Maplebrook Soccer Club Testimonial (Member: Melissa Roller)

SUMMARY: This is a testimonial from Melissa Roller about her experiences with Maplebrook Soccer Club. Roller and her son have been with Maplebrook Soccer Club for 5 years; she appreciates the club's community focus, non-profit status, and engagement. She's seen her son grow as a player and person, gaining confidence and finding his place as a goalie. The club offers excellent facilities year-round and provides valuable resources like specialized goalie training, welcoming children from all over the community. Melissa highly recommends the club, so much so that she joined the board in 2024.

Maplebrook Soccer Club Testimonial Featuring Member Melissa Roller

Read more about a member's experience at Maplebrook Soccer Club, a soccer club in Minnesota.

How long have you been a part of Maplebrook Soccer Club? What attracted you to the club?

We've been part of the program for about five years now. My son started out in the rec program and is now in the U11 competitive team. And we really love the aspect that Maplebrook Soccer was local, and it was community-based. It was right near our home within five miles, which was amazing, so it was very convenient for a busy working mom like myself. I also love that it was nonprofit, and they really seemed to be engaged with the community. And I loved just the aspect of their coaching and their mission, and that's really what attracted me to the club in the first place.

What has been your favorite experience at Maplebrook Soccer Club?

Over the last five years, my favorite experience at this club has just been seeing my son grow as a player and as a little human. He started out with not, you know, having too much experience with soccer, but just loving the sport. And he's grown over the years into being just a super confident goalie, and he's kind of found his place within the organization and within his team. My son is very shy, and this has been something that he has been able to really exercise his, you know, another side of his personality. And I see the confidence coming out of him in every single game, and he doesn't shy away from the challenges that our coaches have given him. He's really leaned into, you know, finding a position that just, you know, really interests him. And the coaches, Kat and Coach Ben have just really helped him gain that confidence over the last few years as a goalie. 

And one of my the the most favorite experiences that I have to kind of look back on was us participating in the USA Cup last summer. It was such a pivotal point in his soccer adventure here and [his] journey [to be] able to punt that ball for the first time and being really good at it, the encouragement that not only the parents on the sidelines gave as well as the other opposing team as well as the the coaches was just amazing. And I love seeing him happy and excelling, but it's really just about him having fun and his growth. And he's done that over the last five years, and I really attribute that to this organization.

How has Maplebrook Soccer Club impacted your son/daughter? Share an example.

Maplebook has really impacted my son in many different ways, but the biggest is the growth in himself and the confidence that he's gained over the last five years in his ability to be able to be a team player and a team member, and find something that he really enjoys and has fun doing. And he looks forward to the consistency every week of being able to go to practice, the games that come up, the mini camps, and the summer camps. Everything that Maplebrook has offered, and continues to offer him to be able to grow his soccer skills has just really created a confident, strong little human. And I feel like, you know, every day that confidence continues to grow.

What do you like about the facilities used by Maplebrook Soccer Club?

Maplebrook has done an excellent job in securing safe and top-notch facilities for these kids to be able to play for all seasons of the year. You know, in the winter, we're at the dome. The Maple Grove Dome is super well maintained, and the ability to have something that's climate controlled through cold and winter days and be able to have these kids still practice has been amazing. And then through the spring and summer, abilities to be able to use the city of Maple Grove's, you know, parks and then FAF. The Fernbrook Athletic Fields are absolutely remarkable and [we] feel so  lucky to be able to have that artificial turf for them to be able to practice on and play games. And I think they've done an excellent job in securing really safe spots that are really convenient for the community and for these parents, like myself, to be able to utilize throughout the year.

Would you recommend Maplebrook Soccer Club to a friend or colleague? Why?

I would recommend Maplebrook all day long to really anybody that is interested in having their child participate in soccer. My experience has been just such a positive one over the course of the last five years. So positive, actually, that I joined the board in 2024. So I started out, you know, as a parent, and then moved into a kind of team manager role as well. And then, last year, I started to be a board member, and this has just been such a positive aspect of my life, but also my son's life as well. And the skills he's gained is just unmatched, and I find that the resources that Maplebrook provides. For example, you know, my son's a goalie, and he has access to Cat. And she has practices that are above and beyond our normal practices, and he gets the ability to be able to work one-on-one with her to gain better skills, and he really enjoys it.

They offer so many opportunities through their summer programs, through the fall and spring programs, that there's kids from all over our community that participate, and I love that aspect of every child is important. And they really do care about the kids that participate here. And so, yeah, I would recommend Maplebrook to really anybody.

Learn more about Maplebrook Soccer Club