BU10 Team 12

We had our first practice!
Only four players showed up :(  I ended up sending an email to all the parents chiding them for not keeping me in the loop, if their kids are not going to make practice.

I have two strong players, and two weaker ones (so far).  Trevor was a pretty good keeper last year; we'll have to see what shakes out when the rest of the team shows up for practice.

First game on Saturday!   Let's hope we do well...

U10 Team formation success!

We just had a successful team formation.  There was an element of controversy last year; due to the MIA status of our RC.  The division comissioners did a yeoman's job so setting up the teams, but did so without input and there was, at the very least there was an appearance of impropriety (if not actual ethical lapses).

Also, the past RC allowed the comissioners to be in charge of the divisions in which their kids played, again allowing for an appearance of conflict.  It didn't help that the teams did well (it might have been good coaching) -- there was a lot of complaints and accusations flying about.  So much so, that we had arguments from parents at boad meetings and had to hold two meetings of the  'Fair and balanced team fomation committee'.  The bottom line is that we repeatedly had to hold up our Regional Guidelines to show that we have a way of balancing teams - the procedures just weren't followed.

So, we had team formations.  Some coaches showed up, and we even had some player evaluations!
I printed out all the players on 3x5 index cards.

I had the coaches rank all the players, based upon personal knowledge, evaluations, and years in the league.  We then 'snaked' them, starting with the best 9 yr old players down to the weakest players. Then we reversed it for the 8 yr olds.  The coaches all agreed that the teams looked balanced, then we move it so each team had a coach or a potential coach.  We then had a double draw and adjusted the teams.  Had everyone look, and made some adjustments that were approved by everybody to fine tune it.

So now we had full transparency; anyone at the meeting can't complain because they all said it looked good - and anyone who wasn't there doesn't get to complain!  If they cared, they should have attended; it was open to everyone...

Fund raising

We went out and signed up with Community Discount Cards, a fundraising group.  We select 30 local business, and then they go out and try to get them to give some sort of discount (10% discount, free drink, etc).  We get 50% of the selling price, and the company sets up incentives for kids selling the most, and so forth.  I polled the board for suggestions, and only a few came back with anything.(I told the rest they had no right to complain in the future).  The RC signed, and we are ready to go!
Initial order is 1000 cards, which is about how many players we have in,  I suspect each player in the competitive divisions should be able to sell two cards each.  Let's see how it works!

Our Spring Team has a name!

All the players who attended the game go to vote.

The winner:  The Blue Fire!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Game #2

Played our second game.  Have to say...we were terrible!  Got crushed during the first half; players taking the ball from teammates; keepers forgetting to use their hands, players showing up at the last minute.

However, after a big pep talk at halftime, it was like parting the Red Sea. My forwards started staying forward, my keeper grabbed the ball, and instead of being outscored 6-0 in the 2nd half, we were outscored 2-0!  Even better, we managed to get the ball towards the opposing goal!  Missed the midfield, however.

What I still can't figure out, is why the players will BACK UP when the other team gets the ball. It is quite odd; they will run towards the ball, but when the opposing team get it, instead of aggressively heading for the ball, they will back up.  I guess they think that they are somehow stopping the ball, but all they do is give the other team time to go around them.

That's is what we are going to work on next week!

How to create a Region Web site, Part II

Expanding on yesterday's post of page types, this is broken down by the type of information consumer.
(The formatting didn't port very well, so I am going to make it an ordered list...)

 

The breakdown is the information consumer, what type of information they need, then the page(s).

 

 

Parent -> Looking for: Registration

• Announcements
• Calendar
• Registration Information Page
• Registration Checklists

Parent -> Looking for: Team Info

•  Calendar
• Team Listings (Coach info)
• Directory (Commissioner, RCA, ARC, RC)
• Game Schedules
• Statistics
• Regional Guidelines

Parent -> Looking for: Game Info

• Calendar 
• Team Listings
• Game Schedules
• Field Listings
• Field Conditions

Parent -> Wanting to make: Complaint

• Announcements
• Regional Guidelines
• Directory (Registrar, Commissioner, RCA,RRA, ARC, RC, Board)
• Parent Handbook

Parent -> Wanting to: Volunteer

• Announcements
• Calendar
• Volunteer Listing
• Directory (Board)

Coach -> Looking for: Information

• Announcements
• Calendar
• Team Listings
• Game Schedules
• Stats
• Field Listings
• Field Condition
• Directory (Commissioner, RCA, ARC, RC, Board)
• Training
• Regional Guidelines

Coach -> Wanting to make: Complaint

• Announcements
• Regional Guidelines
• Directory ( Commissioner, RCA,RRA, ARC, RC) 

 

Referee -> Looking for: Information

• Announcements
• Calendar
• Game Schedules
• Refschedule.com
• Field Listings
• Field Condition
• Laws of the Game (FIFA, AYSO National Guidelines)
• Regional Guidelines
• Directory (DRI, RRA, Board)

Referee:  Looking to make: Complaint

• Announcements
• Regional Guidelines
• Laws of the Game
• Directory ( DRI, RRA, RC)

Board Member: RC, ARC

• Announcements
• Calendar
• Directory (Board)
• eAYSO

Board Member: RCA (Regional Coach Administrator)

• Announcements
• Calendar
• Team Listings (Coach info)
• eAYSO
• Regional Guidelines
• Parent Handbook
• Directory (Board)

Board Member: RRA (Regional Referee Administrator)

•  Announcements
• Calendar
• Laws of the Game
• Refschedule.com
• Directory (Board)

Board Member: Commissioner

• Announcements
• Calendar
• Parent Handbook
• Commissioner Guidelines
• eAYSO
• Directory (Board)

Volunteer:

•  Announcements
• Calendar
• Volunteer Listing
• Directory (Board)

How to create a Region Website, Part I

Our website sucks.  We are convening a committee to discuss changes.  Here's my contribution as to what we need at a minimum...

Web site design considerations




Main Page

1. Important announcements

2. Calendar

3. Field status

4. Links

a. Info pages

b. Board contact info

c. Area pages



Information Page(s)



1. Team Pages

a. Schedules

b. Standings/Stats

c. Team information

d. Contact information (Coaches)



2. Coaches Pages

a. Information

b. Training

c. Class schedules

d. Rules/guidelines

e. Coach management contact info



3. Referee Pages

a. Information

b. Training

c. Class Schedules

d. Rules/Guidelines

e. Referee management contact info



4. Field information

a. Field locations

b. Field maps

c. Field status

d. Field management contact info





5. Volunteer pages

a. Positions

b. Open positions

c. Board contact list

Tournement Prep docs

Here is our starting, working document:

Divisions: U8, U10 and U12 (consider U14)



Locations

Need to check field availability and then work through number of teams per division based on field set up.

Volunteers needed

• Tournament Director

• Assistant Tournament Director

• Referee Coordinator

• Tournament Treasurer

• Scheduler

• Statistician

• U8 Division Coordinator

• U10 Division Coordinator

• U12 Division Coordinator

• Registration and Check-In Coordinator

• Volunteer Coordinator

o Field Director(s)
o T-shirt Sales Coordinator – one per location

• Sponsorship/Marketing/PR Outreach Coordinator

o Food/Vendor Coordinator



Cost for Tournament

• Develop budget – fields, t-shirts, trophies/medals/pins/patches…..anything else?

• Registration cost per team

• Referee deposit per team



Dates to Consider



• Application submitted to National for approval.

• Deadline for applications being received.



** Sales Tax/Business License/Checking Account **



Budgetary Items

• Rental Items

o Communications Devices (Radios?)

o Canopies – each venue

o Tables – Per Venue

 Registration/Check in

 Referee Check in

 Sales (if needed)

o Chairs – 2 per table

o Wi-fi/Hotspot

o Computer/laptop(s)/printer(s)

o EMS/Security

o Generator(s) – if needed

o Field space



• Purchase items

o Water

o Signage (per venue for professional appearance)

 Referee/Check in/Sales/etc

• May be offset by sponsors

o Printing

 Game cards

 Rosters

 Brochures/Maps/Info

• May be offset by sponsors

o Snack stand (if used)

 What would we sell?

o Corner flags, goals, nets (as needed), chalk, paint

o Team swag

 T-Shirt, pin

o Coach swag

 T-Shirt, pin, hat

o Referee swag

 T-Shirt, pin, patch, coin

o Sale items

 Sweat shirts

 T-shirts

 Hats

 Ball

Turkey Tournament 2012

As I mentioned, we are looking at a 'Turkey Tournament' this year.  This is a continuation of one that was in Redondo Beach for many years.  What I like about this trounament, in particular, is that it is for the kids of the people who make it all work - the volunteers.  While some of the kids are among the better players, many are...not.  This is one way they will get to have that tournament experience that can be a lot of fun.  There is a hierarchy involved:  VIP buddies, Youth Referees, Children of: Board Members, Referees, Coaches.

Registration - its not just for soccer

Bruce cleaned out the storage compartment and found 10 giant tubs of Region clothing, turkey tournament (dated!) sweaters, and hoodies.

We sold $1000 worth of items at the first registration event!

Turkey Tournament, anyone?

Had a long discussion with Van today; we are exploring resurrecting our (1 time) Turkey Tournament, the successor to the (many year) Redondo Beach Turkey tournament.

I enjoyed the tournament, because it was for kids whose parents volunteered.  My kids have never been great at soccer, so having this tournament was pretty fun for them.  There are several tournaments during this time frame, but they really don't address the volunteer aspect.

We've sort of decided that we will try to go with U8-U12; I don't recall any U8 tournaments around here.  However...U8 by definition is non-competetive, how do you change a season of learning into a tournament focusing on victory?

My thought was to make it a 'sportsmanship' event for the U8-ers; but how do you differentiate in a meaningful way?

Our Region's web page sucks!

Our web page sucks.  It is generated via D4 sports, but it never worked very well.  I see other region's sites, and they all seem so much better than ours.

We are about to form a web page commitee to decide what we want on it.

I think the web page should have a calendar of events, a main area with important announcements, info for parents, info for coaches, info for referees, game schedules, standings, and maps to the fields.

Sportsmanship Matters - part two

Here is something I wrote for the parents, to explain the new policy:

Sportsmanship: fair play, respect for opponents, and gracious behavior in winning or losing.


Sportsmanship matters: The coaches and referees are volunteering their time – not just for this game, but also in practice, training, and certification. They deserve to be treated as you would expect to be treated.

Sportsmanship matters: Kids make mistakes; shouting directions at them is at best confusing, at worst contradictory to what the coach is directing and training them to do. Let them play, and they will learn to make decisions on the field.

Sportsmanship matters: The referee team has been extensively trained in the Laws of the Game; their knowledge of the Laws and nuances of the Game may be more extensive than yours. Certainly shouting at the referee won’t improve the game, and can lead to loss of points and dismissal from the field!

Sportsmanship matters: The Region, the referees, the coaches, and the players are all counting on YOU, the parents, to be good role models.

Sportsmanship matters: So much, that the Board has instituted a new regulation: teams which don’t earn at least 95% of the maximum sportsmanship points for the year are not eligible for the playoffs. There are 25 possible sportsmanship points each game – losing 2 points every game will make a team ineligible!



Coach’s and player’s behavior can affect sportsmanship points, but so can spectator’s behavior. Of the five categories for sportsmanship, two are related to spectators. Below is an excerpt from the Region’s sportsmanship guidelines that are given to each referee – the sole arbiter of sportsmanship during a game.

These deductions are per incident during the game, and are cumulative.

Conduct of Spectators

For a warning or caution -1

For a send off -5

Violation of the standards of good sportsmanship -1

Noticeable acts of good sportsmanship toward other team +1

Courtesy towards Referee (includes comments about referee calls)

Discourtesy by a coach -1

Discourtesy by a player -1

Discourtesy by a spectator -1

Noticeable acts of courtesy +1

Sportsmanship Matters

I got tired of sportsmanship being a sidebar.
Our coaches can ignore sportsmanship completely, perhaps miss a game or two and move right on.
Normally sportsmanship is a tie-breaker; however the top teams rarely are close enough that they would be in a tie - so there was no real reason to cultivate sportsmanship.

Last year we tried tying sportsmanship to the points accrued; for instance, if the team would have normally scored 10 points for a 3-0 shutout, but only receved 90% of the sportsmanship points (missed 2 points, for instance) - the team would only receive 9 points.

This really only affected a few of the mid-level teams, so once again was not a real attention getter.

THIS year, we have a new plan:  if a team fails to maintain 95% of their maximum sportsmanship points - they are not eligible for playoffs, after season play, etc...