A GUIDE FOR PARENTS AND PLAYERS:

FOREWORD- This guide is an effort to improve communications with parents and to help players get the most out of their soccer experience with the club.

THE ROLE OF ATHLETICS- Athletics are to be an additional arm of the total education of a young person. Our goal is to not only develop good soccer players, but also to develop well rounded individuals. Our program emphasis is on soccer as only part of the player’s total academic, personal growth, social growth and citizenship. Our primary goal is the betterment of the individual.

SOCCER TRYOUTS- Each player must try out for a position on the team one time each year. Try-outs are held at the end of the spring season, sometime in early June. There are a maximum of eighteen players carried on a team. The desired number of players is sixteen. Try-outs are held for two days. Some players will try out only one day and some will be asked to return the second day for an additional look. Each player will be informed after the second day whether they made the team. Players are given a brief evaluation as to why they did or did not make the team. Players are given an estimation of where their strengths lie and areas they need to work on and improve. Our evaluation forms and our method of evaluation can be discussed after the tryouts are over.

Parents and players must remember that this is a select program and that even if they make the team in one season, does not necessarily guarantee the player that they will make the team the next. Our goal in soccer is to develop players for the next level. We feel we have a responsibility to the hard working, dedicated player. We must ensure that all players understand that it is their responsibility to keep up with our program. This may be through self-training or through extra help from the coaches, trainers, directors or outside sources.

PRESEASON TRAINING- Players are expected to start the preseason in good physical condition. It is expected that players do some training in the off-season. Their off-season training should be both technical training and physical conditioning. Players not in reasonable good physical condition will be at a definite disadvantage coming into the preseason.

There will be three training sessions per week in the preseason. The beginning of preseason will be lots of running and conditioning with and without the ball. There will be both aerobic and anaerobic training in almost every preseason session. We will also attempt to have two scrimmage (friendly) games before the season begins.

VACATIONS- We believe that vacations are important to all families. We also believe that the family spending quality time together is very important and sometimes neglected in our busy society. However we do asked that you try to arrange your vacations so that they conflict as little as possible with the preseason and the season. Of course we understand that sometimes this may not be able to be avoided. However you should understand that this can be a disadvantage to the player who can sometimes fall behind in his training.

ATTENDING TRAINING-Soccer is a team sport and all players contribute to the team. It is unfair to the team and the coaching staff when players miss training sessions. We expect players to make all training session. Missing a training session should only be on an occasional basis and for a very good reason. Attendance is taken by the coaching staff and is used in the player’s evaluation. Players are also expected to be at the session at least five minutes before practice begins, dressed ready to begin. They are also expected to start the warm-up process on their own before the session begins. No player should shoot hard at goal before the session; this can cause an injury if the player is not warmed up.

We do understand that the occasional traffic jam or some other circumstances may cause an occasional tardiness.

Our program is carefully set up for the entire season (master plan). We then take our daily sessions off of this plan. Our program is well organized and builds up as the season progresses. Players missing these sessions put themselves and the team behind.

Players are expected to come to each training session mentally ready to train. Game losses will happen and are acceptable when the team is working to their potential. However a loss due to a lack of performance at training sessions is unacceptable by the coaching staff.

REGULAR SEASON-Players are expected to be on the field starting their warm-up approximately forty-five minutes before the match. Proper warm-up is important for both the mental and physical aspects of the game.

Most games will be played as they are scheduled. There are games that will need to be changed due to tournaments, weather, or other circumstances.

Tardiness is not acceptable and that player will play, but not start. The player will get the full warm-up before entering any match. Remember that in some cases the fields are either hard to find, or there are many fields and it does take some time to find the correct field. Please allow for this in your travel time.

Tournaments –We do not believe in participating in a lot of tournaments. Tournaments are used for the purpose of fun, for the player, coaching staff and the fans. We will do one or two tournaments during the season. They will be announced early enough to make arrangements.

Training Sessions-Training sessions during the season may or may not go to two sessions per week. The sessions may stay at three at least for some time. Plenty of notice will be given on this subject.

GRADES-We feel that any sport, such as soccer, is only a game. Although it does teach sportsmanship, social skills, and life skills it should not be placed above a student’s grades.

The student should be properly educated and prepared for the rest of his life. Since we are not in a school environment, we cannot completely control the player and his grades. However we do recommend to parents and players, that any player who has not kept his grade level up to his potential, should be suspended from playing until their grade average is back to his potential. It is the philosophy of the coaching staff that the player has failed to live up to his commitment to the team. It should be remembered that when and if the player plays at the school level, it is usually required that he stay academically eligible.

BEHAVIOR- It is an honor to be selected to represent this team and this club. Players who represent this team are expected to do those things that bring honor to themselves, their families, their friends and their team. Committing acts that dishonor any of the aforementioned will bring about undesirable consequences. As long as a player considers themselves a part of this team and club, they are subject to this conduct code.

We expect players to act in a manner that only shows good sportsmanship, to their teammates, their opponents, coaches, fans and referees. We will always conduct ourselves with quiet dignity and pride, no matter what the outcome of the match.

This conduct should also extend off the pitch.

OTHER SPORTS-We encourage players to play other sports especially in the off-season. We think it is important to be well rounded and it does help to prevent burnout in a single sport. However, as the player becomes older we do recommend that they start to decide to become more serious at a few particular sports. The saying “jack of all trades and master to none” does hold true. Soccer is a very technical, physical and tactical sport. It takes many hours of team training and self-training to develop. Soccer development is accomplished through the training of muscle coordination. This can only be done with repetition many times of a particular skill. If you look at the many skills involved in the game of soccer, it adds up to a lot of training time.

However, even for the very serious soccer player, we recommend other sports especially swimming, cycling, and basketball to help keep the player in good physical condition in the off-season.

OFFICIALS-Officials are imperfect human beings and like both coaches and players commit errors. Those errors are to be considered the breaks of the game and not the result of fault or prejudice on behalf of the officials. No player may take it upon himself or herself to dispute, contradict or criticize an official’s decision.

Yellow Card-Often the player in question receives a caution for overly aggressive or physical play or for some sort of error. If they are not considered to be purposeful and meant to hurt the opponent, the coaching staff will usually overlook them. However, cautions awarded for dirty play, for dissent to an official or for transgressions of an intentional nature, will not be tolerated. The player will be taken out of the game, and will not play the remainder of that game. Further reprimand can and will be forthcoming, if the caution is of a vary serious nature.

Red Card-Ejection form a soccer game will never be tolerated. Under the majority of circumstances, it is unacceptable to be ejected from any athletic event. We encourage players to play aggressively against their opponent, however we also teach players how to play aggressive, but also playing fairly. We in no way want any player or encourage any player to try to hurt or cause any injury to any opponent. Fighting with an opponent is not acceptable, and players must walk away from any confrontation.

DRESS CODE-Players are expected to dress properly for any game or training session. Players should come to training sessions with proper attire. They should also come to the training sessions with the proper dress for weather, and put on a warm up suit after any training session to help in the cool down process in cooler weather conditions.

We do not require the following for games, but we recommend the following dress when coming to games.

Players should come with a proper warm up suit. Especially in cold weather, this is important, however it is also important any time they are playing. When they are not playing, or just warming up the warm up suit is an important tool to help in the warm up process and also in the cool down process. It is also important to help keep the body temperature when out of the game and ready for the substitution. We like to see our players warming up in a Club T-shirt. We then only put our uniform shirt on just before game time.

Please note that this is only a suggestion and not required.

It is required that all players come to a game with proper dress for a soccer game.

It is also expected that players come to training sessions and games with a proper players bag.

CAPTAINS- There will be one, two or three players chosen as captains. The coaching staff chooses captains. Captains are expected to lead the team both in the game and in the training sessions. We expect this player or players to lead by example. Captains are to speak for the team on the field and represent the coaching staff during the matches.

EQUIPMENT CARE- Players are expected to take care of their equipment along with the teams equipment. Any player leaving a jersey, ball etc. at training or a match, the player may be required to perform physical endurance tasks to earn the piece of equipment back. Always look around your team area before and after every session or match. The equipment you save may be your own.

It is expected that player take care of the team equipment. Trying to see how many cones we can destroy is not a part of the learning process. All team equipment should be taken care of in the proper manner. At the end of each training session players are expected to pick up all equipment and return to the coaching area. There will be no hanging on goals at any field or pitch we train on or play on.

Players are expected to line their bags up at all training session and matches in the coaching area.

ALLOCATION OF PLAYING TIME- Any player that is on the side line and in the coaching area (not playing), will be given a training vest to wear when not playing. When the player is told they are going into the game, the player should make a few slow runs behind the team area to get a little warm up. The player should then go to the centerline to go into the game. When the player goes to the line the training vest will come off and be held by that player. When told to come onto the field of play, the player will call off the teammate they are subbing for and hand them the vest. That player will then put on the vest. Each player should know proper substitution methods.

Playing Time- All players will have the opportunity to receive a good deal of playing time. However, players are expected to prove that they should be given this time. These opportunities are usually proven by their work ethic at the training sessions and their attendance at the training sessions. Playing time is earned by the player and not just given by the coach. Playing time is between the player and the coaching staff, and not the parent and the coaching staff. We would expect any player not satisfied with their playing time to discuss it with the coaching staff.

OPEN DOOR POLICY- No team or organization will be absolutely perfect. Therefore we encourage our players to come and discuss any problems they may have. This does not only involve the soccer program, but any issue they may want to discuss with us, we will be more than willing to discuss. Discussions that either we initiate or the player initiates are held in confidence. We feel that the team is an extended family of players.

We spend many hours with our players, and do want them to become successful both in life and in soccer. Therefore, from time to time we will discuss issues with individual players.

We also encourage parents to discuss any issues with us. However we do not have time for discussion before a training session. Our sessions are well planned and our field layout usually takes a little time to be set up before our training. The coaching staff also has a quick meeting before each session to discuss the session. Please use after the session, or any other time to discuss any matters. Again, any matter is open for discussion, except playing time. This can be discussed between you and your child, but the player should discuss with the coach. At the younger age levels, all players will usually play equally, however as the player gets to the older age groups this does not always hold true. At the high school and college level the player may not play at all.

EVALUATIONS-At the end of every season a player evaluation is completed by the coaching staff. This is a tool to help the player understand the strong and weak points of their game. This evaluation is not to compare them with other players, but to compare their performance to their last evaluation and how they are progressing. Maybe it should be called a progress report. Players are expected to look at the evaluation, and understand what they should work on in the off-season. Many player training sessions are listed on the website for the player to use as a training tool. Players are expected to return to the team the following season in good physical condition.

IN SEASON TRAINING-Players are expected to train on their own. We realize that players have many activities and that schoolwork is the most important item. We realize that players have trouble balancing homework, their social activities, family activities and athletics. We do ask our players to work out a schedule that does involve some soccer homework. We do not ask that they train every night and a specific time each night, but they must train to improve. Practice does not make you perfect; but repetition will help make you better.

OFF SEASON TRAINING- Players are strongly encouraged to train on their own in the off-season. We also encourage players to participate in some other sporting activities. We do recommend that players do take some time off to prevent burn out. We only ask players if they want to participate in the first indoor fall/winter session. We only use this session for fun and do nothing else but the one game per week. We do not require any player to do this and even think that for some it is a good idea to not participate. We do not want to burn out our players. The second indoor session we encourage players to play. It is not required, but it is recommended so that we can start to prepare for the spring season.

Spring training will start indoor with either a clinic or in a gym. This will be the decision of the coaching staff. Fall training will also be at the decision of the coaching staff.

NOTES-Please understand that the rules above are only to prevent misunderstanding between players, parents and the staff. We understand that every issue cannot be included here. We want everyone to understand that we do want an open door policy, and welcome comments, questions and suggestions. We know this is not a perfect world, and we are not a perfect team or club. We do want to make every effort, to be as good as we can be.

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