It may be cold outside during the winter, but soccer doesn’t need to stop!

Your season has just ended as you played that final match of the season with a light coating of snow on the field. Now that you have a little extra time on your hands, what should you do for the next 3 months as the temperature drops? Here are a few ideas to keep feeding your love for soccer.

1. Watch Soccer – More than ever, there is plenty of soccer to watch on TV during the week as well as on the weekends. Although the MLS season is over, there are plenty of other top-quality leagues playing throughout the winter such as the Premier League in England, La Liga in Spain, and Serie A in Italy. Not only are these matches fun to watch, but it’s always beneficial to watch and learn from the best players in the world.

2. Indoor Soccer Leagues – Get a team together and play in your local leagues! There are more and more options whether it’s the traditional indoor soccer format or you want to venture out and play other forms of the sport like futsal or 5-a-side. These leagues are not only fun and get you out playing with your teammates and friends, but they also allow a player to improve their ball skills with the small spaces and many touches you will get on the ball throughout a match.

3. Indoor Soccer Training – There are a couple of options that have recently popped up as it relates to training indoors. Whether it’s with a private trainer or training at a membership-based facility, this is a great way to keep improving your skills in the off-season. Facilities like Sogility offer different memberships, winter camps, and other programs that will not only keep you busy but definitely improve your skills so you can surprise your coaches, teammates and competition when you return in the new season.

4. Playing Video Games – Games like FIFA from EA Sports have truly developed their games to a point where they are very life-like both from the standpoint of graphics of the player and field as well as the actual play. These games can help a player understand positional strategy and tactics while being fun.  Of course, too much of something is never a good thing so it’s important to find a good balance of time you spend on video games.

5. Training at home – At the end of the day, all you need in soccer is a ball. Definitely don’t hesitate to practice juggling and your foot skills in your garage or your basement (with your parent’s permission!). Practicing these skills daily will definitely help you grow as a player.

Soccer is definitely an all year round sport and there are many ways you can keep involved in the sport. Whether its spending those early Saturday mornings watching your favorite Premier League teams or spending time at Sogility cleaning up your passing and dribbling skills, there are many ways to keep feeding your love for soccer.