, “Parents, take me to my practice. I can’t be late,” or “Coach, can I stay after and practice some more?” Farias says those are the ones that make it to the selection.

When his daughter was playing for the National Team a coach told Farias that he knows which of his players will go further that the rest. How does he identitfy them? “The ones who train when they aren’t invited and the ones who work and train when nobody can see them,” Farias says he was told. “The ones for whom training at an academy isn’t enough. They train one day at the academy and go run and tremendous opportunity.” Farias thinks a coach’s task is to show the path to developing skills and encourangin and convincing players to be disciplined. He has seen that the ones that make it far in competitive soccer aren’t the most talented; they are the ones who never stopped pushing themselves towards their goals.

They make themselves disciplined in soccer and they become disciplined in everything else. It becomes a part of their life, which Farias believes is vital for children. “It’s isn’t luck. All good opportunities come through a combination of discipline, work, and honestly. God is fair in that he gives all of us opportunities; we just have to be ready to take them,” says Farias. By developing these traits, the players become winner in every aspect.

“We’re trying to change the philosophy of the youth here. Not many coaches can instill this philosophy in the minds of the kids, but Plaza does,” says Farias. “I don’t think there is another place like Plaza anywhere around here that is as organized, well-directed, and clean. We have similar ideas about soccer, and when that happens, things can grow.” Plaza Sports Center is thankful that a true mentor like Victor Farias chooses to share his passion with their players.

Get Your company moving for better employee health!

Believe it or not, bubble soccer at Plaza has been sought out by local companies for their employees to use – during work hours. Luckiest employees ever, or smart management? Adults in the corporate world know that team-building is more than a trend.

The benefits of encouranging a strong workplace culture through on-the-job team building have been proven. Employees who feel comfortable with their colleagues will be more likely to ask for help on difficult assignments, collaborate, for better results, and contribute positively to the atmosphere at work. This all reflects in their interactions with customers and work performance.

But we’ve talked to enough bosses and managers to know that team-building can be boring (and thus ineffective) if they are too focused on developing skills. What often holds back workplaces is a lack of comunication between individuals who do not feel comfortable with their coworkers. Thus, some of the most important team building focuses on the social. Getting people to do things together as a team other than work allows them to connect on a different level. When your “work team” sees itself also as a “real team”, team members shift from individualistic concerns to a more group-centered dynamic. Plaza Sports Center can hel with this by providing several options fo workplaces of all sizes to play together better, while the physical nature of team-building with recreational soccer means all the employees are engaging in a healthy activity. “Whatever you want to do, we can make it happen”, says Alma Caso, Director of Plaza Sports Center.

At Plaza You Can:

• Play together to work better
• Engage in healthy phyical activity
• Boost employee morale and motivation
• Cultivate teamwork outside of the office

If only about halft of your coworkers are excited to play, don’t worry; not everyone in the company has to get involved. If you can get together the 12-14 people necessary for a team, we can find other teams to play against. Plaza Sports is hoping to organize an inter-company tournament, which will pit local company against local company to see which is the soccer champion. Call today to express interest so we can start planning for you! “We will schedule your company team to come to their games once a weeek for a couple of weeks”, organinze the games, provide the referees and trophy for the winner so all you have to worry about is showing up and having fun”, says Caso.

Bubble soccer is also a great option companies of all sizes. Read more about bubble soccer on pages 35 & 39. After enjoying bubble soccer, the restaurant conveniently located on-site at Plaza is a cool environment for an after-game celebration or speech. Yet another option for team-buildingis the entire facility rental. We can reserve the entire place for you for as long as you need to for special events or activities, like speakers or presentations.

Get Moving!

• Approach your boss manager if you want to represent your company and something healthy for the next company-wide initiative.
• We have printed material available to help you win over your coworkers.
• Call us when you’re ready to sign up!

Working with your teammates can make the 8-5 go by in a breeze, the days zooming by until your next team-building match. Approach your boss or manager that you want to represent your company and do something healthy for the next company and do something healthy for the next compay-wide initiative. If your aren’t much of a player but love the sport, your company can also sponsor a team or individual player on our Little Toros league. This a great way to give back to the community.

If you didn’t start playing soccer as a child, or stopped at some point and now find yourself never getting on a soccer field, we at Plaza want you to know that it’s never too late for a person to start enjoying this very universal sport! The goal of soccer does not necessarily have to be winning games and being very competitive; our philosophy is that soccer is simply a fun game to play with others while doing something healthy for your body.

There is simply no downside to getting active with soccer. Even training for soccer is a very healthy activity, as all cardio involved has many proven health benefits. Due to constantly running the length of the field, even recreational soccer players will find themselves meeting the recommended amount of physical activity without having to force themselves through a tedious workout. Instead, a fun day of games with friends burns fat, improves muscle tone, and improves lung function so you can run longer before feeling winded. Soccer is unique in that it calls for shifts between walking, running, and sprinting, which is more demanding on the body and increases muscle and bone strength more than doing any of those activities uninterrupted.

The social benefits of playing on a team are also tremendous; know that other depend on you to show up and participate will encourage you to keep to your training regimen and be a good teammate. This will build those relationships which have been shown to be a vital part of the human experience. We like feeling needed, and every member on a team is important. It is a formative experience for children to be on a team, which does not cease to be any less important as an adult.

A game for everyone – not just experts.
While some players on our leagues are very dedicated and are playing with an intensity that may intimidate some more casual players, we want everybody with even the smallest interest in playing soccer to feel welcome to play at Plaza Sports Center. We offer leagues for players at all levels of expertise. Plaza Men’s & Women’s Leagues are both available throughout the week, as are the Little Toros for children and Veteranos League for older players. You can start a team of your friends or family that we can help organize into a tournament or versus games against other casual teams, with whom you can develop very friendly rivalries. We have seen beautiful friendships grow out of these games. If you can’t get together enough people to start a team of you own, we can help you find a team to play on! Novices will be able to play on teams with other casual players just for fun.

Recreation Bubble Soccer-
Another option for casual play in a unique offering in the world of soccer: play in a bubble. Bring a group of friends to face off as red vs. blue and play a simplified version of the classic sport while you bounce and collide off each other in plastic, body-protecting bubbles. Being in the bubbles and bumping around with your friends is so fun on its own, we see visitors spending some time just doing that before getting into play with the soccer ball! You can rent our suits for the half hour, one hour, or a custom time frame. All fees already include suit and field rental. Bubble Soccer is a unique experience and even those who are afraid of hurting themselves with athletics will feel reassured by the tough plastic bubble, which has adjustable harness inside as well as handles to help you carry the weight. Like any good soccer experience, it’s a bit of a workout! If you feel winded during your time playing at Plaza, you can take a breather in our beautifully modern dining facility, which is family friendly. We love to see families enjoying a raspa after a game or groups of friends sharing a plate of nachos.