Piedmont Soccer Club, Piedmont CA

HIGHLANDERS TRYOUTS

Tryouts for the 2010 Piedmont Youth Soccer Club (PYSC) Highlanders boys and girls teams for all age groups are coming up this Spring! Attendance is required for a player to be considered to play on a Highlander team. Candidates are expected to attend both sessions. Please verify the schedule at this site. Although unlikely, last minute changes might become necessary. In the event of rain, please look for updates at our homepage, www.piedmontsoccer.org.

If the player has not completed the registration form in advance, please arrive 20 minutes before the tryout on the first day to register. Please note that a player will not be allowed to try out if they do not provide a signed medical by one of their parents.

In the event of illness, injury, or an unavoidable conflict which prevents your child from attending the tryouts, please notify the coach and the Class 3 coordinator (email class3rep@piedmontsoccer.org) in advance of the tryouts. If the team has not been filled at the tryouts, the coach may, subject to approval by the Class 3 coordinator, evaluate a player outside of the tryouts.

Shin guards are mandatory. Players not wearing shin guards will not be allowed to participate. Cleats are recommended. Players not wearing cleats will be at a competitive disadvantage. Bring water.

Unless otherwise stated, all the sessions are held at the Alameda Point Fields.

24-7 UK Soccer Academy conducts the tryouts. The evaluators, including the Head Coach, and 24-7 UK Soccer Academy trainers, select the players. The criteria influencing player selection include:

Skill

Competitive Desire

Athleticism

Attitude

"Coachability"

Commitment

Highlanders Teams

The Highlander teams are intended for the player who is looking for a higher level of competition and who is willing to make a larger commitment to soccer. These teams provide the opportunity to receive professional training, practice more often and play against the better teams in the area. The focus of the Highlander teams is the fall season. Some teams participate in winter and spring activities in addition to the fall season but the Highlander program is not intended to be a year-round program.

The Piedmont Youth Soccer Club’s (PYSC) Class 3 program is designed to provide competitive play at a level between Class IV (recreational) and Class I (most competitive) soccer.

Teams are selected in March for the fall season, based on tryouts that are held in March.

Teams start summer practices in June .Once school starts in the Fall, teams practice twice a week. Players are required to attend both practices every week. One practice is typically at Alameda Point and one practice is at a field in town. The Fall season typically runs from early September to early November.

PYSC Class 3 teams compete with other Class 3 teams in the CYSA District 4 Competitive League. District 4 encompasses Southern Alameda County up to Benicia. PYSC Class 3 teams play approximately 10 regular league games. Usually, games will be played on Saturday although two or three times during the season, games will also be played on Sunday. In addition, most PYSC Class 3 teams may compete in two tournaments during weekends when there are no league games.

PYSC Class 3 players are expected to demonstrate a strong commitment to their team through consistent attendance at practices and games. Any player, with activities that may conflict with attending practices and games, should discuss this with the Head Coach before the team is selected.

For the U9 - U14 age groups, PYSC normally fields "age pure" teams. "Age pure" means that players play on teams with players of the same age. Our U16 and U19 teams blend players of several years to form teams. Playing up requests will be considered on an individual basis. Please see our Playing Up policy club policies.

The head coach, who is almost always a parent of a player and coaches on a volunteer basis, is required to have a CYSA "E" license. If PYSC is unable to field a volunteer head coach, then a professional head coach will be assigned to the team at additional cost borne by the players. Each Highlanders team will have a professional trainer from 24-7 UK Soccer Academy.. The professional trainer leads one of the practices each week.

PYSC Class 3 teams participate in the California Youth Soccer Association’s (CYSA) Division/Class 3 program. Players are selected by the Head Coach in consultation with PYSC’s professional trainers, 24-7 UK Soccer Academy, at mandatory tryouts held each spring. In 2009, tryouts will be administered by 24-7 UK Soccer Academy. Teams start practicing in the summer and once school starts, practice twice a week . The Class 3 Fall season typically runs from early September to early November.

Class 3 Parental Support Obligations

In addition to the Head Coach, there are a number of activities that are necessary to support the team and provide the players with a great season:

Assistant Coaches - Players’ abilities to improve directly correlates to the quality and attentiveness of coaching support. To provide that, each team must have at least one assistant coach. A CYSA "F" license is required. Assistant coaches are recruited by the head coach(es).

Volunteer Coaches - In addition to the assistant coaches, parents may be asked to help at practice, again to provide the players with the best environment to develop their skills. Also, a volunteer student coach from the Piedmont High School soccer team may be arranged.

Team Manager - The team manager coordinates most if not all administrative matters necessary for the team so that the coaches can concentrate on coaching. Examples include communicating with CYSA District 4 on administrative matters, ensuring the team is properly registered with CYSA District 4 (the deadline is May 1), coordinating car pools, answering scheduling - related questions from team parents, ensuring the team is properly registered for tournaments, etc.

Referee Requirement - Each Class 3 team in District 4 must provide two (2) referees who commit to reffing at least six (6) games during the fall season. For class 4 (Scots), one (1) referee is required. To comply, each referee obtains a license that requires attendance at a referee course and passing a test. The referees ensure that the rules are followed and that players play in as safe an environment as can be expected. Youth referees can satisfy this requirement. Teams that do not fulfill this requirement are not permitted to enter tournaments. Contact referee@piedmontsoccer.org for further information about referee courses.

Positive Coaching Alliance (PCA) Requirement - PYSC fully endorses PCA principles. All parents are encouraged to attend a PCA workshop. Coaches are required to attend PCA.

For additional questions, please contact the PYSC Class 3 Coodinator at class3rep@piedmontsoccer.org

District IV Competitive League Rules (MS Word)