Brookline Soccer Club

Overview

Our soccer travel teams represent Brookline in competition against other towns in the greater Boston area. We compete in the BAYS (Boston Area Youth Soccer) league, one of several regional leagues in the state. There are separate boys and girls teams in each age group. Teams in our younger age groups play 6 vs. 6 or 8 vs. 8 on a smaller field. The older age groups play 11 vs. 11 on a regulation field. All teams play a 10-game season in the fall and another 10-game season in the spring. Many teams also participate in one or two weekend tournaments, competing against other New England teams.

Most games are on Saturdays. When games are postponed due to inclement weather, make-ups are scheduled for Sundays or weekday afternoons. Home games are played in Brookline, and away games involve travel to other towns in the metropolitan area. Parents often arrange car pools to make travel easier. Practice schedules are set by each coach; most teams practice two afternoons each week.

The regular program cost, including registration fees, uniforms, equipment, and other expenses, is about $350 for the year (two seasons). The Club also offers a select program for highly skilled players with more intensive instruction; higher registration fees apply to this program. Registration fees can be reduced or waived in cases of financial need. Our program is open to all children who live in Brookline or attend school in Brookline. Age requirement: players must be between eight and thirteen years old as of the July 31 prior to the playing season. Players are expected to have basic skills and knowledge of the game as well as prior competitive experience. Players must also be prepared to give travel team games and practices priority over other after-school sports.

Another option for players is the town recreation department's Brookline Youth Soccer ("Rec League") program, which runs from kindergarten to the eighth grade. The Rec League is an intramural program (all games are in Brookline). Many Soccer Club travel team players originally started out in the Rec League. Note: players should not sign up for both the Soccer Club and the Rec League, as both programs play regularly-scheduled games on Saturdays.

How to Join Our Program

Because of the shortage of youth soccer fields in Brookline, we cannot accommodate everyone who is interested in our program. New players wishing to join in the u9 through u14 age groups must participate in the open tryouts held each year on the first Sunday in May to select the teams for the following fall and spring seasons. The tryout schedule will be posted here on the website in April.

Players coming to the tryouts should be sure to have a ball and shinguards. At the tryouts, players will participate in various athletic and soccer drills as well as small-sided scrimmages. Evaluations are done by current Soccer Club coaches, staff, and consultants. In some cases we may solicit additional information from the player's current Rec League coach after the tryouts.

Current Soccer Club players are not guaranteed a place on the following year's teams. All players will be evaluated, although some current players will be evaluated at separate sessions due to space limitations at the open tryouts.

Players will be notified of the tryout results by email in June after our currant season has ended. Selected players will be given instructions on how to register and will receive their team assignments in late summer. Team placements are based on ability. Our goal is to have each player playing with teammates and against opponents at the same skill level. Requests to be placed with friends or schoolmates cannot be honored.

Players with the requisite skills to play on a travel team who are not selected due to space limitations will be placed on a waiting list. We are often able to place many of the players on the waiting list at some point during the year. Players who are unable to attend the May open tryouts, or who move into town after that date, should contact the Club’s boys coordinator or girls coordinator to arrange for a skill evaluation at another time.

Select Teams

Due to the increasing demand by our players for higher level coaching, the Brookline Soccer Club has developed the Select Team Program. This is a unique program where players can receive high-level instruction from professional coaches at a competitive cost and retain the opportunity to play on teams with their classmates and practice/play games in their hometown. The BSC Select Teams include the first teams in the Boys and Girls U11 and U12 age groups and the top two teams in the Boys and Girls U14 age group (typically organized into a top 7th Grade team and a Top 8th Grade team). Select Teams are lead by Professional (paid) Coaches. Select Team Coaches must have a minimum of 3 years of coaching experience and earned their NSCAA National Diploma or USSF ‘C’ License. Players placed on Select Team rosters pay an additional $100 registration fee and must commit to attending 90% of team practices and games. Players wishing to play on a Select Team must first attend the BSC General Tryout (typically the first Sunday in May, see tryout schedule for more info). Based on the results from the General Tryout players will be invited to attend a Select Team Call-Back Tryout From the results of the Call-Back Tryout, the roster for each Select Team will be selected. To insure that players placed on the second and third teams in each age group have the opportunity for instruction from an experienced soccer coach the BSC created the Skills Coach Program. In this program, every non-Select Team between U11 and U14 will have the opportunity to work with an experienced soccer coach at one of their practices each week. Participation in the Skills Coach Program comes without any additional registration cost to the players.

Goalkeeper Training Program

Regular training sessions with a goalkeeper coach are vital to the development of our young goalkeepers. The Brookline Soccer Club provides our players the opportunity to train with some of the top goalkeeper coaches in the area for weekly training sessions in both the fall and spring seasons for no additional cost. These training sessions focus on the technical, tactical, psychological and physical development of the goalkeeper. Training sessions are structured so that they are fun and challenging for both novice and experienced goalkeepers. It is perfectly appropriate for “part-time” goalkeepers to attend. We encourage any player that enjoys playing goalkeeper to attend when they can. Should there be a conflict, coaches have been instructed to excuse players from team practices so they can attend the Goalkeeper Training Sessions. Carter Jordan, the BSC Goalkeeper (GK) Coach, is a talented coach and excels at teaching young players the skills and tactics of goalkeeping. She has been the women’s GK coach at both The University of Richmond and Old Dominion University. In addition, she has extensive experience coaching at the high school and club level. Carter has also worked as a GK Coach for both the Massachusetts and Eastern Pennsylvania ODP teams.

To sign up for the BSC Goalkeeper Training Sessions:

1. Email BSC Director of Coaching, Rob Sprague, and provide your son’s/daughter’s name and the name of their BSC team.
2. Download, print and fill out the Consent Form and bring it to Coach Jordan.

If you have any questions about the BSC Goalkeeper Training Program, please feel free to contact Rob Sprague by email or calling 617.794.0923.

Concussion Management Program

 The Brookline Soccer Club has partnered with Sports Concussion New England to provide concussion management for our players.

 We participate in the following Five Step Program:

Step 1. Concussion Education for Players, Coaches, and Parents

Basic information about concussion signs, symptoms, and recovery

Risks of returning to contact too soon

Effects of concussion on school performance

Step 2. Baseline Testing with ImPACT^© 

Players take a computerized test to establish their baseline level of memory, reaction time, and processing speed.

ImPACT^© (Immediate Post-Concussion Assessment and Cognitive Testing) is the best-researched and most widely-used software for this purpose.

This test will be offered to 7th and 8th graders.  Baseline ImPACT tests are valid for 2 years.  Any 7th grader that takes the ImPACT test will not have to retest until 9th grade.

Step 3. Post-Concussion Evaluation 

Coaches are trained in the use of a standard sideline test that screens for common concussion symptoms and cognitive dysfunction.

ImPACT^© testing is repeated in the days immediately following the concussion to track the athlete's recovery. Results are analyzed by Neal McGrath, Ph.D., a Credentialed ImPACT^© Consultant Neuropsychologist.

Step 4. Academic Support During Recovery 

Many student athletes have difficulty meeting academic demands in school after a concussion due to ongoing symptoms.

Office evaluation is available to identify individualized, specific accommodations that will allow the injured student to keep up in school as much as possible while facilitating the recovery process.

Specialized clinical consultation can be provided to teachers, guidance counselors and parents

Step 5. Return-to-Play Decision Support 

Deciding when an athlete who has had a concussion is ready to return to a contact sport is often difficult for even experienced athletic trainers, team physicians, coaches, and family doctors. Parents rely on the judgment of these professionals.

Neuropsychological consultation with objective cognitive testing provides invaluable expert support to these professionals.

Knowing that symptoms have fully cleared and cognitive testing is back to baseline provides the best assurance that the student athlete is ready to return to full contact without undue risk of complications.

By providing a state-of-the-art program with clear guidelines that support timely and safe return to play, school administrators, athletic departments, and families can feel greater confidence in these decisions.

 Parents should set up an office visit with Dr McGrath if they believe that their son or daughter has potentially sustained a concussion. 

Neal McGrath, Ph.D.

SPORTS CONCUSSION NEW ENGLAND 

1368 Beacon Street - Suite 116

Brookline, MA 02446

Office: 617-959-1010

Appointments: 617-553-8096

 BSC Coaches are trained to remove a player from a practice or game if they exhibit any of the following signs of a concussion.

 Players showing any signs or symptoms of concussion will not be allowed to return to play without a letter from their doctor.

PHYSICAL

• Headache, dizziness, nausea
• Visual changes such as double or blurry vision, flashing lights, unusual colors
• Balance problems
• Drowsiness, fatigue, sleep difficulties
• Trouble tolerating light or noise

COGNITIVE

• Confusion, disorientation or feeling mentally “foggy”
• Feeling “slowed down” in thinking
• Trouble focusing and concentrating
• Forgetfulness or poor short-term memory
• Word-finding problems

EMOTIONAL

• Irritability
• Unusual moodiness
• Sadness
• Nervousness or anxiety
• Depression

 For more detailed information on concussions (symptoms, evaluations, treatments, recovery) please visit:

http://www.sportsconcussion.net/parents.php