U10 - Frequently Asked Questions

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1 Question 1 What should we expect from the NEW Placer United? Answer 1 The environment and culture of the NEW Placer United: will be competitive, with our Red Teams able to compete with the best; will challenge our players and will provide them with the tools to help them realize their full soccer potential; will have a training and development curriculum specifically designed for U8-U11 age group. This curriculum will be used by all younger coaches and teams to help players achieve their soccer potential, and will be spirited and supportive of all its teams and players. The Club s staff: will communicate with parents and players; will lead by example; will be professional during games and training sessions; will be approachable; and will create a fun and exciting soccer environment for your players. The youth soccer experience goes by fast. It s a journey let s have fun and enjoy it. It is our job to make sure we create a positive environment for as many players / families as possible. Negativity will not be tolerated. Coaches and parents are role models for the players and are representatives of Placer United. Page 1 of 15

2 Question 2 Why should I choose Placer United for my child? Why is Placer United better than other competitive clubs in the area? Answer 2 Your child can learn soccer from the best competitive soccer club in the Sacramento Region. Placer United has a clear mission! Placer United is led by Executive Director of Coaching, Gregg Thompson. Gregg was a 7-year professional player and the #1 draft choice coming out of college, former member of the U.S. Olympic Team, former member of the U.S. National Team, and Captain of the Indiana University NCAA Division 1 Champions where he was named the Tournament MVP. Placer United Boys Program is led by Paul O Brien. Paul is a B licensed coach committed to Placer United for the past 13+ years. In addition, Paul has been the CDA head coach for the past two years (the only USSF Academy Program in the Sacramento region). Placer United Girls Program is led by Ron Benjamin. Ron is an A licensed coach committed to Placer United for the past 6 years. Placer United is teamed with the San Jose Earthquakes (professional Major League soccer team) to bring their professional regional development program to Sacramento, with Gregg Thompson and Paul O Brien coaching the team for this region. Placer United is the only club in the Sacramento region with its own indoor soccer/futsal facility. Placer United is the only club with its own lighted grass fields (with more to come). Placer United has more licensed coaches on staff than any other club in the Sacramento region. Placer United has the most teams competing in the most competitive leagues in Northern California. Placer United has a legacy that includes past national champions and numerous state cup champions. Placer United is proud of its alumni that include State and Region IV ODP players and youth national team players. Placer United is focused on college showcases and college placement with great success in having numerous players continue on to experience college careers in Division I, Division II, and Division III level programs. Placer United is a member of U.S. Club Soccer and NorCal Premier Soccer League. Placer United has an open door policy with a true club environment. We rely on feedback from coaches, parents and players to make our soccer product better. Page 2 of 15

3 Question 3 Who is the face of the NEW Placer United and ultimately who is responsible? Answer 3 Everyone is the face of the NEW Placer United. The face is all players, all parents, all coaches, all Board members, and Gregg, Paul, and Ron. We all represent Placer United. Everyone is responsible for making the NEW Placer United one of the most respected and highly spirited clubs in Northern California. The buck ultimately stops with Gregg Thompson as the Executive Director of Coaching, with Paul O Brien and Ron Benjamin always offering input and advice as the Directors of Coaching responsible for the Boys and Girls Programs, respectively. Question 4 Who conducts try-outs and who will be making decisions? Answer 4 The head coach for the age group will lead his/her respective try-out with the final roster approved by Gregg Thompson and either Paul O Brien or Ron Benjamin. Question 5 Who will be coaching which age groups? Answer 5 A huge benefit of this newly combined club relates to our staff. We have the opportunity to be very selective when deciding who we retain for the 2012 season. The roster of coaches for U9, U10, and U11 are posted to the website. Page 3 of 15

4 Question 6 Please explain the differences between the Blues and Cal Blues (former PAFC) Answer 6 As we ve mentioned, the Blues merged with Placer United. The merge combines the best of the "Blues Way" with the best of "Placer United" to form the NEW Placer United. Cal Blues chose another path and is NOT part of the "Blues Way" or the NEW Placer United. The NEW Placer United and Cal Blues offer different programs based on different philosophical approaches in how to run a soccer club. Differences between the NEW Placer United and Cal Blues: The NEW Placer United o Professional, paid coaches attending 90%+ of all practices, games and tournaments o Consistency with a standard training program for U8-U14's. o U8-U18 has futsal training once a week for all of its teams at its own indoor soccer training facility o Has been in existence for 30 years; o Has its own lighted grass and all weather turf facilities Cal Blues also known as California Blues or the old PAFC (founded by Dominck DeRosa) o Volunteers coach their teams (some coaches are parents) o At times, paid trainers are used for practices (not for games) o Very similar to how a CCSL or select program operates from a structure standpoint with volunteers and is a low cost program option. California Blues is PYSL s Competitive league based option with volunteer coaches. The NEW Placer United is a supporter of all PYSL clubs and the volunteers of each of those organizations. We have many families with children in different soccer programs within Placer County. Page 4 of 15

5 Question 7 Placer United and Blues have three teams combined for my child s age group. Are you expecting to have two or three teams for 2012/2013? If only two I interpret that to mean roughly one out of every three players currently playing competitive soccer in the two Clubs will not make a Placer United team for 2012/2013. Is that true? Answer 7 We want the Placer United name to exemplify excellence. We will be fielding competitive teams. All of our teams will be playing against other competitive soccer teams in Northern California. In this scenario, we hope for three teams, but can t guarantee the outcome until we determine whether we have adequate talent. If the skill level justifies three teams, we will field a Red, White, and Black team. If we do not have adequate talent to form three teams, we will offer two (Red and White). Question 8 We are concerned about favoritism to former players or unfair try-outs because of politics. How do we know that won t be a factor in the upcoming try-outs? What assurance can you give us that tryouts will be fair and unbiased? Answer 8 It won t happen. We will select the best players. This is competitive soccer focused on building the best teams possible! With WINNING being one of the ultimate goals, why would we not select the best players for our teams? To be the best, we must select the best talent. Gregg, Paul and Ron are all aware of this issue and will be involved with all tryouts and selection processes. As for the concern about favoritism let s address it head-on. The evaluation of talent goes through a similar process each season: All coaches and observing parents can quickly identify the top three to four players in an age group. That s easy! Page 5 of 15

6 Answer 8 (continued) The next five to six players that comprise the middle group are more difficult. This group will be comprised of players who range in skill, speed, and size/stature. Some players will have more speed but less skill, others will have more skill but less speed, and others yet will have adequate skill and speed but be small in size/stature. While this group of players will produce some degree of disagreement between coaches about how they rank after the top group, there is likely a general consensus among coaches and even observing parents about which players belong in this middle group. The biggest differences of opinion occur with those players on the bubble, players that don t really stand out. These selections usually include the final two to three players selected to a team. Depending upon the number of players at tryouts, we might have five to ten players vying for these final spots. Most everyone (coaches included) will have differences of opinion on these selections. From the coach s perspective, the final choices might come down to the actual position that a player plays, the degree of hustle and effort during tryouts, or one of several other factors. It is likely this last group of two to three players is where parents cry foul. Ultimately, the coach is responsible for the success of his/her team. Depending upon the makeup of the remaining players on the team, the coach may be biased toward selecting speed, skill, and/or size for the final spots. Each coach and each team dynamic is different. The final two to three players will come down to coach preference. This is why it is sometimes suggested that there is favoritism or why soccer is tagged as the who you know sport. Please keep in mind, one of the factors coaches will be evaluated on is their win/loss records. They are motivated to pick the best players. It is Gregg s, Paul s, and Ron s job to make sure that happens. Please keep this in mind during the 2012/2013 tryouts. Page 6 of 15

7 Question 9 Is my son or daughter guaranteed playing time? Answer 9 We are a competitive soccer club. We do not guarantee playing time. However, every attempt will be made to ensure all players will play a minimum of 35%-50% of all league/tournament games. Please remember, when challenged and facing a must win game, we will be fielding our strongest team. Part of the formula for the success of our Club is winning, and unfortunately, at times, playing time is sacrificed. Question 10 Does Placer United allow players to play-up to an older age group? If yes, how do we go about doing that? Answer 10 YES. Players are allowed to play-up though it s viewed as an exception to the rule. Each player is required to tryout in his/her own age group. The respective Director of Coaching will determine whether it is to the player s benefit to play-up to the older age group. Question 11 Will coaches have a standard training program that they will follow with defined expectations? Answer 11 Absolutely! The NEW Placer United will use the same training program that has been used to develop the talent of several players selected to the U.S. Youth National Team. All coaches will be held to a high standard of excellence both on the field during games/practices and off the field in their interactions with parents and in the soccer community. Page 7 of 15

8 Question 12 Will futsal be included as part of the training curriculum? Answer 12 Yes! One of the reasons for the slight increase in dues is to cover the additional cost for futsal training. We believe futsal is critical to player development. The cost of renting a futsal court is three to four times more expensive on a per team basis than renting a grass or turf field; however, the training benefit is enormous. Fortunately, we have secured a long-term lease for the Placer United Indoor Soccer Training Facility. All teams will have at least one futsal session per week. In addition, the indoor facility will provide: an indoor keeper training area; free age-group-specific drop-in games on the weekend players show up, pick teams and play like in the old days; small ball soccer training with a size 1 or size 2 soccer ball to develop ball skills; and parent s date night drop your son/daughter off and let him/her play soccer while the parents get a quiet dinner out with no kids. Question 13 In which leagues will the teams be playing? Answer 13 For the U9-U11 age groups, the NEW Placer United will have teams playing in the Norcal Premier leagues. For the U8 age group, the NEW Placer United will have teams playing in the Sacramento U8 Regional Development league which is comprised of other U8 teams from the top 5 clubs in Sacramento. Page 8 of 15

9 Question 14 Can my child play multiple sports and still play soccer at Placer United? Answer 14 Yes. The players are still young and enjoy other interests. Several of our players play other sports. We try to be accommodating as possible to our multi sport athletes. Question 15 Who comprises the Board of Directors and Leadership Team for Placer United? Answer 15 The Board of Directors is here to support the governance and mission of the Club and is comprised of the following voting members: Nelle Thompson Board Chair Jonna Ward Vice Chair/Treasurer/Secretary Jeanne Mabry Board Member Brad Tooker Board Member Beth Meuser Board Member The Advisors to the Board of Directors include the following non-voting roles: Gregg Thompson Executive Director of Coaching Paul O Brien Director of Boys Coaching Ron Benjamin Director of Girls Coaching Jodi Tarr Director of Administration Page 9 of 15

10 Question 16 Where will we be training? U10 - Frequently Asked Questions Answer 16 Our facilities are first class and the best in the Sacramento region. Placer United will have sole access to its own 27,000 square foot indoor training facility (located near the intersection of Highway 65 and Sunset). In addition, Placer United will have sole access to the fields we have developed through a public-private partnership with Cirby Elementary School. With the following facilities, we can assemble our training schedule weeks in advance allowing parents to plan ahead. Placer United Indoor Soccer Training Facility, Rocklin (1091 Tinker Road) o 4 futsal fields o 1 keeper training area o waiting area for parents complete with Wi/Fi and large screen TV Cirby Elementary School, Roseville o 1 grass field (lighted) o 2 small grass fields (lighted) Del Oro High School, Loomis o 3 grass fields (lighted) o 1 turf field (lighted) Oakmont High School, Roseville o 1 grass field (lighted) o 1 turf field (lighted) In order to give our fields a chance to rest and recover, there may be a brief time in the summer (2-3 weeks) where we may have to use fields other than the fields mentioned above. Page 10 of 15

11 Question 17 When will the indoor training facility on Tinker Road open for training? Answer 17 The tenant improvements have begun. The facility is schedule to open for training at or around March 1, Question 18 The rumor mill says Placer United bought the building on Tinker Road for the indoor soccer facility and GT Soccer (Gregg Thompson) will be running his own leagues from the building purchased by Placer United. Is that true? If yes how is that a benefit to Placer United? Answer 18 The rumor mill is wrong! Placer United did not buy the building. An LLC entity owned by three investors purchased the indoor soccer facility on Tinker Road in Rocklin. Placer United signed a long-term lease with the building owners, at a below-market rate with 12 months of free rent in the first year, in exchange for using the facility 100% of the time with 24/7 access. Likewise, Placer United has the flexibility to rent or sub-lease the facility to other entities if they so choose during those times when the facility is not being used by Placer United teams. Question 19 How is the money we are paying Placer United being spent? Answer 19 Placer United is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. The money you pay funds the mission of the organization. The fees you pay cover coach s salaries, referee costs, tournament entry fees, league registration fees, field usage, coach s travel expenses, college identification processes, and office space. The breakdown is as follows: 48.0% Coaching Staff 23.2% Field Cost 3.8% Referee Cost 13.8% Tournaments 6.1% League Play 5.1% Operations and Administration 100.0% TOTAL Page 11 of 15

12 Question 20 During the 2011/2012 season, the B teams for Placer United paid lower monthly dues than the A teams. While we understand that cost will vary by age group, we heard via the rumor mill that monthly dues for the Red (A), White (B), and Black (C) teams will be the same. Is that true? If yes what is the rationale for doing this? Answer 20 YES monthly dues for the Red, White, and Black teams will be the same. We offer one soccer product that varies by age group, irrespective of whether the player is on the Red, White, or Black team. Our product includes paid coaching, tournaments, league play, indoor soccer/futsal training, outdoor training on grass or all weather fields, and player evaluations in addition to including pick-up games and other activities at our indoor soccer training facility. Page 12 of 15

13 Question 21 My son/daughter played for the Blues during the 2011/2012 season. We practiced three times per week with one of those practices usually including futsal at Cal Fit. Why will my monthly dues increase since that s the same type and number of practices as what we will have with Placer United in 2012/2013? Answer 21 Going forward, the Blues could not continue providing dedicated futsal at the same monthly dues as what you paid in 2011/2012. The cost at Cal Fit is increasing, and high demand with limited availability continues to drive the price higher. Further, had the Blues expanded to include more teams in 2012/2013, we would have had inadequate capacity to support all teams. Bottom-line had Placer United and Blues not merged, the monthly dues for Blues would have increased or our soccer product would not have included futsal. Question 22 We may need financial assistance to afford Placer United. What financial assistance is provided by the Club? Answer 22 We are sensitive to the cost of competitive soccer and while we know the NEW Placer United is more expensive than PYSL clubs due to paid coaches, more training, committed futsal, dedicated facilities, and out-of-town tournaments we are also committed to our fundraising tool kit which helps families raise their own funds to lower the cost of competitive soccer. The fundraising tool kit contains many different fundraising options. One of the options is securing an advertisement board at our indoor soccer facility with 100% of the net proceeds going directly toward lowering your dues. (example: price of the advertisement board $2,500; cost of the advertisement board: $500; $2,000 toward lower dues) Another fundraising option is to provide items for our annual auction that allows you to credit 100% of the item s auctioned amount directly toward your child s dues. Page 13 of 15

14 Question 23 You say you have an open door policy. How do I make suggestions? Answer 23 If you have feedback, comments or suggestions on how we can improve, please visit our open door policy button on our home page at We always want to get better! Question 24 When are your club breaks? Answer 24 Below is the schedule for club-wide breaks for the season: U8: June 1 July 31, 2012 U9 to U10: June 25 July 6, 2012 U11 to U14: June 25 July 6, 2012 U9 to U18: December 21, 2012 January 4, 2013 U15 to U18: The prior season ended in late spring. Team breaks for summer and fall will be decided by the coach depending upon the needs of the team. Club-Wide: November 19-25, 2012 (unless the team is playing a tournament) Club-Wide: No practices on Federal Holidays Question 25 When does the season run for the various age groups? Answer 25 The defined season varies by age group and is summarized below. In the event of an extended season, (which is unlikely based on the Norcal league guidelines) additional dues beyond the minimum noted below will be charged in half-month increments with 50% of the monthly dues charged if the season is extended to the 1 st through the 20 th of the following month, and 100% of the monthly dues if extended beyond the 20 th of the following month. U10: Minimum of 10 months March 1, 2012 to December 16, 2012 Page 14 of 15

15 Question 26 How much does it cost to play for Placer United? Answer 26 Placer United is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. The money paid by parents funds the mission of the organization. The money does not include travel costs. If the financial commitment from parents is not fulfilled, none of this is possible. Monthly Dues. Monthly dues vary by age group and are paid on the 1 st of each month in advance of the month. The minimum number of months to be charged aligns with the minimum season defined above. No refunds will be granted for monthly dues. Additional dues may be charged beyond the minimum defined above if the minimum season is extended. o U10: $135 per month (10 month minimum) Registration Fees. Registration Fees will be collected at the team kickoff meeting and are due at the latest 15 days prior to the season beginning. No refunds will be granted for registration fees. The Registration Fee for all other ages spanning U9 to U18 is $295. All questions can be addressed to Gregg Thompson. His address is Gregg@placerunited.com His cell number is We also have an anonymous electronic suggestion box that can be found on the home page of our website. Page 15 of 15