Welcome to Space City U5-U8 Soccer for Spring 2010! The members of the U5-U8 Committee hope that your child has a lot of fun while learning the game of soccer.

Important Dates

· Early Bird Registration –Now thru 15 January

· Late Registration – 15 January thru 31 January

· Teams formed by 20 February

· Coaches given roster by 24 Feb

o Coaches will begin to contact players this week.

· Coaches Meeting Friday, 26-Februray

o More info on time and location as we get closer)

· Practices can begin week of 01-March

· First game on 21 March (Last Sunday of Spring Break)

o May move to 28 March depending on SCFC Spring Tournament Field Usage

o No games on Easter, 04-April

· Last day of the season: 23 May

Format

· U5/U6 play 3v3

· U7/U8 play 4v4

End of Season Fun Day

1. Broken out by age group, U5, U6, etc.
   1. Each team will get 2 games (about ½ the length of a regular season game).
   2. Additional games can be played on a Pick-up basis.
2. Due to issues with the county, we can’t have the Moonwalk or Waterslide, but we’ll have concessions:
   1. Pizza and drinks
   2. Hopefully pop-ice again.

What are the goals of this program?

In what age group will my child play?

Are teams single gender or mixed gender?

When will practices begin and where are they?

When will games begin and what is the game format?

When and how will teams be formed?

Does the club offer assistance to new coaches?

What equipment does the club provide to players and/or coaches?

Can I request my child play-up to an older age group?

Who can I contact with additional information?

The goals of our U5-U8 recreactional program are:

1. Ensuring the kids have fun with friends, old and new.
2. Getting exercise and improving their aerobic stamina.
3. Becoming the best player that they can be.
4. Learning the basics of soccer, such as ball control, dribbling, and shooting.
5. Learning to love the game and wanting to progress to the next level of competition.

<<Return to top>>

Age Ranges

Children will be placed in an age group depending on their birth date per the following table.

<<Return to top>>

Gender Grouping

U5 teams are mixed gender.

U6 teams are mixed gender.

U7 teams are single gender.

U8 teams are single gender.

<<Return to top>>

Team Practices

Practices can begin in early March. Practice day(s), times, and locations are determined by each team separately and are not assigned by the Club. One of the best ways to ensure you get a day/time that works with your schedule is to volunteer as a coach!

U5 and U6 teams typically practice 1 day per week (on either Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday).

U7 and U8 teams typically practice 2 days per week (on either Monday/Wednesday or Tuesday/Thursday).

Typical practice locations for the different regions are as follows:

Clear Lake: Dave Finkel Field or Clear Lake Park

Friendswood: Windsong Elementary (U5/U6) and Merriwood or OCP (U7/U8)

League City: League City Sportsplex

Link to field locations: http://www.spacecityfc.org/FieldsLinks/tabid/10309/Default.aspx.

<<Return to top>>

Games

Spring games are on Sunday afternoons.

Games will begin the Sunday after Spring Break, 21-March-2010. Games will end by Sunday, 23-May-2010.

Each team will play approximately 7 games during the season. Additionally, we are planning an End-of-Season Festival for the kids. This will consist of a set of scheduled age group games and additional pick-up games if desires. There will be a concessions stand available for food and drinks. The Club is also planning to have information for the Fall season available, potentially including registration.

There are no playoffs at these age groups.

Make up games are not automatically scheduled by the club. If a team has a game rained out or otherwise cancelled, then the coaches must contact each other to determine a mutually agreeable make-up date. This date and location should then be coordinated with the Scheduler to avoid field conflicts. Note that this same process can be followed to reschedule a game. Friday evenings are typically a good time for make-up games.

Game formats are small-sided in order to promote as many touches on the ball as possible. Games are Dual-Sided, meaning that each team plays on two fields at once. Half the team will play on one field and the other half of the team on the other. Kids can switch between either field at any time. There are unlimited substitutions per game and all kids should play a minimum of 50% of every game.

U5 & U6 teams have a roster of 10 maximum and play 3v3.

U7 and U8 teams have a roster of 12 maximum and play 4v4.

<<Return to top>>

Team Formation

At the U5-U8 level, the Division Directors attempt to assign teams based on the selected region and elementary school. Therefore, please be sure you identify the SCFC Region in which you would like to practice (League City, Friendswood, or Clear Lake) and the Elementary School which your child attends (or will attend).

Returning players are placed on their previous team (known as the team core). However, the registration form offers you the opportunity to not return to a particular team. Selecting this option will place your child back into the draft pool for team reassignment.

The registration form will contain a box for comments where you can enter any specific requests, but because of the many competing priorities, the club cannot guarantee placement on a specific team or with a specific player. However, the Division Directors do their best to honor as many requests as possible.

<<Return to top>>

New Coach Assistance

The club offers several means of assistance to new coaches. First, the club will provide a youth soccer coaching guide which contains age appropriate activities for the U5-U8 age group. There are entire practice sessions laid out with a description of how to run each session. Additionally, the club will pay for you to attend a Youth Soccer Coaching Module. We recommend either the U6/U8 Module or the U10/12 Module. Courses are offered through the South Texas Youth Soccer Association and the listings can be found at http://www.stxsoccer.org/CoachingEducation/CoachingEducation/index_E.html. These are very informative sessions. Look for the courses offered near the Houston area for convenience. Please contact the Club’s office if you are interested … if we can generate enough local interest, our club’s pro-staff will put on these modules for us.

Another method of assistance is coach mentoring. We encourage our veteran coaches to team up with a new coach and run joint practices. This allows a new team to benefit from interaction with an established coach and helps the coaches to learn from one another. Please contact the Division Director in your region if you are interested in being either a Mentor or Mentee.

Finally, there are many books available on coaching youth soccer. Several of these are at the local library. Check these for great games, drills, and fun diversions.

<<Return to top>>

Uniform, Player Equipment, and Team Equipment

Each child will receive a uniform consisting of 2 jerseys, 1 pair of shorts, and 1 set of stockings. Note that the uniform is the same as the Fall uniform. If you played in the Fall, you do not need a new uniform. Be sure to check the box on the registration form to opt out of receiving a new uniform (you will not be charged the uniform fee if you select this box).

The child will need to have a size 3 soccer ball and a pair of shin guards, provided by the parents. Rubber soled cleats are not required, but do help kids with traction in wet condition. If you do decide to have your child wear cleats, they should not have a toe stud like baseball or football cleats. During practices and games, children should not wear jewelry (ear rings, rings, watches, necklaces, etc.) or hard hair clips. This is for their safety.

Team equipment provided by the club is available for a deposit. In addition to a game ball, each coach can receive the following:

• U5/U6: Puggs, ball bag, pinnies, cones - $40 deposit
• U7/U8: Ball bag, pinnies, cones - $25 deposit

Deposits can be made by check (preferred) or cash and will be returned at the end of the season when the equipment is returned. The coach can keep the game ball. Equipment will be handed out at the Spring U5-U8 Coaches meeting. If you or a team representative are unable to attend the coaches meeting, you can pick up the equipment at the SCFC office.

<<Return to top>>

Play-Up Policy

U5-U8 Recreational Group

The goal of the SCFC U5-U8 recreational program is to provide an introduction to the game of soccer and allow children to socialize with others their own age. The emphasis is on fun, sportsmanship, and social development. Play up requests will only be approved for the following cases. Also note that a Play up request and evaluation must be completed every year.

1. A child with an August birthday will be approved for play up so that he/she can play with other children in their school class. No evaluation is needed, but the parent still needs to select the play-up option.
2. A sibling that is one age division younger will be approved for play up so that they can be on the same team as the older sibling. Please note that the U7/U8 age divisions are single gender so a brother/sister combination will not be approved in these divisions. No evaluation is needed, but the parent still needs to select the play-up option.
3. Participation in a Play-Up evaluation session and subsequent recommendation from the SCFC Professional Training Staff. Please coordinate an evaluation through the SCFC Academy Director, Craig Foster, at recdot@spacecityfc.org.

For these cases, a Play-Up Request Form (PURF) must be completed and submitted to SCFC Vice President 3, who oversees the U5-U8 Divisions. VP3 can be reached at vp3@spacecityfc.org. Please note that if a U8 player desires to play up to U9, then the PURF must also be sent to the SCFC VP2, at vp2@spacecityfc.org. No Play-ups will be permitted without the PURF, which can be downloaded at the following website: TBD.

Players approved for play up will be put into the player pool for the higher age-group and assigned to teams as follows.

1. Form teams with core including August core play-ups with a PURF.
2. Fill in with of age pool players
3. Fill in with August birthday play-ups with a PURF.
4. Fill in with sibling play-ups with a PURF.
5. Fill in with non-August core play-ups with a PURF.
6. Fill in with remaining play-ups with a PURF.

<<Return to top>>

Contact Info

For specific information about a particular region, please contact the following Division Directors

<<Return to top>>