Introduction to the Terwillegar Riverbend Soccer Association for Coaches 2014 Outdoor Season

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1 Introduction to the Terwillegar Riverbend Soccer Association for Coaches 2014 Outdoor Season The Terwillegar Riverbend Soccer Association provides a community minor soccer program for all residents of the communities of Riverbend and Terwillegar. The season will start May 1, weather permitting. Typically for the outdoor season we have two games and one practice a week. Games are scheduled, but practices are decided by the coache(s). Pick a time and a place that works for the majority of your team. Team Communications: Coaching teams (Coaches, assistant coaches and Co-coaches) should get together before the season starts and decide how they are going to work together. This is especially important for new coaching teams who do not know each other well. Find out what each other s schedules are like. Decide who will be in charge of contacting players, sharing and running practices, coaching the games, setting up nets, holding the equipment, etc. Once you receive your equipment bag with jerseys, you should have a team meeting with all your parents and players before the start of the season. The team can come up with a name and a team cheer at these meetings. You can hand out the jerseys, find a team manager, and decide where and when to hold practices. You might want to establish some team rules at this time as well. These rules are up to you, but some examples could be: everyone helps putting up nets, show up 15 minutes before the game, take turns bringing snacks, etc. Coaches usually communicate with their teams by . Make sure that everyone on your team is aware of this and checks their regularly. Coaches should also ensure that they have the correct addresses for each player. Players without will have to be contacted by phone. The team manager or another volunteer can be assigned this task. Ask the parents if they are okay with sharing addresses with the team. For those that are not (if any) use the bcc address line to protect their privacy. Team Volunteers Parent volunteers are available to help out the coach as team manager. Usually the coach

2 and team manager decide which duties the team manager will take on. Examples of team manager responsibilities include: communicating with parents, maintaining an up to date team list, making up the snack schedule, making up a net set up schedule, assigning the ref liaison, organizing the year end party, paying the referee, filling in gamesheets, phoning parents when games are cancelled, etc. Coaches are entitled to have a parent volunteer bring the net and other equipment to the game, and put up, take down and store the nets between games. It is a good idea to ask your team manager to arrange this. ALL parents, regardless of their official volunteer roles, are expected to support their child s team by bringing snacks, setting up the nets, cleaning the fields, being ref liaison, etc. FC Edmonton tickets TRSA is once again making FC Edmonton tickets available to our teams at a deeply discounted price. This is a great team building activity. Teams can participate in a fun soccer related activity while supporting professional soccer in Edmonton. Players may want to wear their team jerseys to make the occasion a truly TEAM event. Stay tuned for more information later in the season. Team Photos: TRSA does not provide team photos, but players/teams may make contact either of the photographers below to make their own arrangements. Carla Lehman, Carla Lehman Photography, <rclehman@netkaster.ca>, SDI Photography, nathalie@cooldigitalpics.com Age Groups Players in the U4 (toddler) to U8 age groups play in the TRSA House league. This means that they only play other TRSA teams and all games are played in Riverbend/Terwillegar. Players in the U10 to U12 age groups play in the southwest zone, which is run by the Southwest Edmonton Minor Soccer Association (SWEMSA). Teams in this age group play against teams from southwest Edmonton. Games may be played outside of the Riverbend/Terwillegar area but within southwest Edmonton. Players in the U14 age group play in an expanded zone that included areas in south Edmonton outside of the southwest zone. Players in the U16 to U18 age groups play in the City Wide League which is run by the Edmonton Minor Soccer Association (EMSA). Teams in this age group play against teams

3 from Edmonton and surrounding communities. SWEMSA determines the playing nights and schedules for the U10 to U14 teams. These age groups play in tiers. EMSA determines the playing nights and schedules for the U16 to U18 teams. These age groups play in tiers. Jerseys TRSA provides U4 to U14 players with a soccer jersey which they may keep. Players provide their own shorts, socks, shoes, shin pads and soccer ball. This year, TRSA is providing RETURNABLE home and away jerseys for our U16-18 teams. Each player in this age group will get two jerseys for the season, one for home games and the other for away games. These jerseys must be returned at the end of the season. It is a good idea to ask one parent on your team to be the Jersey manager. The Jersey Manager can be responsible for collecting the deposit cheques from each player, and getting the jerseys back at the end of the season. Coaching Information All new coaches are required to submit a Police Information Check (security clearance form) to the Edmonton Police. TRSA will collect and submit the security clearance forms. Coaches must provide a driver s license or passport, and one other piece of ID. If your information is flagged by the Edmonton Police Service, you will be asked to come to the police station and provide your fingerprints. Games generally go ahead unless it is raining, there is an electrical storm overhead, or the city has closed the fields. Make sure you have a plan in place to notify your team and the referee if the game is cancelled. This can be a job for your team manager. To see whether the fields are open check the City of Edmonton sports field conditions at: or Please let your team know that games are automatically cancelled when the fields are closed. Coach Training and Support Coaching manuals are posted on the TRSA website at Coaches and Assistant Coaches are encouraged to attend Coaches Clinics. These clinics are held by TRSA, SWEMSA and EMSA (the Edmonton Minor Soccer Association). Coaches must register for the courses, but TRSA will reimburse coaches the fees for any course

4 completed. Team Formation All players on your team must be registered with TRSA. Coaches CANNOT add or transfer players without first contacting TRSA to register the player. TRSA has team formation procedures in place that must be followed by all participants. City Finals, Inter-Cities and Tournaments TRSA subsidizes teams travelling outside of Edmonton overnight to participate in Inter- Cities and tournaments. The coach must apply to TRSA to receive the subsidy. All teams participating in Cities, Inter-Cities and tournaments must read and follow the rules as set out for each competition. Coaches wishing to bring in trialists from other teams must ensure that they follow the stipulated rules for doing so. Of particular importance are the eligibility rules (for example, the rules may stipulate that trialists must be from a lower tier or younger age group) and the permission rules. Coaches must have the permission of the trialists coach. Game Schedules and Formats: Mini-soccer (U4 to U8) : The Age Group Coordinator for each age group makes up the schedules and s them out to the coaches. Senior Soccer (U10 to U18): SWEMSA or EMSA schedules these games. A list of TRSA fields and maps can be found on the TRSA website. Referees: Referees will be provided for the U10 to U18 (and in some cases U8 depending on availability) age groups. The home team coach or team manager is responsible for paying the referee before the game. You will receive a cheque from TRSA to cover the cost. The home team coach or team manager is responsible for contacting the referee or TRSA program manager if the game is cancelled for reasons other than the sports fields being closed by the city. If the referee is not contacted, the referee must be paid. The TRSA program manager will provide all coaches with the referee schedule and contact information. Referees should notify the coach or TRSA program manager if they are unable to ref a game as scheduled. Coaches and parents may not dispute or question a referee s call during the game. A coach may ask for clarification from a referee after the game. A referee liaison must be designated for the U10 and up age groups. The referee liaison s role is to prevent conflict between the referee and the parents or coach. The Referee Liaison will communicate with coaches, players and parents on the referee s behalf.

5 Coaches, parents and players must direct all comments to the Referee Liaison and not directly to the referee. The TRSA Code of Conduct does not permit any participants in TRSA to show any form of disrespect to the referee. Please report any referee problems or concerns to the TRSA referee coordinator at Practices Coaches may schedule their own practices. Teams may use any field they wish for practice as long as it is not being used by another team. It is not necessary to book fields for practices. The Rules Senior Soccer rules on posted on the EMSA website at Because TRSA runs its own in house program for mini soccer, we are able to follow our own rules for the u4 to U8 age groups. TRSA rules are modifications of EMSA rules. They are posted on the TRSA website under Rules of the Game. The referee's interpretation of the rules must always be followed and accepted. Problems during the Season All participants in TRSA are requested to report any problems they encounter to the TRSA program manager or President. Examples include: Poor conduct or unsportsmanlike behaviour on the part of any participant Referees not showing up for games Team managers not performing their duties Disputes with coaches or referees Unsafe or unsatisfactory field conditions TRSA Code of Conduct and Policies The TRSA Code of Conduct governs the behaviour of all participants in TRSA. Anyone who violates the Code of Conduct can be suspended or expelled from participation in TRSA. TRSA has formal policies in place regarding Playing Up, Refunds, Late Registration, Code of Conduct and Parent Attendance at Games. Teams playing in the SWEMSA or EMSA run leagues are subject to the Code of Conduct and Rules and Regulations of these leagues. Field Locations: Field locations and maps can be found at the TRSA website.

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