The Greater Cabarrus Athletic Association (GCAA) primary function is to provide a competitive sports venue for homeschool students. It is an environment that promotes a Christian approach to sports and teaches the student athlete the importance of bringing their faith into their athletics. GCAA is based in Cabarrus County, North Carolina, but serves athletes from all areas surrounding, reaching into Mecklenburg and Rowan Counties frequently as well as drawing athletes from many more distant counties in North and South Carolina. GCAA is a safe place for a student to honor God and play his or her sport to their highest ability. Teams are developed for the purpose of developing the character, skill, and teamwork of each student with the hope that a properly placed passion for their sport will serve them and their walk with God for the rest of their lives.
History
The GCAA soccer program began in 2009 with the boys' varsity team and has grown into a program that supports a girls' varsity team as well as a boys' middle school team. The teams have consistently grown each year in both numbers of players as well as competitiveness. The soccer program is centered in the Harrisburg area, geographically located on the Cabarrus/Mecklenburg line, and runs the boys' teams in the fall and the girls' team in the spring.
Goals
Well the obvious goal is to score lots of goals in the game of soccer. But it is the intent of each coach to develop specific goals for their team that challenge them to be their best whether for a game or a season. With those challenges in mind, there are overriding goals for each coach and player;
Character – to always perform at practice and games with the highest character, realizing we are ambassadors of more than a game.
Skill – to improve each day with knowledge or skill that impacts the quality of play on the field.
Competitiveness – to be competitive with good sportsmanship. Our witness should never be sacrificed for the sake of a game.
Teamwork – to work effectively and efficiently with teammates to bring the team better success on and off the field.
Team Selection
The team selection is based upon the needs of a particular team, related to abilities as well as opportunities to make a specific team better. The teams are built for competition within the high school and middle school arena and it can be difficult. As much as our desire is to give every player a chance to play, it is not always possible if the number of players desiring to play exceed the number of spots open. There is no guarantee of playing time on any of the teams. Typically a properly rosterred soccer team will have between 16 – 18 players.
Practices and Games
Harrisburg, NC is central to all soccer functions. Practices are currently held in the late afternoons at some local soccer fields and home games are played at Frank Liske Park. GCAA is a member of the North Carolina Home Educators Athletic Conference (NCHEAC) as well as the Mid-State Athletic Conference (MSAC) in the sports offered. Conferences require some distant trips while non-conference games are scheduled in consideration of the ability of the team. Most non-conference games are local to the central hub.
Expenses
Team fees are inclusive of all functions the normal regular season and conference tournaments require. Included in the team fees are uniforms (returned at season's end), practice and game equipment, game field rentals, coaching expenses. The cost per team does vary but typically fall within the $150 - $200 per player for a season of play.
Additional cost incurred could be for special tournaments and ticket fees to away games.
GCAA is a 501-c3 organization that operates within the guidelines provided by law. All moneys collected are intended to cover known expenses of both the team and the parent organization. Donations for specific team needs and fundraising are welcome and encouraged. Please contact the soccer director for more information regarding the needs and/or opportunities to contribute.
Testimonials
Our boys love soccer, and both say that playing with the GCAA Stallions is the highlight of their high school experience! They’ve played on different teams, but what makes Stallions stand out above the rest are the people – the players, the parents, and the coaches. Nowhere else in the competitive sporting environment have we found the virtue, integrity, leadership, and friendship that we’ve found through Stallions! These are coaches, young men, and families who truly are dedicated to excellence in sport to the Glory of God. ~ Paul & Kristy Michaels
I want to express my thanks to you for your dedication to these boys over the years and to the GCAA soccer program. It is people that have a passion, as you do that makes such programs a success. You go above and beyond the call of duty. Hugh and I both so appreciate your mentoring of Harper over the years. You not only have a passion about soccer but a passionate about our Lord. ~ Jill & Hugh
We cannot thank you enough for this inaugural Middle School soccer season. Thank you for your vision in starting the program, thank you for your immense expertise in coaching, thank you for being positive and being a great role model for the boys, thank you for going hard and pushing them to be their best, and thank you for being such a great communicator/organizer. Tyler has played multiple sports for almost 6 years now. Of all the 20+ teams he has been on, he will without hesitation tell you that this has been his favorite season ever. We have seen him grow as both a soccer player and as a young man. He has had so much fun playing with the Stallions, he really didn’t want the season to end! You deserve much of the credit for that, it is a testimony to the type of environment that you have fostered…so thank you! ~ Carla & Kevin Eagan