March
31, 2010
To:
Neshaminy United - Pearls Intramural Coaches
From:
Bill Russell, Intramural Director
Subject:
Coaches Letter for spring 2010
We are looking forward to an exciting
spring season starting Sunday April 11th.
We are utilizing the expert services of professional instructors to
provide additional skill instruction to both our players and the volunteer
coaches. Please read the information in
this letter carefully.
Ø Mites
(3-5 yr olds, pre K): three groups of about 30.
The younger kids play first.
Ø Girls
Division 1 (K and 1st grade) has 4 teams, playing 3v3 or 4v4 with no
keeper.
Ø Girls
Division 2 (2nd and 3rd graders) has 2 teams, 8v8 (7
field players and a keeper).
Ø Girls
Division 3 (4th - 6th) has 1 teams, they will be trained
and coached by one of our trainers
Ø Boys
have 4 teams, 4v4 with no keeper.
Today, you will receive your roster,
Sunday practice/game schedule, and field map.
Your equipment bag will be available at the shed on opening day. All
this information will be on the web site if you lose anything. Your team roster will not be on the web –
contact our registrar,
Division 1 Coaches
Neshaminy united - Pearls has developed
a D1 Coaches Manual to help you conduct efficient practices and manage your
team. This manual is available from our
website www.pearlssoccerclub.org. Click on the Coaches Corner link. Although it’s labeled for the D1 players, it
offers many drills and tips that can be used by any intramural coach in our
program.
Time and Setup –
Each Sunday (4/11 to 5/23), you will
have a 1 hour training session followed by a 45 minute game. The game consists of 2, 20 minute halves. All children play an equal amount. Coaches, please bring a whistle and stop
watch.
|
Mites (3-5
yr olds) |
3 groups |
3 fields/hockey
- by the shed |
12:00-3:00pm |
|
Girls D1 (K,
1st) |
4 teams |
4
fields/football |
1-2:45pm |
|
Girls D2
(G2, 3) |
2 teams |
3 fields/hockey
& soccer |
2-3:45pm |
|
Girls D3
(G4-7) |
1 group |
2 fields/soccer |
12-1:45pm |
|
Boys |
4 teams |
4
fields/football |
12-1:45pm |
Let me extend a
thank you from the Neshaminy United - Pearls organization because without your
time, this program would not exist.
·
Each
coach must complete a Risk Management Application (formerly called the
Employment/Volunteer Disclosure Statement) on-line. If you completed the form as a Neshaminy
United - Pearls coach for the Fall 2009 or
Winter 2010 session, skip this bullet point.
The web site is: https://www.youthleaguesusa.com/epysa/2009/RiskManagement.html.
Or go to: www.epysa.org, under ONLINE
REGISTRATION on the left side click Registration &
Database access; click on 2009-2010 RISK MANAGEMENT APPLICATION.
·
Each
coach should bring a whistle and stopwatch to each game. Coaches loosely ref their game and make the
player changes every four-minutes. If a
flagrant foul occurs, bring everyone together and quickly explain the
infraction. Then play on.
·
Please
be aware of your game time slot so you do not run over.
Trainers
Each age group
will have a professional trainer there to work with them for the first
hour. These coaches are all highly
experienced high school varsity coaches.
I ask that any parents that want to help out during this time just
introduce themselves to the trainers. As
a coach/assistant coach you just need to be there to help out. The trainer will take care of all the rest.
Field Setup
Please
offer your help each week to set up plus ask parents to assist. The fields have to be lined each week and
nets are set up and broken down. We
asked parents to specifically volunteer for a task. We will do our best to pursue and organize
these volunteers but the responsibility ultimately falls on the coaches.
Game Day
We
ask that all coaches arrive early on the opening day of the season (4/11) so we
have the fields setup.
After the first week, 20 minutes is sufficient to setup. Division 2 girls have the big portable nets
to setup each week. Division 3 girls and
Division 2 boys have to break the nets down.
Each
division coordinator will contact the coaches in their division if we cancel on
Sunday. See the coaches contact list for
our coordinator (selected at the March 31 meeting). Also, check the web site and the club’s
voicemail one hour before you play for weather related cancellations. In general, the club’s motto is “if there’s
no snow, we go!” I may cancel mites in a
cold rain but let intramural play. (We
have reserved Sunday, June 6th as our rain make-up date in case we do have
inclement weather and have to cancel one week.)
Things to tell parents when you email or call them plus
things do or bring for the first game
Ø Your roster contains the
parents’ email address. In order to save
your time, add the email addresses to a group list, paste the information below
into an email from you. This cuts down
your time notifying everyone.
Ø Make sure your child has cleats that fit (highly recommended). Neshaminy United - Pearls has a ‘pass back’
program with cleats. The box of cleats
is in the shed.
Ø Make sure your child has shin-guards (mandatory)
Ø Make sure your child has the correct jersey (for the girls, each week
tell them whether you are pink or solid black)
Ø
Ø Bring a water bottle
Ø Bring a soccer ball that has player’s name and phone number on it
Ø Neshaminy United - Pearls shed at NMS can be used as a dressing room for
your players
Ø Let parents know the snack list for the season. Bring a snack list and handout out the team’s
schedule at the first game. The
organization lists are in the D1 Coaches Manual that I mentioned earlier in
this letter.
Ø Ask your parents to assist you with field setup (D2 girls, ask a parent
to come an early and help assemble the nets)
Ø Arrive 20 minutes early for the first game to get a uniform, find the
correct field and the correct coach
Ø Coaches bring a whistle and a stop watch every week
Ø Heat: if temperatures will exceed 85 degrees we get the girls out of
their Neshaminy United - Pearls jersey and into t-shirts. The home team wears a white T-shirt; the away
team wears a non-white T-shirt. I’ll get
word to the Division Contacts (listed on Coaches Contact List) but you can also
make the call to the other coach you are playing that day and work it out that
way too.
Ø Our registrar, Diane, will be at NMS on opening day (4/11/10) to direct people
and players to the correct coach or field.
Fun
This entire
spring program, for players’ from ages 3 to 11, is meant to provide two hours
of fun for both you and your players.
Each Sunday, we teach them the basics of soccer, fair play and build self-confidence
as they develop their soccer skill.
There are no refs, coaches help each other and
we don’t keep score. If you have fun out
there, your team will too. I ask for two
things: do not yell at the players (instruct them) and keep your bodies on the
perimeter. Talk to the players as you
instruct them but do not get yourself in the middle of the field while they are
playing. Our big bodies are
intimidating. During the spring session,
hold one “practice session” where the kids play the moms. It’s a blast.
Last Day Sunday, May 23rd
The
last day of our spring session is 5/23/10.
There is nothing special that goes on but individually, teams may plan
to bring extra snacks to hang around for awhile. If you can work a Father’s Day theme into a practice
concept, please share your ideas, e.g., relay races where it is ‘dads vs.
children’. (Mite players do get a
participatory medal and bag of candy this spring. Intramural players only receive a trophy
during the fall session.)
Please
do not hesitate to call or e-mail us with any questions. Also, it makes it
easier for us to get news out to you more efficiently if your current email
address is updated on our records. Check
the coaches contact sheet. If you do not
have email, then make sure your phone number is correct.
|
Registrar
(Diane) |
dianewallick@pearlssoccerclub.com 267.994.7515 |
|
ID
(Bill) |
billrussell@pearlssoccerclub.com 215-939-0145 |
All
games/practices will take place at Neshaminy Middle School (NMS) located at the
address below:
Thanks
for your time and effort this spring.
Have fun and your players will too!
Thanks again,
Bill Russell
Intramural Director