The Focus is Career Technical Education (CTE)
Drone Soccer as designed and developed by Drone Sports Inc. is focused on introducing students to aerospace, engineering, aircraft maintenance, software, team-building, and competition. The program was built to provide maximum impact and exposure to students that do not play traditional sports but deserve all the same incredible benefits in a format they can get excited about.
It begins with Professional Development
Educators/Instructors start with online Professional Development. This is a 3.5 hour self-paced online training. It contains a series of videos, links, and attachments. It is designed to go through battery safety, building, and early flying techniques. The Professional development is required for the warranty and to enable the drones to fly. Technical Support is always available via phone or email to support the educator. Our policy is if there is more struggle than about 10 minutes please reach out. We are sitting around waiting to help. Each bundle comes with an Instructor Kit. This kit includes two flyable drones but only 1 radio controller. The first drone is pre-built to be used as an example, a flyable spare, or extra parts once the program is up and running. The second is for the instructor to build as they go through the Professional Development.
Leading Students
Once the instructor feels confident they are ready to work with their students. Each bundle comes with 6 or 12 student kits. Each kit is complete with everything you need to include the drone, radio, tools, safety glasses, 3 batteries, and spare propellers. Although a 1-1 student per kit ratio is ideal for the highest impact, it is common to see students work in groups of 2 or even in some cases groups of 3 per kit. On average it takes students 3-4 hours to go through the build process as well.
Building a drone
Building the drone is simple and requires no advanced building techniques. Everything comes together via nuts, bolts, zip ties, and plugs. It is the only high performance drone designed with education in mind from the ground up. Students get to identify and assemble the frame, flight controller, receiver, motors, propellers, and the exoskeleton/shell. This not only provides identification of all the components of a drone, but students take ownership, build confidence, and understand how to troubleshoot/repair the aircraft during play.
Betaflight and Programming
Once the drone has been assembled, its time to use a publicly available and free to download software called "Betaflight". This is a freely available interface between the drone and the computer. Although popular among hobbyists, it is very similar to a commercial program called INAV used by professionals in the drone industry. Think of this software as the same as a desktop interface on your computer. It is a series of menus and options to customize the drone's performance based on piloting skill, strategy, and the player's position on the team. However we start in easy mode with pre-defined settings known as "CLI Commands". In the Professional Development we provide 1300 lines of commands you simply copy and paste into Betaflight like a word document and hit enter. This does all the settings for you and implements a training mode to start. This mode limits your throttle to 60% and your pitch and roll to 15 degrees.
Learning to Fly
Although the beginner settings are in place, there is still a learning curve. Most students take 2-3 hours of flight time at 4 minutes per battery before they can play a Drone Soccer match. Taking things slow, learning to hover, and going through the goals a few times is key before putting a team together. These drones have more in common with a racing drone or RC aircraft than they do a Skydio or DJI commercial drone. There isnt an autohover feature, altitude hold, camera, or obstacle avoidance. Students have full control and they are sensitive. Even in the beginner mode. We recommend age 12 and up because of the small micromovements/fine motor skills needed to be successful.
Learning the Game
Once the build is done, the drones are flying, and the elementary skills are established, you are ready. Students enter into teams of 3-5 active players but rosters can be as high as 10 per team. Each student pilot is in direct control of one drone. There will be one drone on each team marked by small flags. This is your Striker and the only one that can score points for your team. Their job is to go through the hoop on the far end of the arena. Everyone else is there to prevent the other team's striker from coming through your hoop. There are three sets in a Drone Soccer match and the winner is the team that wins two out of three. Each set is 3 minutes long and the game is played in full contact. So for 3 minutes, you have either 6 or 10 drones inside a cage, smashing into each other, while trying to score points. Add in all the colorful LEDs and Its a lot of fun to watch.
5 Minute Break
Between each set there is a number of things happening. Teams are able to run back to the pit area for a strict 5 minute time limit in-between sets. During this period, students will be: swapping batteries as they only last three-four minutes, making emergency repairs, the team captain may also make roster changes to the active players as teams can be as large as 10 kids but only 5 are playing per set, they will be leading their team debriefing the last set and discussing strategies, and lastly students can make tuning changes in Betaflight to customize the performance of the drone.
Tuning your drone
When Students first build their drone, it begins with a beginner mode. This is great for learning but the more the fly the more they will demand from their equipment. The drone starts with a throttle cap of 60% and pitch limited to 15 degrees. Each player will in time want to adjust the drone to the position they play, strategy, and personal skill level. For example your Stryker will want all the speed, power, and maneuverability they can get so they will remove the limits and likely increase the sensitivity of the controls for better response. A Defender on the other hand, may keep the throttle limited but allow for increased pitch angle to hold a steady hover but respond quickly to the other team's Stryker. All is up to the student in how they want to do it. As an added benefit, this tuning capability opens up hours and hours of engagement other drones cannot offer. We promise they will not get bored.
What Drone Sports does
The primary function of Drone Sports is to take students who have never touched a drone before, through the build process, and playing their first match. Our equipment and support is designed to be with the Instructor every step of the way to ensure their success.
Competition with the U.S. Drone Soccer Assoc.
Once the first match is played schools, programs, and teams can stop there. Competition is not a requirement but it is available if you would like to push skills to the next level. As part of the investment in equipment, 4% goes to the U.S. Drone Soccer Association as an entry fee. This provide access to competitions, tips and tricks, lesson plans, summer camp outlines, coaching materials, and event organizing materials in the Member's Portal found here:
What is the U.S. Drone Soccer Association?
The U.S. Drone Soccer Association is a separate 501(c)(3) non-profit focused on competition and community support. They run the competitive season under the FAI (World Air Sports Federation) ruleset and are the official United States organization in charge of hosting competitions on behalf of the FAI. By being a separate organization, they are open to all equipment as long as it falls under the rules set by the FAI, can get sponsors to lower school involvement costs, and provide materials like lesson plans, summer camp outlines, coaching tips, and competition materials.
The Competitive Season
The season is supported year-round and the United States is broken up into 11 Districts. The official kickoff begins with the town-hall in September. This is a big meeting for coaches to come together to learn about important dates, rule changes, and the National Championship location. From September to December local teams get organized, build equipment, practice, and play locally. January-February is when the real competition begins with District Qualifiers. Teams then move on to their District Championship either in March or April. The top 1-2 teams from every district will be invited to the National Tournament in May. There is also an opportunity for "Wildcard" applications to be accepted for unusual circumstances or exceptionally high performing teams. Nationals is comprised of the top 24-30 teams depending on the year. The top team will become team USA and offered the opportunity to compete in tournaments overseas in the coming year. The FAI has 20+ countries involved and each year a few elect to hold an International Tournament. Every 2 years there is also a World Championship as well.
Competition Locations
It is often asked where tournaments take place and the quick answer is, anywhere you would like. There is an official application for sanctioning which can be found HERE. Anyone can host a tournament and there is no cost to do so with the U.S. Drone Soccer Association. Simply fill out the application and wait for approval. The application is designed to request the necessary information to load the tournament into LeagueOS for others to sign up. Keep in mind if this is your first time hosting a tournament, there are tons of resources on the Membership Portal to teach you how to do it.
LeagueOS (League Operating System)
This is a website where competitions, teams, and rosters are managed. As part of the onboarding and introduction to the U.S. Drone Soccer Association, a team profile can be created. This allows visibility to other local teams and you can see and sign up for local district competitions. No data is ever collected from students when building a team roster. Most teams use first names or even nicknames to identify their students. However, at age 16 students do have the opportunity to upgrade their account with an email address. This allows for their performance record such as goals scored and Win/Loss record to attach to them. LeagueOS does have a backend option for Colleges/Universities to recruit and offer scholarships based on performance. LeagueOS runs tournament brackets and live scoring if anyone is at home wants to check in on their favorite team. Please follow the link HERE if you would like to see it for yourself.
Modifications and Drone Soccer Rules
FAI competition rules for Drone Soccer are intentionally loose. This provides a very exciting and unique advantage to U.S. Drone Soccer. As long as the drones meet the rule specifications, students are encouraged to modify their drone as much as they would like. For example 3D printed accessories, new frames, custom LEDs, new motors, flight controller, or tuning.
What the FAI Rules say about
When it comes to competitive drones in the league, the have to have the following: an exterior cage with a diameter of 18-22cm, LEDs visible from all directions, able to change the LEDs from Red to Blue, and cannot exceed 300 grams (including battery). That is it. Drones can be completely custom built and able to compete.
Things to keep in mind when using custom equipment
Drones in U.S. Drone Soccer are very fast and powerful. They can accelerate up to 30-40mph, they run powerful brushless motors, and have injection molded cages to withstand the impact. Buying equipment from Walmart or other Drone Soccer equipment from Amazon will get destroyed quickly. Also we have found 3D printing cages can either be too heavy or can shatter on impact.
How do I start a Drone Soccer program?
There are several ways to get into Drone Soccer depending on your goals, program, students, and competitive nature.
A Drone to try
This approach involves investing in an instructor kit, a battery charger, Professional Development, and access to the U.S. Drone Soccer Association Membership Portal as detailed above. This can be used to feel confident withe the equipment before diving into a larger bundle and working with students. You can also use this as a credit to expand into a full bundle later.
Learn Bundle
A perfect initial entry into Drone Soccer. This bundle comes with everything you need to introduce the program to an afterschool club, engineering class, drone class, or build your first team. This bundle comes with enough equipment for the coach to build and learn as well as enough student kits to do 3 versus 3 matches or put a full team together for U.S. Drone Soccer tournaments. There is enough equipment to keep the program self sustained for the first year. An arena of your choice can also be added a-la-carte to this bundle or you can build your own.
Full Bundle
There are three large bundles available that include an arena and 14 drones. The Practice Bundle, The Play Bundle, and the Compete Tournament bundle. The drones in the bundle are the same, the difference is the arena. Each arena is regulation size and competition ready (internal dimensions: 10' Wide x 10' High x 20' Long). They can vary in height and width depending on the particular style but the real difference is in use case.
I recommend the Practice Arena for semi-permanent spaces like multi-use rooms or cafeterias. This Arena style takes 4-6 people 40 minutes to set up the first time but once together, it folds up like a camping chair into a pillar shape. Easy to store in the corner of a room and then when you are ready to play or practice, it takes 5 minutes to expand it, play/practice, then it goes right back to the corner of the room. It comes with a standard 3 year warranty.
For lots of travel, demonstrations, or non-permanent spaces like a gymnasium or foyer I recommend the "Play Bundle" with the Inflatable Arena from Michelin Inflatables. It comes in a roller bag roughly the equivalent dimensions to an oversized piece of checked luggage. It weighs 77lbs and includes an air pump. Setup takes 2 people 25 minutes to inflate. The Arena is incredibly well built and can hold air for 2-3 days without the pump running. Teardown is even easier and can take as little as 5 minutes to deflate and put it back in the roller bag. The arena is comprised of individual air bladders housed in a fabric outer layer. This is ideal for extra protection from propellers and should something happen to an airbladder, it can be quickly replaced without throwing way the whole arena. It come standard with a 1 year warranty.
The final arena type is included with the "Compete Tournament Bundle". This style requires 15' tall ceilings to accommodate the banner on top. This Arena looks amazing, provides unrestricted views for fans, offers a customizable banner for sponsors, and is perfect for permanent or a dedicated Drone Soccer space. It is well over 100lbs and requires 6 people an hour to set it up and an hour to tear it down. It comes with its own dolly to move it. This is recommended for those that look to host competitions and have the ability to leave it up for weeks or months at a time. It comes standard with a lifetime warranty.
(For any of the arena's you can add an optional customizable green AstroTurf flooring. This outlines the markings on the floor, provides extra padding for the drones, and looks extremely professional for the teams that want to put the best foot forward)
Afterschool Club
Afterschool clubs are the most common implementation for new Drone Soccer programs. This provides students with the strongest interest to elect to join the program, take their time with learning the equipment, and give the opportunity to travel to competitions. Meetups 1-2 times a week offers more than enough time to go through the build process, learn the game, and play a few tournaments if they would like to.
In-school programming and Co-Curricular environments
Drone Soccer equipment is a platform. It offers a buildable experience, engineering/customizing opportunities, and access to aerospace fundamentals. You can play a Drone Soccer Game, traverse obstacles, or test different physics principles. At the end of the day this is a robust, repairable drone that can hit the wall and keep on going. Perfect for those learning to fly for the first time or working towards their Part 107 Commercial Drone License and need a hands on understanding of the components, troubleshooting, and need a low cost platform before upgrading to the commercial grade equipment.
Summer Camps
Many programs nationwide start here. When their equipment arrives they look to gauge interest or begin recruiting for a team. The 16 hour guide with day by day programming is available for free in the U.S. Drone Soccer Association Membership Portal . This guide is designed for 4 four hour days and takes students through safety, building, learning to fly, and playing a mini tournament on the final day.
Middle School /High School Pipeline
Some school districts look for student engagement at the Middle School level and/or High School. This can be part of recruiting into more technical classes like robotics, computer science, engineering, or Part 107 Drone Operations. By building out a pipeline that begins with Drone Soccer, students build Teamwork, problem solving, strategy while learning about physics, aerospace, electrical engineering and software. Drone Soccer also provides a fun interactive experience to continue to hone those skills while doing these advanced classes.
Recruiting Tool (Colleges and Universities)
This falls in line with the pipeline above but works exceptionally well for Colleges and Universities. Hosting a tech meet, workshop, or tournament brings tech minded students to campus. Whether hosting summer camps or a tournament, make sure it comes with a campus tour. Have students work with Middle School or High School students to share their college experience with the next generation. District Championships and National Tournaments have partnered with Suny Poly Technic, Virginia Tech Innovation Campus, and Embry Riddle University.
College teams have begun to form and play in U.S. Drone Soccer tournaments. A college league is a matter of team for intermural play and graduating High School Seniors are now choosing Colleges depending on which ones host Drone Soccer teams.