1. Spring Registration – Remember, league registration opens January 25th and closes February 25th. Whatever teams you have registered as of February 25th will be expected to play and you will be responsible for their registration fees. This is meant to avoid all the last minute changes that occurred last season which not only delay getting schedules out to the rest of the league, but inevitably result in unintended scheduling errors when we try to revise in a day what took over a week to create.
2. League Wide Call – Since things are starting to settle back into a routine (I’ll refrain from saying getting back to “normal” since I have no idea when and if normal ever comes back), we will go back to having annual league wide calls instead of seasonal. I want to be respectful of everyone’s time and to the extent that something changes or needs reinforced you will see it in an email from me. And of course, if there are any questions or concerns with anything prior to, during or after our season, feel free to call or email me.
3. Off Season Play – I wanted to take the league's temperature on the possibility of getting our players some more touches in the off season. As a parent of a player and a coach, the single best thing I have ever done for my players’ development is to sign them up for an indoor soccer league or futsal league over the winter. Not only do they get the continuity of play cutting back on the “rust” factor”, but both versions of soccer are extremely fast paced and emphasize quick decision making and quick passes and control. Things that are critical to youth development. We have two opportunities this season for some winter games that I wanted to gauge interest in, they are as follows:
a. Indoor League Play at Tri-County Soccer and Sports Center in Freedom, Pa. This opportunity was brought to us by our friends at St. Peter’s and Paul. Tri-County has an indoor league that plays very similar to outdoor soccer (with a few exceptions such as the field is smaller, the ball is heavier, the field is turf and fast and there are boards on the boundary (similar to ice hockey) where the ball can bounce off of and remain in play). All three of my kids have played at Tri-County over the past 10 years (and my first grader is playing there now) and it's a great venue to get some touches. Tri-County is willing to work with us and have a Diocese League Play where our teams will play one another which will allow us to play by grade instead of birth year. They can carve some time out for us on Sundays to play. This league plays 6v6 (including a keeper; recommended team size is between 8 and 11), starts January 21, last 12 weeks, and costs $1650 (all payments would go to Tri-County directly, they run the show, we are just helping put something together so our kids can get touches). If you are interested in this opportunity I’d need to know by Friday, December 24 and I’d need you to tell me what grades are interested. Tentatively I am thinking we’d start with the following brackets: Varsity League and JV, but if there is interest at the 1/2 and/or 3/4 grade levels I am happy to try to put those leagues together. We’d need a minimum of 4 teams per bracket for such a bracket to be viable. Also, our leagues would be co-ed, similar to how we do it in the fall and spring (but if this takes off and we have the numbers, I’m not opposed to doing a separate boys team and girls team in the future).
b. Futsal Tournament. While I enjoy indoor soccer, I really do love futsal. For those not familiar, it is typically played on a basketball court with a smaller and heavier ball and even more so than indoor, speed, precision and passing are absolutely critical. There are no “boards” like indoor soccer can have, so the ball can and will go out of bounds which results in a kick in (as opposed to a throw in). We are working with Total Futsal to get a Catholic Schools League Tournament in place this year and hopefully by next season, having a winter league as well. Game format would likely consist of at least three 18 minute games with opportunity to advance to semi-finals and/or finals. Venue and date are still to be determined (but we are looking at PISA in Cheswick PA on January 15-16 as a possibility). Cost is also to be determined but it would likely be in the $150-$250 range per team, which would cover court fees, ref fees, and medals and/or trophies). This league would play 5v5 (including a keeper; recommended team size would be between 7 and 9). If you are interested in this opportunity I’d need to know by Sunday, December 19 and I’d need you to tell me what grades are interested. This opportunity would be available for teams in the following brackets – 1/2, 3/4, JV, Varsity. We’d need a minimum of 4 teams per bracket for such a bracket to be viable. Also, our leagues would be co-ed, similar to how we do it in the fall and spring (but if this takes off and we have the numbers, I’m not opposed to doing a separate boys team and girls team in the future).
Schools have the ability to do either or both of the above opportnities and if there is interest in both I’ll gladly coordinate getting our schools entered. Also for both opportunities, I know different coaches have taken different positions on how to approach these off season opportunities. I have seen teams have weekly or twice weekly practices and then a game each week. I have seen teams have no practices and just roll in for games. All are fine. My personal recommendation is to have just one or two practices prior to your first game where you can get the kids used to the speed of play and to go over any differences in format from outdoor soccer. My view is that this is the offseason and it should be an enjoyable opportunity to play the game and keep the rust off, plus many of our players have other winter sports commitments such as basketball, hockey, wrestling, club soccer, etc. As a coach, I was less focussed on wins and losses and more concerned that the kids get touches and keep their skills sharp for the spring. I’ll defer to each school on how they want to address their approach, but for those that are concerned with conflicts with other winter sports, sometimes less is more.
That's all I have, feel free to reach out to me with any questions and if I do not speak with you beforehand, have a merry Christmas.
Regards,
Rob Glentzer