Owego excels in its first Drone Soccer season

By JoAnn R. Walter —

After finishing up their first Drone Soccer season in early May, Owego has emerged as a leader in a competition that integrates technology with sport. A win-win all the way around, student aviators are learning real-world skills in technology.

Owego, a part of the Southern Tier BOCES Drone Soccer League, brought home a state championship on March 2.   

On May 2 and 3, Owego competed at the U.S. Drone Soccer 2025 National Championship, which brought together 24 Drone Soccer teams from all over the country. Owego finished fifth and was also recognized as the highest-ranked rookie team.

An exciting element about the national championship, too, is that it was held at SkyDome. Located in Rome, N.Y., SkyDome is the largest testing facility for Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) in the U.S.

Coach John Heath remarked, “The kids did a fantastic job at the state tournament and worked together to ready themselves for the national championship,” adding, “The games do get exhilarating, and the team really blossomed with confidence.”

Drone Soccer supports STEM education and inspires students to pursue aviation technology, engineering, science, and maintenance-focused careers. Competitions engage and challenge students and, in turn, highlight their skills related to engineering and aviation, along with teamwork and leadership.

Heath had been approached by another coach while at a January 2024 competition with his Robotics Team, where it was suggested he check out Drone Soccer. After watching an introductory trailer on the U.S. Drone Soccer website, Heath’s interest peaked, as did his students’.

Shortly after, Heath, a Science teacher at OAMS, prepared a detailed enrichment program proposal for consideration, which was subsequently approved by the school district.

Next up was the purchase of a competition kit, and Heath said it was a bit intimidating when first opened. The box came filled with intricate parts and pieces for twelve pilot drones and controllers, and all had to be assembled by hand.    

Twelve students attended a week-long summer camp last July hosted by Heath and Assistant Coach Steve Bingley, and worked together to build the drone soccer balls, or drones encased in balls, where they assembled frames, propellers, electronics, and more.

“There were so many small parts,” Heath said, adding, “It was much more challenging than I thought it would be.”

After the builds, flight controllers and programming were crucial to the success, and, Heath noted, “I was pleased with the mix of the right students involved in figuring out the programming.”

Heath chuckled, “I was learning side-by-side with the kids. We built the team from the ground up, and all of their ideas were valued. Summer got us off the ground.”

Heath explained that Drone Soccer is seen as a niche tech sport, where an arena, or 10 x 20 foot cage, is raised off the floor and features two suspended goals.

During competition, student pilots fly for three full minutes and compete in the best of three sets. Teams maneuver their drones to score by getting their drone ball into the opponent’s goal. A striker can score goals, and other players assist in offense and defense.

Students from seventh to twelfth grades started practicing cage play over the summer and learned how to handle the lightweight and fast-flying drone soccer ball, such as joystick movement and hovering techniques. 

The Drone Soccer season kicked off in October. Owego traveled to Corning often for the tournament-style play against other schools. 

Over time, students increased their skill levels and improved their offensive and defensive strategies from month to month.

Heath shared that the team benefited from establishing a Pre-Flight Checklist and assigned members to select roles within a Pit Crew.

Since students only get five minutes of repair time during competition, a pit crew was essential to ensure that all aspects of repairs were managed quickly. One student, designated to take on just the batteries, charged batteries after they cooled and then changed out batteries before time ran out.   

Heath noted, “Motors burn out quickly, too,” and explained that another student, who is working as an intern at Lockheed Martin, was the perfect match to solder delicate wires.

Covering all of their bases, other students played scout roles, where they kept spreadsheet data or intelligence information about other teams.

Looking ahead, a second camp is planned this summer, where current team members will welcome new recruits on the first J.V. Drone Soccer team. Sixth, seventh, and eighth graders will be mentored by the more seasoned varsity Drone Soccer players.