Southern Lehigh Soccer Travel Soccer Policy

Transcription

1 Southern Lehigh Soccer Travel Soccer Policy Version 3.0 Approved: 09-Apr-2018 Page 1 of 18

2 Contents 1 Introduction Mission Statement Travel Soccer Exceptions to Policy Coach Selection Coaching Licenses Tryout Process Player Eligibility Roster Establishment Meeting Player Notification Process Uniforms Club Meetings Team Fines Travel Team Funding State Cup Club Awards/Jackets Recruiting Policy Code of Conduct Policy Appendix Page 2 of 18

3 1 Introduction This document will define the rules under which the Travel Soccer program at Southern Lehigh will operate. The Southern Lehigh Soccer League Travel Soccer program may be interchangeably identified hereinafter as SLSL or SLS, or simply Travel program 2 Mission Statement The goal of the SLS Travel soccer program is to provide the best possible soccer experience for all our players and to do this in an environment that will allow the players to reach their maximum potential. To attain this objective, the program aims to teach and develop within our players, the techniques, tactics, fitness, and psychology necessary to be quality soccer players. The Travel program is an elevated level of competition from the league managed Intramural program, and should give the players with advanced skill the opportunity to compete against players of equal or better skills and the opportunity to have better coaching and training available. The ultimate goal of the Travel program is one of player development and not necessarily one of winning and losing. The goal of this program is to provide the fundamentals necessary to allow the kids to achieve success when they leave the program and continue their soccer experience into High School and College. 3 Travel Soccer This section will outline all the rules by which the Southern Lehigh Travel Soccer program will be governed. Additional rules will be added to this document as they are approved by the Southern Lehigh Soccer (SLS) Board and/or adopted at a General Membership meeting 3.1 Exceptions to Policy The SLS Board has the right to grant exceptions to any of the contained policies, where it is deemed in the best interest of the Club or where there are extenuating circumstances that warrant the exception. Exceptions will be determined by majority vote. 3.2 Coach Selection Coaching applications for the Head Coaching position for each team are distributed and made available in February. For those teams who play their primary season in the Fall, applicants must submit their completed applications in early March to the Director of Travel. There is no timetable for teams playing their primary season other than Fall. The Director of Travel makes a recommendation for the Head Coaching positions for each Fall team to the SLS Board prior to the Page 3 of 18

4 March Club meeting. Head Coaches are announced at the March Club meeting. Head Coaches select their own Assistant Coaches and Team Managers. 3.3 Coaching Licenses SLS Head Coaches must have valid coaching licenses (Minimum applicable U.S. Soccer Grassroots Pathway, 7v7, 9v9 or 11v11 License formerly identified as Class E, which remains valid - or NSCAA Regional Diploma) for all Head Coaches. Coaching licenses are suggested, but not required, for Assistant Coaches. It is the responsibility of the Head Coach to submit copies of all licenses held by all coaches on the team to the SLS Registrar prior to being registered for the season. If SLS currently has a copy on file for the Coach, there is no need to submit another. However, the Coach should be prepared to provide a copy of his/her current licenses upon request. 3.4 Tryout Process The Director of Travel sets the period for tryouts, which is usually a two to three week period starting in April. The tryout dates for each team should be spread out over at least a 2 week period, and each team must schedule a minimum of 3 tryout dates during the tryout period. Once the tryout period is set, each coach must submit to the Director of Travel his/her desired tryout dates. The Director of Travel will then prepare both a tryout and field schedule for the tryouts. The tryout format and evaluation criteria should abide by the standards located in the Appendix of this document. All teams should have at least one independent evaluation of the players during the tryout period, and the independent evaluator scores should be factored into the overall score for each player. If a team seeks to have an additional tryout prior to the Roster Establishment meeting, all players who attended at least two of the original tryouts, and scored well enough to be considered roster-worthy, must be selected for the team, provided they wish to be included on the roster as a Primary player. Teams with primary seasons other than the Fall must coordinate their tryouts with the Director of Travel. If a team seeks to have an additional tryout during the year but after the coaches meeting, it must be advertised and coordinated through the Director of Travel Adding Additional Spring Players All teams that have their primary season in the Fall, but are in need of players to fill their roster in the Spring, will be permitted to allow the Head Coach to select players to fill the vacant roster spots without being required to conduct a formal tryout or advertise the availability of these positions. If a team is newly forming, or their primary season is the spring, they are still required to advertise and conduct a formal tryout which will be coordinated through the Director of Travel. Page 4 of 18

5 The fee for players who join a team whose primary season is Fall, but who only join for the Spring season will be no more than 50% of the seasonal registration fee. The exact amount of this fee will be determined by the SLS Board each year. Any team whose primary season is the Spring will be responsible for 100% of the current league fee. 3.5 Player Eligibility A player must attend two tryouts to be eligible to be selected as a Primary player on a SLS team. A player wishing to Secondary on a SLS team, who will be a Primary player for a club other than the SLS, must also attend two tryouts to be eligible. There is no eligibility requirement that a player must attend a tryout to be eligible to Secondary on an SLS team if their Primary team is also an SLS team. The decision on whether to allow a Secondary player (who is a Primary player on another SLS team) to Secondary on an SLS team will be made at the Roster Establishment meeting. The criteria for this decision will be based on the need of the Secondary team for additional players. An exception to the tryout requirements may be made by requesting permission to have this requirement waived by the Director of Travel. This may happen due to injury to a player prior to tryouts, where the evaluator is familiar with the player s talent; however, every effort should be made to have players attend tryouts if the player is physically able to do so. The age ranges for each team are set according to U.S. Soccer and EPYSA. SLS policy is that all children should play on their age appropriate team. A player must fall within this specific age range (as set by EPYSA) to be eligible for the team. A player will be eligible to tryout for an older team (a team no more than two years above their age appropriate team in the interest of player safety) in one the following cases: 1. If there is no team offered in the player s age range, the player will be permitted to tryout for an older team or for the next offered age group. 2. If a player is age appropriate for a U-15 or above team. In this case, the player is not subject to the rules regarding playing on an age appropriate team. 3. If a parent and/or coach of a player believes he or she is exceptional as compared to the other players of his or her appropriate age group AND believes he or she would gain very little or no benefit by playing on his or her age appropriate team. This player will be required to try out for both the age appropriate team (two tryout minimum) and the older team (recommended to attend two tryouts, but can be reduced to one if tryout schedules overlap). If a player desires to try to play up on the older team, prior to the player attending the first tryout session of the older team, the parent must notify both coaches that they are trying to play up on the older team and the final decision of which team Page 5 of 18

6 they will play on will be made at the Roster Establishment meeting in agreement with a majority vote by the SLS Board. The player will be allowed to play on the older team only if all of the below conditions are met (If any of the conditions are not met, the player must play age appropriate): A. Player is one of the top 2 players on the younger team. B. Player is one of the top 3 players on the older team for 8 vs. 8 or player is one of the top 4 players on the older team for 11 vs. 11. C. Player that does not meet criteria A and B, but is deemed to be an impact player based on position need (i.e., goal keeper) or tryout evaluation scores (i.e., overall average score below 2.0). The Director of Travel, after speaking with both coaches, reviewing any documentation submitted and observing the player as needed, must also feel it is best for this player to play up. It is the intent of the program to give all SLS players priority consideration over out of area players. Whenever possible, a team must Primary roster no more than 30% of its players who do not live in the Southern Lehigh School District. However, a team will be permitted to roster more than 30% of its players who do not live in the Southern Lehigh School District if required to fill a roster at a particular age group. In this circumstance, the SLS Board must be notified and approve the exception. This rule is waived for U15 and above teams. A coach and team are asked to seriously consider possible ramifications before adding Secondary players to their team s roster. While evaluating the items below, consider that a Secondary player must attend all of his or her Primary team s functions before he or she is released to participate with the Secondary team. Other considerations include: 1. Will these Secondary players be able to attend practices with the team, and if not, how will this affect the team moral if the Secondary players play only in games? How will it affect practice sessions if Secondary players attend on a limited basis or not at all? 2. How many games will the Secondary player actually be able to attend? 3. Will the team have enough players to attend tournaments? Remember that Secondary players are counted as Guest players at tournaments. Most tournaments restrict the number of Guest players to a maximum of 3, while others allow no Guest players at all. After careful consideration of the above, a team may have no more than 3 Secondary players who have their Primary player registration with a club other than SLS. Any coach requesting that a Secondary player(s) be added to his/her roster (who are Primary players on another SLS team) need to make this request at the Roster Establishment meeting. The criteria on whether or not to allow these Page 6 of 18

7 Secondary players will be based on the need of the secondary team for additional players. This rule is waived for U15 and above teams. Girls will not be permitted to Primary roster on a Boys team unless there is no team offered in their age group. They will, however, be permitted to be added as a Secondary player to the Boys team. 3.6 Roster Establishment Meeting This meeting will be held in early May for those teams having their primary season in the Fall. Other teams will not have this meeting, but must coordinate with the Director of Travel and Registrar, the same type of process. At this meeting, coaches will present to the Director of Travel and the SLS Board, a list of players who have qualified to be rostered with their teams. This list will rank the players according to their scores from the tryout evaluations. At this time, the coaches and/or Director of Travel have the ability to make a recommendation to move a player to different age groups for the benefit of the team, player and/or club. All recommendations to move to a different age group must be approved by the SLS Board by majority vote. T hese moves must then be agreed upon by the parents of the players prior to the initiation of the player notification process (section 3.7). 3.7 Player Notification Process Players should not be notified as to their status on the team until after the SLS Roster Establishment Meeting in May. All players who have met the attendance requirements of the tryout process must then be notified by the coach within 7 days of the meeting as to their status on the team. Examples of notification letters are included in the Appendix of this document. 3.8 Uniforms All teams must wear the league approved uniform and alternate. This requirement is waived for U15 and above teams, subject to SLS Board approval. 3.9 Club Meetings Coaches and/or their representatives must attend the monthly SLS Club Meetings. A representative of a team is defined as a Coach of that team; Assistant Coach of that team, or a Guardian/Parent of a player on that team. A team may request to be excluded from the requirement to attend Club meetings in seasons which they are not participating Team Fines Team fines assessed by LVYSL, or any other league, occur when teams don t report game scores, forfeit games, etc. These fines will be charged back to the Page 7 of 18

8 team via forfeiting current funds available to the team or a reduction in the next season s fund allocation Travel Team Funding Each team has a sum of money to pay their expenses for the year. The amount of this sum is determined by the SLS Board each year.. This money is normally used to pay tournament fees, training expenses or indoor season entrance fees. All teams are expected to participate in at least one tournament per season. Any use of these funds for expenses other than tournaments, SLS Board preapproved training or indoor season entrance fees must be approved by the SLS board. If the team has not participated in any tournaments at the time of request, the request will most likely be rejected. The team must collect any additional funds needed by the team from the players. Any funds not spent by the team will not be carried over to the next year. In order to receive reimbursements, teams must submit an approved reimbursement request to the Treasurer at the monthly Club Meeting. No payments will be made outside of the Club meeting. All Team Fund Raisers are required to be approved by the SLS Board State Cup SLS will cover the cost for entrance fees and referees fees for all teams desiring to participate in Indoor or Outdoor State Cup. The league will cover the entrance fee for only one State Cup entrance (indoor or outdoor), but not both. The team will pay any travel expenses required. SLS would like to encourage our teams to give the kids an opportunity to participate in this competition. Any B division teams, or teams whose win/loss record indicates that they would not be able to compete in any division of State Cup competition, may petition to be granted the use of funds equal to entrance fees in the least expensive of State Cup tournaments for the year to offset the cost of a tournament in which they feel they can be more competitive. This will only be approved for teams whose skill level will not permit them to compete at the State Cup competitions Club Awards/Jackets When an SLS travel team, between and including the ages of U11 to U14, places 1st in their division during the primary Fall season, the SLS club will contribute 50% towards the purchase of a championship jacket for each of the players to a maximum of $25. The SLS Board must approve the jacket prior to the purchase in order for the players to receive SLS s contribution Recruiting Policy SLS does not condone the recruiting of players by coaches or administrators. Recruiting is defined as: Page 8 of 18

9 1. Talking to a player from another team and asking the player to join your team as a Primary player. 2. Making promises to a player from another team about tournaments, exposure to college coaches, State Cup play, etc. 3. Flattering a player from another team, and promising to play the player in certain positions if the player joins your team as a Primary player. Coaches who coach a team for a school district, and also coach a club team, must not create the perception that it is mandatory for a player from the team you coach for your school district to also play on the team you coach for SLS. SLS recognizes that players may choose to change teams for personal reasons, and they are free to do so in accordance with any other SLS policies that are in effect. A SLS Travel Team Coach may do the following: Regarding Contact with players from other teams: 1. Talk to a player or parent of a player who contacts a coach to inquire about the team. 2. Invite players from other teams to participate as Guest players when attending tournaments, and to play as a Secondary player during LVYSL, ICSL, CRUSA, PAGS, DELCO, etc. competition. Regarding disseminating information about the team: 1. Advertise the dates and times of open try-outs through the SLS newsletter, or any other media available to the general public. 2. Announce at LVYSL, ICSL, CRUSA, PAGS, DELCO, etc. and SLS meetings that the team may be looking for players. A SLS Travel Team Coach shall, as a courtesy to that player s coach, notify the coach of a player prior to inviting a player from another team to participate as a Guest player when attending tournaments, or prior to registering as a Secondary player for LVYSL, ICSL, CRUSA, PAGS, DELCO, etc. competition. Any questions regarding this policy statement shall be promptly directed to the SLS Director of Travel Code of Conduct Policy All coaches, players and parents or guardians should sign the SLS Code of Conduct as part of the Registration process. Any player, parent, or coach that doesn t live up to the SLS Code of Conduct will be subject to discipline as the SLS Board may see fit. These penalties could be suspension or removal from the team and being barred from participating in any SLS functions. Page 9 of 18

10 3.16 Appendix Southern Lehigh Soccer Competitive-Travel Try-Out Format Summary 1. Setup Field 2. Introduction (5 Minutes) 3. Warm-Up / Dribbling Evaluation (10 Minutes) 4. Water Break (2 Minutes) 5. 3v1 Box Drill Passing Evaluation (10 Minutes) 6. Water Break (2 Minutes) 7. Small-Sided Games (3v3 or 4v4) (30 Minutes) 8. Water Break (2 Minutes) 9. Shooting/Finishing Evaluation (10 Minutes) 10. Water Break (2 Minutes) 11. Full-Sided Game (7v7 or 8v8) (10 Minutes) 12. Exit Meeting (2 Minutes) Details 1. Setup Field A. Before Tryout begins - set up cones/drills to greatest amount reasonable 2. Introduction (5 Minutes) A. Call all of the players and parents in for a quick introduction. B. Welcome them. Thank the parents for bringing their kids. C. Introduce yourself. Give a brief background. Remind parents that you re also a parent and a VOLUNTEER. D. Explain that this is a competitive team, however, if your son/daughter doesn t make this team, there will be other opportunities for them to play on a no-cut team. E. Give them a sense of what you re looking for. 1. Physical potential - speed/quickness/size/strength 2. Technical potential - skill with the ball 3. Tactical potential - decision making / choices with/without the ball 4. Psychological - toughness, hustle, attitude, coach-ability F. Assure the players that it s ok to make mistakes. We d rather see players who are willing to take risks and challenge themselves than players who play it safe all of the time. G. Explain the process 1. You should all have a pinnie with a number. 2. You must make at least two tryouts. (If you cannot make any, only the full board can grant an exception for an alternate evaluation). 3. The team Coaches and an Independent Assessor (another licensed Coach) will rate every player. 4. Rosters will be decided by considering all of the ratings, and will be approved by the Southern Lehigh Soccer Board. 5. Once rosters have been approved, you will be notified by of the results. Those notifications should be released no later than the third week of May. Page 10 of 18

11 H. Any questions? 3. Warm Up Shuttle Sprints Drills / Slalom Dribbling Evaluation / Slalom Dribbling Relay (10 minutes) A. Shuttle Sprints Establish lines of no more than 4 players per line, facing a line of 4 cones (5 total, including starting cone) that are spaced at least 5 yards apart. Without a ball, have players run to each cone and back in a shuttle sprint fashion to evaluate basic physical attributes of speed, agility, center of gravity, balance, etc. (This can be done in relay fashion or one may go to the extent of timing candidates.) Run through each line more than once, using the first run as a WARM UP. C. Initial Slalom Dribbling Run - Each player should slalom dribble between the cones and then to the back of the line at full speed upon rounding the 4 th and final cone. Tell the players to prioritize control over speed at this point. The Drill will progress in intensity to show skill. D. Slalom Dribbling Relay - Same drill, but introduce the competitive nature of relay racing (do not feel compelled to re-distribute teams for balance; this is an individual, not a team, evaluation.) 4. Water Break (2 Minutes) Page 11 of 18

12 5. 3v1 Box Drill Passing Evaluation (10 Minutes) A. Divide players into groups of 4; assign each group to a box of approximately yards per side. B. Have 3 corner/cone players work on passing/trapping/re-directing the ball to either adjacent corner, which corner/cone players should shift to populate, all while receiving defensive pressure by one defender. C. The focus is to evaluate the offensive skill set of 3 players, not the defensive prowess of the one defender the goal is not to have to chase a ball which the defender has placed out of bounds, so emphasize that the defender should attempt to gain control of the ball if engaging. D. Be certain to rotate roles to assure that all players receive assessment. 6. Water Break (2 Minutes) 7. Small Sided Games, 3v3 or 4v4 (30 mins) A. Split kids into teams of: 1. 3 s, 4 s (or even 5 s) for U12 and below (small fields) Page 12 of 18

13 2. 6 s (or 7 s) for U13 and up (big field) 3. Make an even number of teams so no team isn t playing 4. Depending on the number of kids, either have 2, 4, 6 or 8 teams. 5. Make sure kids are mixed up on a team - returners & new 6. Adjust numbers as needed so no kid is sitting out. B. Depending on number of teams, play two (2) 14 minute games or three (3) 9 minute games with Water Breaks in between switches. C. Rotate teams so that they play someone new for each game. D. Tell kids to switch positions after each game for exposure on offense and defense. E. Coaches should stand in the center circle with extra balls. F. Rules for play 1. No Offsides 2. Goals must be played on the ground, through the cones, when applicable 3. No Goal Keepers & No Goaltending (No field player in front of goal) 4. Play throw-ins 5. Any ball over the endline is the defending team s restart (indirect kick) from their end. (No corner kicks) Page 13 of 18

14 8. Water Break (2 Minutes) 9. Shooting/Finishing Evaluation (10 Minutes) A. Depending upon the total Try Out attendance, two large goals may be required. B. Form two lines of players, preferably no more than 4-5 per line. C. Deliver the ball from the endline to the line of players on the opposite side of the field. D. The receiving player is to settle the ball and fire a well-placed shot on goal. E. Be sure to evaluate players shooting with both their left and right foot. 10. Water Break (2 Minutes) - Pick up all of the cones 11. Full Side Game (10 minutes) A. Split group into 2 (ideal) or 3 teams (if large numbers) B. Don t have subs. Everyone on a team plays when their team is playing. C. This may mean you re playing 8v8 or 9v9 on a small field. (or 12 v 12 on a big field). D. We want kids playing as much as possible during a tryout - so minimize waiting to play. Page 14 of 18

15 E. Volunteers for GK - (each GK volunteer must play on the field too); ALTERNATIVE: all goals must be scored on the ground F. Give them a formation (i.e. 3 defenders, 3 midfielders, 2 or 3 forwards). Let teams sort themselves out into positions. G. If you have a waiting team, rotate the teams to balance time overall H. Regular soccer rules. Coaches referee (as little as possible) 12. Exit Meeting (2 Minutes) Thank players for their effort & dismiss Page 15 of 18

16 Travel Try-Out Evaluation Form SLS-Try Out Evaluation Form.xlsx Page 16 of 18

17 Roster Determination Communication Example P.O. Box 5 Coopersburg, PA RE: SOUTHERN LEHIGH SOCCER COMPETITIVE-TRAVEL UNDER-XX BOYS/GIRLS ROSTER DETERMINATION Date Dear NAME Family: Thank you for your interest in Southern Lehigh s Competitive-Travel Soccer program. While NAME s enthusiasm for the sport of soccer and efforts on the field are commendable, he/she has not been selected as a member of the upcoming UXX Boys/Girls team. This significant decision was the result of the evaluations by not only the Coaching staff, but the unbiased evaluations by two Independent Assessors, as well as a full roster review by all attending, licensed Coaches and, ultimately, voted on by the Southern Lehigh Soccer Board. (OPTIONAL COMMENT ON LEVEL OF COMPETITION) It is worth noting that this year s overall roster size, as well as the number of active players on the playing field, have both been reduced from last season. These changes are occurring for this age level on a national basis as set forth by the U.S. Youth Soccer Organization. This scenario, combined with the number of registrants, resulted in the UXX Boys team exhibiting the most competitive evaluation of all of the Boys Travel-Competitive Try-Outs. Please be sure to let your son/daughter know that he/she should take pride in his/her effort, and not to be discouraged. We encourage you to continue to foster your son s/daughter s interest in the sport of soccer by considering the Northern Valley Recreational-Travel League. The league will be opening registration for this fall season at date to be determined in the upcoming months. Visit to remain informed of developments in registration. In closing, we hope that your son s/daughter s progress and continued interest in the sport steer him/her into trying out for the UXX Boys/Girls Competitive-Travel team next year. Each year is unique with respect to player turnover, and the number of players rostered increases as we climb in age brackets. Thank you once more for your time, consideration and effort! Sincerely, Coach s Name Bridget Graver Jason Cassaday Head Coach, UXX Boys/Girls President, SLS Director of Travel, SLS U.S. Soccer Class X License U.S. Soccer Class E License U.S. Soccer Class E License president@slsl.org travel@slsl.org Page 17 of 18

18 Roster Invitation Communication Example P.O. Box 5 Coopersburg, PA RE: SOUTHERN LEHIGH SOCCER COMPETITIVE-TRAVEL UNDER-XX BOYS/GIRLS ROSTER INVITATION Date Dear NAME Family: Congratulations! PLAYER NAME has been selected as a member of the Southern Lehigh Soccer Competitive-Travel UXX Boys/Girls Team. The team will partake in the Lehigh Valley Youth Soccer League ( between the dates of August 1 st of 2018 and July 31 st of 2019, encapsulating the Fall 18 and Spring 19 seasons. The roster is limited to a select 12 players of which 6 players and 1 goalie will take the field at any given time per U.S. Soccer and LVYSL rules and regulations. The practice and game schedules are yet to be determined, and a Coaches-Parents Meeting will be arranged via an to follow, at the Upper Saucon Township Community Park Pavilion by August to plan for the season and discuss pertinent details towards an enjoyable and successful year. If for any reason, your plans have changed with respect to participating with this team, please notify us by DATE at 5PM so that we may have the opportunity to extend the roster position to another player. Thank you once more for your time, consideration, support and commitment! Sincerely, Coach s Name Bridget Graver Jason Cassaday Head Coach, UXX Boys/Girls President, SLS Director of Travel, SLS U.S. Soccer Class E License U.S. Soccer Class E License U.S. Soccer Class E License president@slsl.org travel@slsl.org Page 18 of 18