|
4/6/04
Information for Players and Parents
About the Town Travel Teams
The Brookline Soccer Club,
Inc., is the local sponsoring
organization for inter-town youth soccer competition sanctioned by
the Massachusetts Youth Soccer Association. The Soccer Club works
closely with the Brookline Recreation Department but is organized as
an independent non-profit corporation. Through Mass Youth Soccer we
are affiliated with the United States Youth Soccer Association and
the Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA),
soccer's international governing body.
League competition
Mass Youth Soccer sponsors several inter-town leagues throughout
the state. We compete in the largest of these leagues, the Boston
Area Youth Soccer (BAYS) league. Over fourteen hundred teams
representing more than 50 towns compete in the BAYS fall and spring
seasons.
·
Brookline
fields both boys' and girls' teams in age groups ranging from under
9 to under 18.
·
A player’s age
eligibility is determined by their age as of the previous July 31.
For example, if the player was 9 years old on last July 31, but has
since turned 10, the player may play in the under 10 age group.
·
BAYS imposes
residency requirements. With certain limited exceptions, players
must be residents of Brookline or attend school in Brookline.
Within each age group, teams
are assigned to one of three divisions based on competitive
strength, with division 1 being the strongest. Although BAYS also
offers competition in divisions 4 and 5, players at these levels in
Brookline are encouraged to participate in the Brookline Youth
Soccer ("Rec league") program.
Each division is divided
into sections of four to six teams. Each team plays ten games each
season on Saturdays (or Sundays for high school ages) against the
other teams in its section, half at home and half away. There are no
trophies or playoffs in the fall, which is considered a
developmental season. In the spring, post-season playoffs are held
in some age groups and divisions, in which the top teams in each
section meet to determine an overall division champion. These
division champions advance to the state tournament of champions held
in late June, where they meet the corresponding division champions
from the other leagues around the state.
Team selection
Registration takes place each spring for the following
year. Due to the lack of field space in Brookline, we cannot
accommodate all interested players, and a competitive selection
process is used in some age groups. Detailed tryout and registration
information will be posted on our website and distributed to all
current town team and Rec League players. Current town team players
are not guaranteed a place on the following year’s teams. In
order to keep the tryouts at a manageable size, some (but not all)
current town team players in a particular age group may be exempted
from the open tryouts. All players will be evaluated, either at the
open tryouts or at other evaluation sessions.
Roster adjustments are made
at the end of the fall season, based on coaches' evaluations in
consultation with boys' and girls' coordinators, with some players
moving to higher or lower divisions for the spring season. In rare
instances a coach may recommend that a player switch to the Rec
league for additional experience. Any vacancies on spring teams are
filled by the coaches first from tryout waiting lists and then in
consultation with Rec league coaches. Roster changes may also be
required at other times of the year due to injuries or other
unexpected vacancies.
Our primary goal is to have
each child playing at the competitive level appropriate to his or
her ability. Experience has taught us that players do not have a
good time and do not develop as quickly when they are noticeably
more or less skilled than their teammates and opponents. We do not
make any special effort to keep teams together from year to year,
nor do we try to keep groups of friends or classmates together. This
can at times be disconcerting or even disappointing to some
youngsters, but it is inevitable in a competitive program if we are
to be fair to everyone.
Parents should discuss any
concerns about their child's placement with the coaches and boys' or
girls' coordinators. Parents of soccer club members are expected to
be supportive of our basic philosophy and to help their children
deal with their team placements and transfers in a positive manner.
For players only
Playing on a town team can be an exciting experience, but
it also carries with it some obligations. Now that you are a member
of one of our teams, here are the basic rules we expect you to
follow:
·
You will make
every effort to attend all practices and games. Some conflicts are
inevitable, but they should be rare.
·
If you are
unable to attend a practice or game, you will let your coach know in
advance.
·
You will show
up for practices and games on time and with the proper uniform and
equipment.
·
You will
exhibit good sportsmanship at all times, remembering that you are
representing the town of Brookline. If you win, you can be happy and
celebrate, but you may not speak or act boastfully. If you lose, you
may be disappointed, but you may not act angrily.
·
You will treat
the referees with respect. If you criticize a referee's decision,
you can expect to be removed from the game.
·
You will offer
support and encouragement to your teammates. It is the coach's job,
not yours, to point out their mistakes.
·
You will try
to improve your soccer skills by practicing on your own and with
your friends as often as possible.
Our league has a strong zero
tolerance policy to protect referees from harassment or abuse. You
may never address the referee during or after a game, nor may
you do anything to convey criticism of a referee's call. Being a
referee is a lot harder than it looks, and even the most experienced
referees will make mistakes. Most of our referees are youngsters,
not much older than your children, and criticism or harassment from
adults only serves to discourage them from continuing as referees.
Coaches or parents who violate this policy may be asked to leave the
game, and may be subject to other sanctions.
Resist the
impulse to "coach" your child from the sidelines with yelled
instructions to "kick it" or "pass it" or “go to goal.” Your
instructions only serve to distract and confuse the player. We are
trying to teach our players to think for themselves on the field.
The game is the best teacher! Only the coach may give instructions
during games, and even that should be rare. Parents should limit
themselves to "generic" cheering (“Go Brookline”, “Nice Ball”,
“Great Defense”). Do not direct comments at specific players,
especially those related to you!
Help your child understand
the commitment involved in playing on a town team. In particular,
practices are not optional. Most of the learning and development
takes place at practices, and we expect our players to attend.
Occasional scheduling conflicts are expected and understood, but if
your child has other planned activities which will keep her or him
from attending a significant number of practices and games, you need
to discuss the situation with your child and the coach. In some
cases, such as a child wanting to participate in two or three
after-school activities, choices may have to be made. Because we
cannot accommodate all the players interested in our program, it is
unfair to hold a roster spot for a youngster who does not fully
participate. Players who do not attend at least 75% of their team’s
practices and games will not be invited to return for the following
season.
Playing time is a sensitive
issue. Our games are very competitive, but that does not mean anyone
should be sitting on the bench for an entire game. Every prepared
player should have the opportunity to play in every game. If your
child is not getting at least twenty minutes of playing time in each
game, discuss the issue with your coach. If you have a problem with
the coach, you may speak to the appropriate coordinator.
Our coaches are always very
appreciative when the parents organize among themselves for such
tasks as making phone calls, arranging transportation, and bringing
orange slices for half-time. Parents can also take the lead in
organizing post-season pizza parties or outings to local college
soccer games. Your coach will also need volunteers during games to
serve as “club linesmen” (calling the ball out of bounds –
a great way to keep warm on those nippy
mornings!)
Uniforms and equipment
Soccer does not require a lot of expensive equipment, but
there are a few essential items:
·
Your uniform
(jersey, shorts, and socks) must be worn at all games.
·
Shinguards and
soccer shoes are required for games AND practices. These are
available at most local sporting goods stores. Mouthguards, while
not required, can be very useful in protecting against damage to
teeth.
·
In cold
weather, you may wear a long-sleeve shirt and/or black
lycra shorts under your uniform, if you
need them.
·
Bring a water
bottle to games and practices.
·
Bring a soccer
ball to every practice. Under 13's and older use a #5 ball; under
12's and younger use a #4 ball.
·
No jewelry is
permitted. If your child wants her ears pierced, the day before a
soccer game is not the best time. Many referees are also prohibiting
regular eyeglasses, particularly at the older age levels. If your
child wears glasses, safety glasses or sports goggles are
recommended.
Rainouts
BAYS games are occasionally played in rainy weather when
Rec league games are cancelled, so do not rely on the Recreation
Department recorded announcement. We only postpone games for unsafe
field conditions. Assume that you are playing unless notified by
your coach. (For home games, we will also announce cancellations on
the Soccer Club's phone line, 617-731-1031.) If a game is called
off, it will be rescheduled, usually on a subsequent weekday
afternoon or Sunday afternoon.
Holiday tournaments
Many of our teams participate in holiday tournaments
over the Columbus Day and Memorial Day weekends. These tournaments
typically involve 3-5 games over a two-day period in a nearby town.
Winter and summer activities
Many coaches hold some indoor practices or clinics during the winter
at various local gyms. Participation in winter activities is
encouraged but strictly optional. Some coaches may also organize
informal teams to play in one of the indoor soccer or futsol leagues
in the area. (Teams playing in indoor leagues are not organized by
or sponsored by the Soccer Club.)
Many of our
players also attend one of the week-long soccer camps run during the
summer by various organizations. Check with your coach or Club
officials for suggestions.
Regional and state teams
In addition to the inter-town leagues, Mass Youth Soccer
sponsors several other competitive programs for youth players. These
include the Mass. Premier Soccer League (MAPLE) and the Olympic
Development Program (ODP). Participants are selected through
tryouts. These programs involve extensive travel and a very strong
time commitment. Further information is available on the Mass Youth
Soccer website (www.mayouthsoccer.org). Players selected for
one of these other programs who also wish to play on a Brookline
Soccer Club team should discuss the potential time conflicts with
their coach in advance.
Mailing lists
The state and national youth soccer
associations maintain mailing lists of all registered youth soccer
players, in order to provide notices of soccer events and related
offerings which may be of interest. If you do not wish
to receive these mailings, please send a note to the Club registrar
at Post Office Box 566, Brookline 02446.
Volunteers
The Brookline Soccer Club is run by volunteers, most of whom
are parents. We need your help to run a first-class soccer program
for our youngsters. If you have played or coached soccer, consider
volunteering as a coach or assistant coach, or become a certified
referee. There are also many other jobs which do not require soccer
expertise and which can accommodate your time schedules, including
game scheduling, organizing tryouts, player registration, publicity,
finance and budgeting, organizing clinics, fundraising, etc. If you
can help, call any of the club officers listed below.
Have a great season!
|
