U12-U19 FAQ for Coaches & Managers

Woodland Soccer Club, 2011

Dear U12-U19 Coaches and Managers:

Thanks for your interest in coaching! We hope you return to coach again this next season.

Frequently Asked Questions:

1. We hope you will be able to coach again this year.  
• If you are not planning on coaching, please let us know.   Please We also would like to know who could take over for you.
• If you are returning, please let us know. Better yet, just register in the Coaches data base today (see below).
• Team sizes are 14-16 players at this level. This may require a little juggling of teams. It depends on which teams and players return. It works out differently each year.   The WSC Registrars will follow up in June/July once we have a better idea of the team status.
2. Please direct all registration-related questions to the WSC Registrars:
• Girls Rec (U10-U19) Registrar is Jessica Beckton jessica.beckton@gmail.com
• Boys Rec (U10-U19) Registrar is Deb Sundblad dsundblad@comcast.net
3. Returning players from last Fall need to register by June 2nd to guarantee a spot on the same team. If you contact your Registrar, they can send you a roster of who has signed up.
4. Players can only play on one WSYSA team. Players cannot play on both Select and Rec teams.
5. New players ...  [Woodland registration policy]
• Please remember that new players are placed on teams by the Registrars.   We try to honor requests. Often, conflicting requests occur. We need to balance team sizes and need to place kids from folding teams, etc…  Spring players that did not play on a Fall 2010 team are considered new players.   
6. Please register in the Coaches data base for each Fall season.   Need to register once a year.
• Same username and password as you used to register your kid.  (Though, it is not the one you used w/ SYSA for Spring Soccer).   If you did not receive your userid/password via email in May, please contact your Registrar.
• As part of the coach registration process, RMA information is queried for.   If you need a new one, it re-applies or renews it for you. You will likely get an email indicating you have applied for an RMA. If your RMA is current, you will not be notified.
7. Your assistants need to register, too.  Anyone who might coach practice or a game needs to be registered as a WSC coach.  Please remind them to register.
8. Let your Registrar know what level you are planning to play. More info below. League is arranged in mid-July at the “All-City Seattle Registrars’ Alignment Meeting”.
9. If you know your team will be short players, try to let your Registrar know this. If your team has fewer than 13 players in early June, it may be combined with another team.  Teams with less than 11 players CANNOT be registered for play with SYSA.  There may also be other clubs with extra players or space.
10. Players are not eligible for game play until WSC has verified their proof-of-age. WSC will contact you in Summer about any unverified players.

Logistics:

Team size:  Games are 11 on 11.  We recommend a minimum of 14 players on a team. 18 players maximum.   Registrar needs coach approval to assign more than 16 to a team.  U12-U19 coaches cannot pick and choose players (e.g. turn down one player and then take another).

Lots of coaching information is on the Woodland web site.   You might find the WSC Coaching Sessions helpful.  These are a complete set of coaching sessions for every age group.  WSC will reimburse you for attending coaches’ clinics. Many of these are listed on the Coaches' Courses webpage. “E License” and “D License” courses come highly recommended.

Each U12-U19 team is expected to provide at least one referee to the SYSA referee pool.    Please encourage your team parents, older siblings, and friends.   Referees are required to be licensed and are paid per game.  More info at seattlerefs.org.    Training clinics are listed on the Washington State Ref's website ( http://www.wasrc.org/instruction)

What level:  Gold, Silver, or Bronze
Rec teams select whether they want to play Gold, Silver, or Bronze.
Let your Registrar know by July the level you want to play.  If we do not hear from you, we will assume silver. Suggestions:

• gold:   Your team dominated other teams last year and your strong players are returning.
• silver:   Your team was in the middle somewhere.
• bronze:  Most of the teams you played last year dominated your team.   Perhaps, you intentionally want to be low key.

In general, the top two teams usually move up a level.   Bottom two teams usually move down a level.  The rest usually stay the same.  If you want to specify your level, let your Registrar know.  Sometimes not all levels exist for an age group.   An effort is made to have an even number of teams in each division.

Thanks for coaching!

--
Ray Farbarik

President, WSC