Let’s Play! Program Curriculum
Maryland State Youth Soccer Association
Summary
The Let’s Play! program from the Maryland State Youth Soccer Association (MSYSA) is a free, whole-child after-school soccer initiative designed for Title I and community elementary schools across Maryland. Central to the program’s success is its curriculum, which blends soccer skill development, nutrition education, and social-emotional learning (Persistence, Optimism, Self-Regulation, Empathy).
This resource pack provides a full eight-week curriculum guide and supporting presentations that outline how to launch and deliver sessions. The curriculum integrates soccer activities, nutrition lessons, and SEL-focused character-building themes, while offering flexibility for school partners and coaches.
Role descriptions for the key Let’s Play! staff team, and data gathering tools for the program, are also available on the Resource Hub, making it easier for organizations to adopt the program end-to-end.
Let’s Play! Full 8-Week Curriculum Guide (2025)
USYS Workshop Presentation: How-To Guide for Implementation
School Leaders Presentation: Program Overview & Partnership Guide
HOW AND WHEN IT CAN HELP
- For organizations interested in replicating Let’s Play! in their own schools or communities.
- As a curriculum model to adapt for after-school soccer programming.
- To support school leaders and administrators in understanding program structure and outcomes.
- To provide coaches and mentors with practical, ready-to-use lesson plans.
WHAT WE LIKE ABOUT THIS RESOURCE PACK
The curriculum weaves soccer development with nutrition and SEL, ensuring kids learn both on and off the field. The companion presentations help schools and community leaders buy in, making it a practical tool for uses of the Hub to take learnings and inspiration for their own programs.
KEY CONSIDERATIONS WHEN USING THIS RESOURCE
- How will your organization train coaches and mentors to deliver both soccer and SEL lessons effectively?
- What local partnerships (schools, nutrition providers, community orgs) could strengthen implementation?
- How can you adapt MSYSA’s curriculum themes to reflect the cultural context of your community?
- How will you coordinate with schools to ensure sustainability beyond the pilot phase?
ABOUT THE CONTRIBUTOR
Maryland State Youth Soccer Association (MSYSA) is the state’s representative of U.S. Soccer and U.S. Youth Soccer, serving over 150,000 players and 350 member organizations. Through outreach initiatives like Let’s Play!, MSYSA works to expand access to the game in underserved communities, combining soccer with nutrition, mentorship, and social-emotional learning to drive holistic youth development. To learn more visit MSYSA.org.
CREDITING CONTRIBUTORS
The Resource Hub is made possible by the generosity of contributors. It demonstrates the rich expertise and collective team spirit that exists across our soccer community.
All resources that have been contributed to the Resource Hub are free for users of the Hub to learn from, adapt and implement in their own organization and community.
Where relevant, we encourage users of the resources to formally or informally credit the resource creator, to acknowledge their expertise and generosity.