Planning Guide: How to Successfully Attend a Far Away Tournament

Transcription

1 Planning Guide: How to Successfully Attend a Far Away Tournament This guide will help the lead volunteer to plan and successfully participate in a soccer tournament attended by the team, with few parents. Typically, the team will travel via an airline or team bus. Planning Timeline October choose your tournament and choose volunteers. Think about fundraising. March summer team is chosen. Select volunteers for roles listed below. Begin fundraising 3 months before the tournament: book airline tickets book passenger van(s). Large passenger vans sell out quickly, so don t delay book hotels 1 month prior to tournament collect key documents determine sight seeing options, eating options, where to buy groceries Day before you travel Create binder, organized by child with key documents to cross border (list below) Call airline desk at airport to request extra agent to help with team check in Travel Day Team wears matching jerseys, warm up suits and carries matching soccer bag. Arrive early to the airport and ask the airline for a separate check in line for the team Have at least one person taking a checked back to have extra space in it. They should check in last to allow any extra items from other s luggage to be added to it. Going across the border always have one parent at the front (who tells each official we are a soccer team of under X boys/girls going to Y destination and there are X number of players plus parents. This first parent shows the organized travel binder to the border security official. And one parent at the back who ensures that if a border official has any problems with a player, that adult can help at the end. Key Documents for Each Player 1. Photo copy of passport*. 2. Photo copy of health card*. Health cards are not required for international tournaments; however, you will need them for tournaments within Canada. Make sure you have every player s health card with you for all Canadian tournaments. 3. Photo copy of travel medical insurance* if going out of Canada. Our team used Ingle Insurance for those not covered with work-related benefits: 4. Medical release form signed by parents. This is the actual form, not a copy. You will need this in case the player gets injured and their parents are not there to consent to treatment. US tournaments require this as part of the check-in procedure and require the forms to be brought to all games. Ottawa Gloucester Hornets: Far Away Tournament Planning Guide 1

2 5. Signed Parental Consent form*. This is the actual form, not a copy. This provides consent of the parents to allow their child to leave the country without them. The consent form must have the details of the flights, hotel and the adult in charge of the player, usually the coach. 6. Border Crossing Team Spreadsheet*. US Customs suggested we create a spreadsheet with specific info on it and have the team cross the border together and in order of the players listed on the spreadsheet. It worked like a charm! The spreadsheet must contain: a. Player name on passport b. Date of birth c. Passport number d. Player citizenship 7. Team Survival Guide for Tournament. See attached. This is a key document for the coach and chaperones. It includes the following info: a. Itinerary including flights, games and hotel details b. Location of games, hotel, nearby hospitals, sight seeing options, practice fields, grocery stores, etc. c. Reservation info restaurants, hotel 8. Team Roster* 9. Travel Permit* 10. Tournament acceptance * 11. Hotel contract* 12. Player cards * recommended by US border agents to have on hand when crossing the border. Suggested volunteer roles Fundraising manager Logistics manager book hotels, work with travel agent to organize flights, book vans, Onsite team manager register team, carry consent forms and player cards, look after picking up vans Collector of key documents Sightseeing/eating coordinator identifies places to go, books restaurants, nearby grocery stores Survival Guide creator Ottawa Gloucester Hornets: Far Away Tournament Planning Guide 2

3 While at the Tournament Ensure medical consent forms, team roster and player cards are with you at all times, including games. If you are staying in Canada, ensure you have OHIP cards with you as well. Manage expectations for the players so they can plan accordingly. Each evening, have one parent send out a what to expect tomorrow text to one player, who then communicates this to the rest of the team. Example: Suggested Packing list for Players: Passport and Provincial health card Soccer bag: Cleats, shin guards, water bottle, white socks, green jersey, black shorts Black jersey, black shorts, black socks + runners for jogging White OGSC training jersey from last year US money for meals and drinks and sightseeing activities Shirt with collar in case team dresses up for dinner Beach/pool attire: flip flops, hat, swim suit Light jacket Sunscreen Try to avoid bringing items >100ml to avoid checked baggage fees Obvious stuff like PJs, underwear, non-soccer change of clothes, personal care items like deodorant, moisturizer, toothpaste etc. (each under 100ml in size). The hotel will have shampoo and soap as well as a washing machine and dryer. Planning Wisdom from the Trenches: Use a travel agent to book the airlines seats as a group. You will have to pay $$ for this service; however, it is worth it. Please note for group bookings, all players must travel out on the same flight, but there is some flexibility for about 20% of the tickets to come back on a different date. Minimum 15 players attending tournament. Local teams will have 18 players and it s tougher to beat teams when you have a short bench. Suggest the team wear matching uniforms when training as well. Our team brought down three jerseys (green, black and white). Rent van/bus large enough for entire team to travel together. Rent a separate van for chaperones. Create a Twitter account so parents, family and friends, as well as the club, can follow the team s activities. Make sure you let the club know your Twitter handle. Know if your airplane will have in-seat TV screens. If not, ensure before they board the plane, the players have downloaded the airline s app to watch movies/tv during while onboard. Encourage players to only do carry-on luggage for plane travel Ottawa Gloucester Hornets: Far Away Tournament Planning Guide 3

4 Consider a hotel with the following amenities: o No more than 15-minute drive from tournament fields. This allows the players to rest in the hotel, eat, hydrate and stay out of the sun between games (if there is more than one game in a day) o Suites offer extra space, fridges to store food and in-room eating area o coin-operated laundry facilities o Park nearby for training Buy grocery food on day 1 or 2 to ensure the players can snack on healthy items An on-the-ground navigator to aid in figuring out best routes for the driver is important. If the tournament is in a sunny / hot destination consider packing umbrellas / larger sun hats. Travelling with 15 players is chaos at best! Have each player be assigned a buddy. When the team leaves a destination, they are responsible to make sure their buddy is onboard and not accidentally left behind. Balancing various activities such as tournament play, sightseeing and rest is key to planning a good trip / tournament. For international tournaments, ensure players understand cell phone roaming fees. Appendix of extra forms: 1. Parental Consent Form 2. Medical Release Form for US-based Tournaments 3. Memo: San Diego Checklist and Info Update 4. San Diego Survival Guide (attached as separate doc) Ottawa Gloucester Hornets: Far Away Tournament Planning Guide 4

5 Consent Letter for Children Travelling with OGSC Hornets B15 Sting Team For San Diego Surf Cup Soccer Tournament, July 27 August 1, 2017 To whom it may concern, I / We,, full name(s) of parent(s) / person(s) / organization giving consent Address: street address, city Telephone and province/state, country telephone am / are the parent(s), legal guardian(s) or other authorized person(s) or organization with custody rights, access rights or parental authority over the following child: Information about travelling child Name: Date and place of birth: Number and date of issue of passport (if available): Issuing authority of passport (if available): Birth certificate registration number Issuing authority of birth certificate child s full name dd/mm/yyyy number country where passport was issued number province / territory where birth certificate was issued city, province/territory dd/mm/yyyy Information about accompanying person (leave blank if child is travelling alone) This child has my / our consent to travel alone or This child has my / our consent to travel with Name: Relationship to child: full name of accompanying person Birthdate Number and date of issue of passport: Issuing authority of passport: number Canada country where passport was issued dd/mm/yyyy Contact information during trip I / We give our consent for this child to travel to: Destination(s): name of destination country / countries Travel dates: to stay with / at (if applicable) at the following address(es) date of departure to date of return name of person with whom child will be staying / hotel or other accommodation street address(es), city (cities), province(s)/states, country(countries) Telephone and

6 This letter may be signed before a witness who has attained the age of majority (18 or 19, depending on the province or territory of residence) OR certified by an official who has the authority to administer an oath or solemn declaration (recommended). Signature(s) of person(s) giving consent Signature of witness or Signature of official full name of witness signature(s) of person(s) giving consent signature of witness by dd/mm/yyyy dd/mm/yyyy city, province/territory Signed before me on this day of,, month year name(s) of person(s) giving consent signature of official name / title of official

7 Medical Release Form US Tournaments Only MEDICAL RELEASE FORM Authority to Treat and Waiver PLAYER S FULL NAME: ADDRESS: CITY/STATE/ZIP: TELEPHONE #: D/O/B : / / HEIGHT: FT IN WEIGHT: The above named soccer player has been granted permission to attend and participate in and with teams, leagues, tournaments, camps, practices, and other soccer activities sponsored by the United States Youth Soccer Association. The player has received a physical examination by a physician and is physically fit to participate. In exchange for the privilege of the player participating in these activities. I waive any legal claim against those associated with these soccer activities in the event that the player is injured while participating in these soccer activities, and travel to and from the same. I hereby give my consent, in case of injury, to have a coach, assistant coach, manager, athletic trainer, medical doctor, nurse, hospital, or clinic provide the player with medical assistance and or treatment. I agree to be financially responsible for the cost of such assistance or treatment. Known Medical Problems Physician Telephone# Insurance Policy# In case of emergency, when parents cannot be reached, please contact: Name Telephone# Print Mother, Father or Guardian Name Print Mother, Father or Guardian Name (Signature) (Signature)

8 Parent Info and Checklist Sample Memo San Diego Checklist and Information Updated: July 8/2017 Provide printed copies of the following to no later than : Player passport copy the page with name, photo and passport number/expiry date health card photo copy out-of-country health insurance policy - photo copy medical waiver form signed parent consent form Flight details: Thursday, July 27 7am depart Ottawa, AC 441, arrive Toronto :20 depart Toronto, AC1887 (Rouge) arrive San Diego 1225 Tuesday, August 1 13:25 depart San Diego, AC1886 (Rouge), arrive Toronto 11:06pm 00:30 depart Toronto, AC 472, arrive Ottawa 0131 Hotel details Homewood Suites, San Diego Del Mar Vista Sorrento Parkway San Diego, CA, Tel: Out of Country Health Insurance For those players without out-of-country health insurance, Ingle offers reasonable rates and you can just go on line to set up the insurance: General Itinerary: Thursday morning, fly out as a team Thursday night, attend baseball game Friday practice, fun Saturday two games Sunday minimum one game, two if we don t make it to the semi finals Monday semi finals/finals if we get that far. If we don t, beach day or some type of fun Tuesday fly home

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