August Newsletter 2026

Welcome to the Kings Hammer August Newsletter! This edition features: Welcome Back, KH Family Night, Cincinnati Enquirer HS Players to Watch, Aniah and Octavia Attend GA International Select Tour, KH International Trip, Player Spotlight: Cam Lorentz, Featured Education: “A Letter from the Technical Desk: Own the Ordinary”, and more! If you have a player, coach, or team to be highlighted in future newsletters, please send photos and stories to info@kingshammer.com. Each newsletter will be posted on our website as well as our social pages.

Welcome Back, Kings Hammer!

Welcome back, players and coaches! The 2026/2027 season is officially here at Kings Hammer! This month, we saw new and returning players take to the pitch all around the Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky area as they began training. We’re are so happy to see everyone back, and excited to see your growth this fall!

Kings Hammer has a blast at our Annual Family Night

This year’s Kings Hammer Family Night with FC Cincinnati was an evening to remember! We started the night with some pizza and a meet-and-greet at our tents in Washington Park. After that, we walked over the stadium to sit with our friends and families as a handful of lucky Kings Hammer players took the field for on-field activations, including the Team Flags and Walkout Ceremonies. It’s safe to safe that we had an absolute blast hanging out with all of you from start to finish!

Thank you to everyone who came out and made this night truly special. We are looking forward to an incredible year at here Kings Hammer with all of you!

Cincinnati Enquirer High School Players to Watch

Earning their stripes! Congratulations to all of our Kings Hammer players who earned “Player to Watch” honors from the Enquirer – Cincinnati and Kentucky. Best of luck to everyone this fall during the high school soccer season! We’re cheering you all on!

Aniah Zembrodt and Octavia Saunders Attend Girls Academy International Select England Tour

Representing Kings Hammer across the pond! Congratulations to Elite GU16 midfielder Aniah Zembrodt and Elite Girls Director Octavia Saunders on being selected to participate in the Girls Academy International Select England Tour this month. We’re proud of you both for representing our club on the global stage!

Kings Hammer International Trip

19 players. Three hubs. One club. One incredible week.

Our 2026 Kings Hammer International Trip, hosted by InspireSport, took players and coaches across England and Scotland for a week of elite training, international competition, and unforgettable experiences.

The squad trained with Manchester City Academy and Celtic FC staff, toured the Etihad Stadium, Anfield, and Celtic Park, and competed in two friendly matches.

The result? 3 wins, 1 draw, 0 losses!

More than the results, this trip was about coming together, representing Kings Hammer with pride, and creating memories that will last a lifetime. What an incredible experience across the pond!

Kings Hammer Player Spotlight: Cam Lorentz

Although an injury will keep Cam Lorentz sidelined for the 2026/2027 season, she’s making it clear that she’ll continue to be there for her U19 Girls Academy teammates every step of the way.

Watch Cam’s story and hear from her directly about her journey, her mindset, and supporting her teammates through adversity.

Cam’s resilience, positivity, and commitment to her team are a powerful reminder that being a great teammate goes far beyond what happens on the field.

Natalie Hammond Earns First Professional Debut and Start

From Kings Hammer to the professional stage! We’re incredibly proud to celebrate Kings Hammer alum Natalie Hammond (Bain), who made her professional debut and earned her first professional start this month!

What an exciting milestone in Natalie’s journey. We’re proud to see you representing the Kings Hammer family at the next level!

Referee Training Opportunities

Have you ever considered becoming a soccer referee? Whether you’re a player, parent, coach, or simply looking for a fun way to stay involved in the game while earning extra income, now is the perfect time to get certified.

The Kentucky Soccer Referee Association (KSRA) have two in-person training opportunities left at Mustang Athletic Complex!

Northern Kentucky Field Sessions

Mustang Athletic Complex
844 Gilbert Ridge Road

November 15: 9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
November 21: 9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.

Click here for more information and to register!

From The National Technical Desk: Own the Ordinary

August is behind us, and training and games are running full steam across every hub. The nerves of day one are gone, and what is left now is the grind: the Tuesday sessions, the midweek games, the drills we have already run a dozen times. That is exactly what I want to talk about this month.

The first day gets the attention. The excitement, the new rosters, the fresh grass. But a month in, the newness wears off, and what is left is routine. That routine is where the season actually gets decided.

Own the Ordinary

A month into the season, the test is not showing up on day one with energy. Anyone can do that. The test is showing up to the fifteenth practice, the third game in ten days, the training session after a tough loss, and competing like it still counts. Because it does.

Owning the ordinary right now means a player still fighting for a first touch in a rondo they have done a hundred times. It means a coach still demanding the same standard in week four that they demanded in week one. It means a parent still showing up early to a Tuesday practice in the middle of a long season, because the routine is the work. Most people bring their best to the big moments and coast through the rest. We are building players, coaches, and families who bring their best to the parts of the season nobody is watching, week after week, because that is what actually separates a good season from a great one.

That is the KH Way in action, not just in theory. Every ordinary rep right now, in the thick of the schedule, is still building the player who will be ready when a real moment shows up in October or November.

Relentless Action in the middle of the grind

Relentless Action is easy to picture in a big moment: the sprint back on defense, the dive for a fifty-fifty ball. It is harder, and more important, in the middle of a long season, when the games blur together and the effort starts to feel optional. That is exactly where it matters most. It is not a one-time event. It is showing up the same way in week four as you did on day one.

What I’m asking this month

Do not let the routine wear down the standard. Bring the same competitiveness to this week’s training that you brought to the first one. Trust that the ordinary work happening right now, in the middle of a full schedule, is what will show up when the season gets tight later on.

Full steam ahead. Own the ordinary.

Bring the Relentless Action.

– Bronson Gambale, KH National Technical Director

GK Union Save of the Month

New to Kings Hammer and the KH GK Union? Get to know our GK Union Save of the Month and the Aubrey Kingsbury Save of the Year initiative!

Save of the Month

Each month, goalkeepers from across the club have the opportunity to submit their best saves from their Kings Hammer matches on our GK Union facebook page. At the end of each month, our National Director of Goalkeeping, Lou Liberatore, will select two participants, one boy and one girl, as the Kings Hammer GK Union Save of the Month winners.

To enter your saves for a chance to be named our Save of the Month winner, goalkeepers from across the club should start by joining the Kings Hammer GK Union facebook page. You can upload your save videos to this page with your name, your team name and where the save took place.

Aubrey Kingsbury Save of the Year

The Aubrey Kingsbury Save of the Year was created in collaboration with USWNT and NWSL goalkeeper Aubrey Kingsbury who is also an alumna of Kings Hammer. At the end of the ‘26/’27 season, Aubrey will review all of the season’s Save of the Month winners and select a boy and a girl winner for Save of the Year.

We want to wish everyone the best of luck this season. We look forward to seeing everyone’s best saves and blocks!