LUYSA Grassroots Soccer FAQ (updated August 2010)
When does the season start & end?
Parents will receive the initial training schedule in Late August. Group training begins the first week of September. Teams will be formed through the group training process as outlined in the new LUYSA Player Development Program, and teams/coaches will be completed by the last week in September. The program involves one weeknight training session and one weekend game day per week. Initial 2-3 week training period will be run and staffed by the LUYSA Technical Department, Grassroots Director, and select experienced Club coaches. The club and teams take a winter break around the first week of December, resuming in early January. The season continues until the end of March/Early April, including a year-end windup Mini-World Cup Tournament Event.
How are teams formed? And when?
LUYSA’s Grassroots (Mini) Soccer program is based upon the Canadian Soccer Associations guidelines & recommendations under the “Wellness to World Cup” program. Registered players will be scheduled in group training (Academy-style) starting in the first week of September, and continuing for up to 3 weeks. Parents will be notified of this schedule by the club by late August. Players will be grouped into two like-minded “Streams” in each age group. The teams will then be formed based upon a) school catchment, then b) player requests. Priority is to keep teams balanced and to avoid powerhouse teams. Coaches and players will be assigned and parents notified by the end of September. Schedules will also be available at this time. Can my child play up a year with a sibling or friend?
LUYSA is willing to consider parental requests for their children to play up in an older age group, however, they must be approved prior to registration by the technical department. Our feeling, based upon BC and Canadian Soccer recommendations, is that children, no matter how high their skill level, are best served by playing with and against their friends in their own age group that is appropriate for their mental and emotional maturity level. We do not believe the child gains much by playing in an older group where they may feel unconnected socially and emotionally. We also reserve the right to move the child back to their own age group at any time during the season for any reason but most specifically if they don't have the skill level to compete at the older age group or if they are having trouble fitting in. Safety and well-being of the child is of paramount concern. My child is small and born late in the calendar year, can he play down on a younger team?
No. Due to insurance provided by BC Soccer through your registration fees, guidelines prohibit LUYSA from allowing this. Every child must play in their birth year age group. Playing up one year may be considered on a player to player basis only and must be approved by the LUYSA Technical Department. Changes to the LUYSA Player Development Program are designed in part to eliminate the need for players to play “up” a year to develop at a higher pace. Will my child play close to home?
Yes, first consideration (after the group training process) is to try and place each player in their school catchment area. The earlier a child is registered the easier it is for the Club to facilitate the player placement. Waitlist players are not guaranteed location preferences; they will be placed where space is available. What days are the games and practices?
Game days for U6 – U10 are always Saturdays. Often most games will end by NOON but be prepared for some afternoon game times. Practices are outdoors until October then move indoors to gyms (except for U10). Practice days are determined by the coach and the gym time available, usually Mon – Friday and only one per week. The gym times are given to our club mid September when the principals of the school release all extra time to the community. We request our needs but confirmation is not received until the schools needs are met first. The Director of Gyms, a volunteer, works very hard to manage and accommodate all players in U6 - U10 but with over 50 teams to allocate, it's obvious not all needs / requests can possibly be met. Players will not be permitted to switch teams due to practice/gym time conflicts. Please inform your coach(s) of any issues, and they can relay information to the Gyms coordinator. Can we request a coach or team?
Requests are always considered but not guaranteed. At what age can a player start?
In order to participate in the full season program, the player must be 5 or turning 5 before Dec 31st. U6 stands for Under 6 years old, U7 = under 7 years etc. We recently introduced a U5 Parent & Tot program for children 4 years of age or turning 4 before Dec. 31st. This is an 8 week parent participation program held once a week with no games. Children are not placed on specific teams. Training occurs once a week, in an central training location. My son would like to get extra training, are there other programs available?
In addition to our regular soccer program, LUYSA offers advanced ACADEMY programs open to all players for a separate fee. The Academy program schedule is released and available in early September. It is run by LUYSA’s Technical Head Coach, and staffed by our qualified Academy coaching staff. How can I help/volunteer?
LUYSA is a club that is built upon the efforts of our volunteers. There are many opportunities to help out. From Head Coach to Team Mom, from the Board of Directors to Photo day, if you are willing to help, please contact our Director of Volunteers about current and future opportunities.
