Westchester Youth Soccer League

03/31/2010 11:26 AM

WYSL College Scholarship Application- June 2012

05/17/2012 10:34 AM

The WYSL Board of Directors has established a scholarship fund for graduating seniors who have participated in the WYSL for at least 5 seasons. In order to be considered, you must have a minimum overall grade point average of 80 and you must anticipate attending college or trade school. In addition, consideration will be given to the well-rounded candidate who has participated in voluntary and/or community service, as well as financial need.

The fund this year will distribute:

2 (two) $1,500 Modell's Scholarship Awards and 3 (three) $1,000 WYSL Scholarship Awards

Applications are due in the WYSL office by June 10.

PLEASE CLICK HERE FOR DETAILS

12/19/2009 04:54 PM

The FC Somers Soccer Club has developed the following program, which they shared with all WYSL clubs at the end of season meeting.

GOING GREEN FOR THE TEAM

In an effort to do our part in promoting the idea of “going green for the team,” we ask that families take part in the following important initiatives during the season.

CARPOOLING is an important concept for several reasons:

• Saves gas: Before the away games, if each team meets at a central location and piles into a few cars, this will really make a difference. Saving gas not only helps the environment but also helps our wallets.

• Builds team spirit: Team members and their parents can get to know each other better which leads to a more enjoyable season and experience for everyone.

• Team members all arrive at games at the same time: Even if people don’t have room in their cars for extra passengers, we ask that you still participate in this activity. In this way, everyone meets and drives to the games together so that no one gets lost and everyone arrives on time, as a team.

COLLECTING USED SPORTS EQUIPMENT provides many benefits. By donating used equipment, your contributions make a difference in so many ways.

• Throwing old equipment away will fill up our landfills: Don’t throw out old sports equipment! Clean out your garage and recycle all the old equipment that your children have outgrown.

• All your donations will benefit children far less fortunate that ours: This is a good way to help other children in need, and it doesn’t cost you anything.

Acceptable items to donate include equipment from any sport ranging from bats, balls and ice skates to soccer, tennis and anything else you might think of. Please also include any uniforms, shin-guards, helmets etc. that your children can no longer wear.

REUSABLE WATER BOTTLES: continue using reusable bottles for games and practices. If you must use a plastic single use water bottle, bring it home and recycle it properly.

EDSL Westchester Division for: WOMEN’S and MEN’S U23 TEAMS

05/17/2012 11:03 AM

It gives us great pleasure to announce a new Westchester U-23 Division for both Men and Women. Players must be born after August 1st 1988.

• The season will begin the first week of June, 2012 and end by late July, 2012.

• Teams may roster as many as 30 players but must have at least 18 to be accepted.

• Team Registration is $150. This is due on or before May 22, 2012 and must be submitted to reserve a place for each team. This fee is non-refundable.

• Player Registration is $45 per player. Players must be registered not later than May 31, 2012.

• Players will be given the Registration link by their coach/team manager.

• The season will consist of approx. 10 matches played evenings/Sundays. Teams would need to secure a field for their 4-5 home games

• Matches will use a three official system. Fees are $70 for the referee and $40 for each Assistant or $ 150 total per match. Each team will pay half the fees on the field

• Teams are welcome from all of Westchester and Rockland counties.

• To register your team, please make your check payable to: EDSL

Mail to: Westchester - U23 League, 71 North Avenue, New Rochelle, NY 10801. Please indicate your Club and Team names, your name, email & phone.

This is a great opportunity for the players who have grown up in our youth programs to continue playing while home for the summer either by forming a team again from their community or for the individual players looking for a team to join to play with while home this summer. If you have additional questions, please contact: peter.pinori@kraftfoods.com or 646-302-3838

Metro-League Rules -Spring 2012

04/19/2012 03:57 PM

CLICK HERE FOR METRO LEAGUE - SPRING 2012 RULES

SILENT SUNDAY

04/27/2012 12:26 PM

Silent Sunday

Goals of Silent Sunday:

1. To emphasize that soccer is a “players’ game”.

2. To permit players to talk to each other on the field, free of sideline distractions.

3. To foster independent thinking of our players, letting the game be the teacher.

4. To support our youth referees by eliminating sideline interference and dissension.

Coaches:

Please limit your coaching instructions to a minimum, shouting out tactical instructions only when absolutely necessary. For this day, let your players make their own decisions. Speak privately to individual players on the sidelines. Where possible communicate to the field through substitutions.

Players:

Have fun and enjoy the freedom.

Parents:

Please participate. Avoid comments that can be heard by the players, referees or opponents. When a goal is score please subdue your reaction to a low-key applause.

Referees:

We hope that this weekend affords you a more respected and congenial refereeing experience, without facing any critical commentary from coaches, players or spectators. You should be free to concentrate on executing a fair game. We have not set up rules and penalties you must enforce. We are not asking you to be an enforcer of our requested sideline silence. No yellow or red cards should be issued for non-compliance. We hope that our teams and you will extract cooperation among their peers.

Implementation:

This will be a voluntary program. There will be no yellow or red cards issued for non-compliance. This is a chance to see things differently, reflect on our actions, self-educate and come back to contribute in a new positive way. It is all up to us.... let’s do it.

Jurgen Klinsmann at the 2012 US Youth Soccer Workshop

03/19/2012 02:48 PM

CLICK HERE TO VIEW VIDEO

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V88kRoQp_1o&feature=youtube_gdata_player

Spring 2012 Registration Letter

11/18/2011 01:30 PM

Date: November 17, 2011

To: All Registrars

Re: Spring 2012 Registration – Due Jan 3 – Jan 11, 2012

WYSL will be fielding Girls and Boys U9-U19 in the Spring 2012 season.

BOYS & GIRLS: U14 - U19: 11 V 11, 11 roster min., 22 max, State Cup teams included.

U12 - U13: 11 V 11, 11 roster min., 18 max., for State Cup teams,

(teams in D3 or lower, not playing State Cup, 22 max)

U11: 9 V 9, 9 roster min., 16 max., for State Cup teams,

(teams in D3 or lower, not playing State Cup, 18 max)

U9 & U10: 8 V 8, 8 roster min., 14 max

U19 (Born 8/1/92 to 7/31/93)

U18 (Born 8/1/93 to 7/31/94)

U17 (Born 8/1/94 to 7/31/95)

U16 (Born 8/1/95 to 7/31/96)

U15 (Born 8/1/96 to 7/31/97)

U14 (Born 8/1/97 to 7/31/98)

U13 (Born 8/1/98 to 7/31/99)

U12 (Born 8/1/99 to 7/31/00)

U11 (Born 8/1/00 to 7/31/01)

U10 (Born 8/1/01 to 7/31/02

U09 (Born 8/1/02 to 7/31/03)

Final groupings will be dependent upon number of teams entered and determined by the League Seeding Committee. Season begins April 1^st and ends June 17^th, no games April 8 and May 27.

2 Season Team Rates 1 Season Team Rates

U9 - U11 $1,050 U9 - U11 $ 760

U12 - U14 $1,200 U12 - U14 $ 910

HS (U15-U19)$1,260 HS (U15-U19) $ 970

WYSL Registered Teams Playing out of League and in Tri-League : $ 600

Registration: January 2-11, 2012

Call no later than December 16th to schedule an appointment in the WYSL office. Registration can also be done by mail, provided that a team list and seeding summary is included, and birthdates are highlighted. Keep copies of list and summary for a followup seeding phonecall.

IMPORTANT: Please encourage all of your players to register themselves and upload their photos. In the event that they are unable to do so, the person registering them must register as the player, creating an account for that player and input all of their correct player information i.e. address, phone, e-mail address, etc.

The following must be presented on or before Registration appointment:

Alphabetical Team List: E-mail me an alphabetized (by team name) list of your teams with 4 columns: 1. Sex/age 2. Team name 3. If they are a combo team, which teams combined to form it 4. What season(s) they will play.

At bottom, list the teams that are not returning from the Fall 2011 season, and which teams have disbanded. Please e-mail this list to me prior to your registration appointment (ldargenio@wyslsoccer.org).

Registration Fees/Fines: Team fees andany outstanding forfeit fees or fines owed by your club must be paid at this time, checks made payable to WYSL.

Club Admin page: Club contacts are entered online on the club field/info section of club page. Please supply names, cell & work phone numbers, and e-mails for the following: President, Registrar/commissioner, field contact, referee coordinator, score reporter (and Rec administrator if applicable.) Print out page when completed and bring with you to appointment. This serves as the new “Officers” form for the League.

Seedings: Print all of your seeding forms or have a summary sheet of what your teams want for your registration appt. Sort them starting with boys, youngest to oldest, then girls, youngest to oldest, highest to lowest divisions. (If more than one in an age group, highest division goes first.)

Birth Certificates: Birth certificates are to be grouped by teams in alphabetical order by last name of player within each team, and then the team’s birth certificates placed in alphabetical order by team name. Teams will be gone through alphabetically, A-Z.

Passes: Any passes to be stickered (teams returning from last spring) or turned in (passes of players that are no longer playing.)

New Passes: There will be no more “on demand, on-the-spot” passes made. Pass information must be submitted three (3) days in advance of pass pick-up/delivery.

Transfers: Transfer materials, if applicable (transfer is from one club/league to another, not intra-club.)

TO DO LIST:

Field Information: Update your field information on the club Field Info Section of Club page. Each club will enter and keep current its field information as “permits” in the CLUB Field Info section of the club page on the wyslsoccer.org website and Manage Field Permits.

Club Field Directions: These directions are designed for coaches and parents to be able to find fields alphabetically at www.wyslsoccer.org. Club President/designee should review the field directions on the WYSL website and revise them if you have added a new field and e-mail any changes to aolcese@wyslsoccer.org.

One full-day field is required for every six teams playing on that size field. (Preferably noon to dark for small sided and 9 to dark for full sided.) Get as much field time as you can for the WYSL to use in scheduling. Unused time can be returned to the community or other groups after the schedule is final. Field time needed for games is: U9/10 - 1:15, U11/12 - 1:30, U13/14 - 1:45, U15+: 2 hours.

All available fields and times for Sunday will need a permit. As examples, permits for all the Spring 2011 fields will be on the web site by June 1. Those permits can be used as templates or cloned for a new season. Permits must be entered as early as possible and at least 6 weeks before the start of the season. Use preliminary information if that’s all that you have and correct it as early as possible. Instructions for permits are on the website.

Special team requests: Send all team or club special schedule requests or coach coordination requests by email to the WYSL Scheduler (terrybenson@nyc.rr.com) as early as possible and preferably before the scheduling (5 weeks before the start of the season). Any request made after the preliminary schedule is sent out will not be accepted. Each request must include: Club / Team Name / Age Group / Request / and, for coach coordinations, coach name. DO NOT PUT SPECIAL REQUESTS ON THE APPLICATION/SEEDING FORM!

The league only coordinates games for a head coach of two WYSL teams. We do not coordinate for co-head coaches, trainers, assistant coaches, or club officials. Coaches may not be head coach for more than two WYSL teams playing in the league.

Co-insured Form: All insurance certificates previously requested by clubs have been automatically generated and e-mailed to the president of that club late August. If the president’s e-mail address has changed, please let the League know. It is suggested that clubs get an e-mail address that will not change over the years (i.e. PO Box). The Certificates of Insurance are good for one year. If there is a new facility, please enter the formal name of new facility on the Certificate of Insurance request form and e-mail.

Application/Seeding Request Form : All teams must fill out an online application/seeding request form to provide information to the WYSL Seeding Committee, listing two different contacts. The information that is submitted on the Application/Seeding Form will create the contacts on the Fall 2011 team page, which can be added to and revised by the authorized team reps. Team contacts may then access the team page by clicking upper right “team log-in” using their designated e-mail address and password. The start date to submit online seeding forms is December 5^th. Make sure all your teams submit one online and either print them or have a summary sheet.

· Passes: Passes must be turned in for returning high school teams and alphabetized on ring by last name A-Z, coaches in the back. Only those with pictures no older than two (2) years old will be stickered for the 2011-2012 soccer year. Please remove from ring all non-active passes to be placed in “dead” drawer. By Fall 2012 all photos must be uploaded – no more stickers!

New player(s): to the League must submit a birth certificate and upload a recent photo of themselves. Parents, coaches and club registrars will also have the ability to upload photos.All photos of new players/coaches must be uploaded and those sessions will then be submitted to League.

Transfers: players moving to different teams in different clubs are considered transfers in the spring season. Their old pass, completed transfer form and $50 must be submitted by club they are going to. Make sure they upload a recent photo and a new pass will be made.

New Coaches: New coaches should submit a copy of proof of licensing, if any. Only in the Fall Season is a New Coach allowed a temporary coaching pass; however, that coach is required to be licensed by the following spring season by taking the WYSL 8-hour certification (or equivalent) course and Orientation course, and by returning that temporary pass to his/her registrar along with uploading a picture in order to get a permanent coaching pass (no temporary passes will be allowed in spring season.) A coach may only be a temporary coach once.

· Risk Management: All coaches and managers, must register on line with Risk Management, a background check, by going to www.wyslsoccer.org, click on “Risk Management” and follow instructions. Risk management registration is good for two years. The Risk Management background check will cost $10 per coach, payable by credit card.

· How to update Club information: (Club officers, team pages, individual field directions) are on the WYSL website. Club President or president’s designee – (person with club administration rights) is responsible for updating club officers’ information and keeping individual field directions accurate for their club. Go to www.wyslsoccer.org. Go to “Clubs” on left- hand side of screen. In center of page find your club and go into club page. Right-hand top corner, “log in”. If it is the first time accessing this page, put email address in and leave password blank and press “first time user or forgot password” at bottom. A password will be emailed to you immediately- print it out and save it. This will be your password to access the Club Information Page where you can update all club information.

USSF "E" & "F" Courses - Queens & Poughkeepsie & Mahopac

03/01/2012 12:21 PM

USSF "E" License Course - Queens, NY 3/25/12

USSF "E" License Course - Poughkeepsie, NY 6/2/12

USSF "F" License Course - Mahopac Soccer Club 3/10/12

For all of the details, plese visit our website – www.enysoccer.com, click on Coaches Corner in the yellow toolbar and scroll down available courses.

WYSL Experimenting With a Smaller Ball For Teenage Girls

09/07/2011 04:17 PM

By Randy Vogt, Director of Public Relations, Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association

August 31, 2011-Soccer players in youth leagues up to and including theUnder-12 age group play with a size 4 ball. As the kids become teenagers, Under-13 games and older use a size 5 ball.

Yet the average girl does not grow to be nearly as tall or weigh as much as the average boy so is using a size 5 ball appropriate for girl’s and women’s games? That’s what a group in Denmark pondered and in 2008, the Danish Football Association gave permission to experiment with a size 4.5 ball (26.37" circumference) in Girls-Under-18 and women’s games.

Now that experiment has come to these shores as the Westchester Youth Soccer League (WYSL) of the Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association has been experimenting with a size 4.5 ball, dubbed the Sensational Soccer Ball, for girls players who have been using the 4 ball as they are graduating to the 5 ball as Under-13 players. A WYSL player originally from Denmark and living in Edgemont went back to Denmark, found out about the Sensational Soccer Ball and brought one back. The WYSL eventually purchased 300 balls.

"We had a Girls-Under-13 scrimmage game between the ODP team and the WYSL Select Team," commented WYSL President Julian DiDonato. "The game was a different game using the 4.5 ball. The game sped up and the ball was kicked further. It was girls soccer on steroids."

"But we asked the players after the scrimmage how they felt about the ball and most hated it as it felt different than playing with the 5 ball to them.So rather than taking a 5 ball away from players, we decided to experiment in practices and friendly games with the 4.5 ball as girls go from the 4 ball to the 5 ball," continued Mr. DiDonato.

In a small survey of 30 female soccer players conducted by the University of Koblenz-Landau in Germany, the poll found that 80% of those surveyed fund the Sensational Soccer Ball to be better to the Jabulani, the ball used in the 2010 men’s World Cup in South Africa. Only 17% found the Sensational Soccer Ball to be "a bit worse" and nobody found it "worse" or "much worse."

47% felt like better soccer players when using the Sensational Soccer Ball, 33% did not know and 20% disagreed. 66% thought it was more fun to play with the Sensational Soccer Ball, 27% did not know and only 7% disagreed. 60% wanted to continue using the Sensational Soccer Ball, 33% did not know and 7% wanted to go back to the Jabulani.

There is a question if the Sensational Soccer Ball can cut down on the rash of knee injuries of teenage girls and women soccer players.

"There are probably a multitude of reasons why girls have issues with meniscus tears and torn ACLs," Mr. DiDonato added. "Many knee injuries have occurred toward the end of soccer games, when players are fatigued. Could kicking a soccer ball heavier than what is meant for the female body be contributing to these injuries?"

For more information, please contact Angela Olcese of the WYSL at aolcese@wyslsoccer.org or 914-235-5110.

With 120,000 youth soccer players and more than 25,000 volunteers, the Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association stretches from Montauk Point, Long Island to the Canadian border. Members are affiliated with 12 leagues throughout the association, which covers the entire state of New York east of Route 81. ENYYSA exists to promote and enhance the game of soccer for children and teenagers between the ages of 5 and 19 years old, and to encourage the healthy development of youth players, coaches, referees and administrators. All levels of soccer are offered--from intramural, travel team and premier players as well as Special Children. No child who wants to play soccer is turned away. ENYYSA is a proud member of the United States Soccer Federation and United States Youth Soccer Association. For more information, please log on to http://www.enysoccer.com/, which receives nearly 300,000 hits annually from the growing soccer community.

(Attached is a questionnaire that WYSL players and coaches are completing this year after using the Sensational Soccer Ball.)

Please return questionnaire to Julian Didonato: WYSL, 71 North Avenue, New Rochelle, NY 10801

Heads Up - Concussion in Youth Sports

12/02/2011 11:53 AM

PLEASE CLICK HERE TO SEE INFORMATION

Coach Comment Form

07/29/2010 12:37 PM

Fill out my Wufoo form!

ENYYSA Insurance Coverage while attending Tournaments

09/24/2010 01:54 PM

There is no General Liability coverage when your teams attend non-sanctioned tournaments. Medical coverage for the player is still in effect for those situations. However, in the event of a claim, lawsuit, etc. alleging negligence on the part of ENYYSA, its leagues, clubs, etc., there is no coverage.

The recommendation is to be certain that your clubs have their teams attend sactioned tournaments as per the hosting agreement.

Please see complete information below for the letter from Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association

http://www.wyslsoccer.org/docs/Insurance%20Coverage.pdfiation

US Youth Soccer FUEL Magazine is here

09/10/2010 01:29 PM

US Youth Soccer is proud to announce the launch of a new magazine, US Youth Soccer FUEL Soccer. The magazine's primary focus is on the player and offers insights to parents and coaches alike. In addition to the high-quality print magazine, a free, digital version is available at www.USYouthSoccer.org/FUEL.

FUEL Soccer is an extension of the outstanding content provided by USYouthSoccer.org and The US Youth Soccer Show on Fox Soccer Channel with the magazine providing a core focus to elevate the knowledge and further conversations between players, parents and coaches. FUEL Soccer is the latest example of US Youth Soccer's commitment to the organization's more than 3 million players registered annually.

Why FUEL? Looking to stress the importance of education, FUEL magazine meets the needs of the player and offers an open door to increased communication between the player, parent and coach. From insightful articles following a player at the next level to inspirational stories of making it happen, FUEL encourages readers to further their knowledge and assists in how to accomplish their goals.

FUEL's valuable and relevant content hits the needs of what most youth players want and FUEL is a powerful response to the needs of the soccer community. FUEL Soccer features a modern design in a newsstand quality with features in the following areas: role models, nutrition, training, recruiting, downtime, education, prevention and more.

The premier issue is available to all attendees of the annual Youth Soccer Month Tour stops and youth soccer clubs can order bulk copies of FUEL online at www.USYouthSoccer.org/FUEL. Check out the digital magazine also at USYouthSoccer.org/FUEL.

# # #

About the United States Youth Soccer Association (US Youth Soccer) – US Youth Soccer - "The Game for ALL Kids!®" is the largest youth sports organization in the country and largest member of the United States Soccer Federation, the governing body of soccer in the United States. US Youth Soccer registers more than 3 million players annually, ages 5 to 19, and over 900,000 administrators, coaches and volunteers in 55 member State Associations. US Youth Soccer programs provide a fun, safe and healthy environment for players at every level of the game. For more information, visit www.USYouthSoccer.org.

Media Request: When referring to the United States Youth Soccer Association, the largest youth sports organization in the United States, please refer to the association only as US Youth Soccer, and never as USYS or USYSA. We appreciate your cooperation.

Former WYSL players in World Cup - USA-Algeria Game

07/05/2010 11:19 AM

Two former WYSL players, Edson Buddle and Benny Feilhaber, with Landon Donovan on the field in the World Cup USA-Algeria game.

"Ten Reasons for Not Coaching the Player in Possession"

07/17/2009 10:19 AM

Please click here for article

Improving soccer skills on your own, by Claudio Reyna

05/10/2010 12:28 PM

Improving skills on your own

by Claudio Reyna, Soccer America, April 28th, 2010

A player can always improve his fitness by working out hard. He can comprehend certain tactics by studying the game. But how far he goes will be determined mainly by how well he has mastered ball skills. Those are acquired by playing, day after day, year after year.

A player who really wants to excel will spend as much time as possible playing small-sided games when he has playmates, and juggling and kicking against the wall when he's on his own.

I spent a lot of time hitting the ball against the side of the house when I was a growing up. If my mother complained about the noise, I'd hop down the retaining wall at the end of our property to the office-building parking lot.

I'd use that wall -- hitting the ball with both feet, seeing how long I could return the wall's passes without losing control. I found out later that so many pros spent lots of their childhood doing that.

Dennis Bergkamp, the great Dutch striker who scored and set up hundreds of goals for Ajax Amsterdam, Arsenal, and the Dutch national team, said that when he was a youth player at Ajax, they had little three-foot-high walls. He would knock the ball against the walls for hours. Every time he hit the ball, he'd know whether it was a good touch or a bad touch. He'd do it over and over, trying to establish a rhythm.

Whenever I saw Bergkamp slotting a perfectly placed ball past a goalkeeper or making a precise pass, I thought of him practicing against the wall.

Kicking against the wall is an excellent way to work on improving your weaker foot. You can back up and practice shots on goal, or move close to the wall and work on passing, because where there's a wall, there's a teammate.

You can practice trapping and work on your first touch by controlling the ball before you kick it, or hit it back first time.

Passing the ball against a wall from close distance takes timing and coordination. Hit the ball faster, and you've got to react faster and get a rhythm going. It almost feels like you're dancing.

Practicing the correct striking of the ball over and over helps it become second nature. It has to be, because in a game a player doesn't have time to think about his form or approach. Under pressure, everything is more difficult. Mastering technique while playing on your own is the first step to being able to do it right in a game.

(Excerpted from "More Than Goals: The Journey from Backyard Games to World Cup Competition" by Claudio Reyna, courtesy of Human Kinetics.)

(Claudio Reyna was named the U.S. Soccer Federations's Youth Technical Director in April 2010. Reyna played nearly 13 years in the top-tier leagues of Germany (Bayer Leverkusen, VfL Wolfsburg), Scotland (Glasgow Rangers) and England (Sunderland, Manchester City). He represented the USA in four World Cups, and captained the Americans to a quarterfinal run at the 2002 World Cup, where he became the first American selected to the FIFA World Cup all-star team.)

Specialize in One Sport? See USYSA Executive Director's Opinion

06/08/2010 09:24 AM

Specialize in One Sport?

Adjust font size:

Jun 1 2010, 12:00 AM

Topic: Coaching Education

The executive director for US Youth Soccer, Jim Cosgrove, was interviewed for an article for the May issue of SportsEvents Magazine on the issue of kids specializing in one sport -- and sometimes a single position – at a very young age (8-13). I think you’ll be interested in the questions and comments.

1. Are you seeing a lot of kids specializing in one sport at an early age? If so, has this been increasing, decreasing or stayed about the same over the past few years?

JC: Yes there are children being asked to specialize in one sport and even one position early in their careers. My educated estimation is that the number of kids specializing early has increased over the last five years as participation in youth sports has increased over that time.

2. If you are seeing this trend, why do you think it is happening?

JC: The trend occurs because parents and/or coaches believe it will accelerate the youngster’s development. They use examples from individual sports such as golf or gymnastics where early specialization can be appropriate and they apply that model to team sports. All team sports are classified as long-term development sports, so children should not specialize in only one sport until perhaps the late teenage years.

3. What do you consider to be the pros and cons of early specialization in sports?

JC: I cannot think of any pros to early specialization. The cons include poor athletic development, over-use injuries, emotional exhaustion and psychosocial burn-out. The too much-too soon syndrome also causes a jaded attitude toward the sport to develop by the mid to late teens.

4. At what age is specialization a good thing?

JC: Sports specialize too early in an attempt to attract and retain participants. 17-years-old and beyond is appropriate for specialization in a single sport. For soccer, position versatility is still important even at this age and especially for field players.

5. Can you provide some common sense recommendations to parents (and kids) who may believe that by focusing on one sport at a young age they will get college scholarships or become professional athletes?

JC: Approximately 2% of youth soccer players will earn a college scholarship to play soccer. Let your child play soccer to his or her content without an expectation for the big payoff of an athletic scholarship – there’s much more money available for academic scholarships than athletic ones.

In conclusion, sports can be classified as either early or late specialization. Early specialization sports include artistic and acrobatic sports such as gymnastics, diving, and figure skating. These differ from late specialization sports in that very complex skills are learned before maturation since they cannot be fully mastered if taught after maturation.

Most other sports are late specialization sports. However, all sports should be individually analyzed using international and national normative data to decide whether they are early or late specialization. If physical literacy is acquired before maturation, athletes can select a late specialization sport when they are between the ages of 12 and 15 and have the potential to rise to international stardom in that sport.

Specializing before the age of 10 in late specialization sports contributes to:

• One-sided, sport-specific preparation

• Lack of ABC’s, the basic movement and sports skills

• Overuse injuries

• Early burnout

• Early retirement from training and competition

For late specialization sports, specialization before age 10 is not recommended since it contributes to early burnout, dropout and retirement from training and competition (Harsanyi, 1985).

FC Somers develops "GOING GREEN FOR THE TEAM" Program

12/04/2009 06:08 PM

FC Somers Soccer Club developed this program, which they shared with all the WYSL clubs at the end of season meeting.

GOING GREEN FOR THE TEAM

In an effort to do our part in promoting the idea of “going green for the team”, the FC Somers Soccer Club is asking that during the season, families take part in the following important initiatives.

CARPOOLING:

Saves gas: Before the away games, if each team meets at a central location and piles into a few cars, this will really make a difference. Saving gas not only helps the environment but also helps our wallets.

Builds team spirit: Team members and their parents can get to know each other better which leads to a more enjoyable season and experience for everyone.

Team members all arrive at games at the same time: Even if people don’t have room in their cars for extra passengers, we ask that you still participate in this activity. In this way, everyone meets and drives to the games together so that no one gets lost and everyone arrives on time, as a team.

REUSABLE WATER BOTTLES:

Continue using reusable bottles for game and practices. If you must use a single use plastic water bottle, bring it home from the field and recycle it properly.

COLLECTING USED SPORTS EQUIPMENT:

Throwing old equipment away will fill up our landfills: Don’t throw out old sports equipment! Clean out your garage and recycle all the old equipment that your children have outgrown.

All your donations will benefit children far less fortunate that ours: This is a good way to help other children in need, and it doesn’t cost you anything.

Used Soccer Gear Needed for NYC Programs

12/12/2009 12:24 PM

The Uptown Soccer Academy, a new organization that has joined the WYSL as a recreational soccer club, has begun teaching soccer after school in the Washington Heights and Inwood sections of Manhattan. Their program, which is offered free to children in these communities, is in need of of "gently used" soccer gear such as cleats, shinguards, socks, balls and other equipment. If any clubs, teams or players are looking for a community service project, a soccer gear collection effort for this new program would be welcome. For more information, visit Uptown Soccer Academy at http://s2.webstarts.com/uptownsoccer/ or email UptownSoccer@gmail.com.

The Claudio Reyna Foundation, a non-profit organization founded by soccer legend Claudio Reyna, has begun teaching soccer after school in numerous locations in the Metropolitan Area:

Bronx: St. Mary’s Park Recreation Center

Brooklyn: Hebrew Educational Society and Excellence Boys Charter School

Manhattan: Highbridge Park Recreation Center and Boys and Girls Harbor

Newark: St. Benedict’s Prep and Academy Charter School of Newark

Queens: Flushing Meadow Corona Park

Children in these programs attend free of charge, and are in need of indoor soccer shoes, cleats and shinguards. If any clubs, teams or players are looking for a community service project, a soccer gear collection program would be welcome. For more information, visit www.claudioreynafoundation.org.

Maintaining Soccer Opportunities for Kids During Tough Times

03/19/2009 09:02 AM

As the economy slides into a pretty severe recession, it is clear that a number of families face financial challenges that were not present over the past several years. In order to help keep soccer available for the kids in our communities, the WYSL has asked its club leaders and coaches to offer suggestions on how to keep soccer affordable during tough economic times. Here is a preliminary list of suggestions to either reduce costs or raise revenues:

Team level Require basic uniforms, not extras (warm-ups, 2nd jerseys, duffel bags, etc)

Suggestions Bulk purchase uniforms and equipment through club

No player names on uniforms in order to recycle/reuse them

Use outdoor turf fields as substitute for indoor rentals in early spring

Review balance between paid trainers/paid coaches vs volunteer coaches

Review rates paid for trainers and coaches

Local tournaments vs distant tournaments with overnight hotel stays

Team level fundraising, events and promotions, and individual donations from families

Team level scholarships for players in need

Maintain full rosters to reduce costs per family

Team carpooling to reduce travel expenses

Club level Create Fundraising Committee at Club Level

Suggestions Club fundraising efforts (Fundraising Banquet / Silent Auction, Golf Outing)

Use Internet-based fundraising methods

Club level sponsorships- uniform logos, field banners, website ads, local soccer shops

Dining to donate events

Formal club level Scholarship Program (with Board of Directors oversight)

Buy balls and gear in bulk for all club teams to reduce equipment costs

Competitively bid uniform, ball and equipment purchases if orders are large enough

Extend uniform cycle from 2 years to 3 years

Order reversible jerseys to avoid having to buy a 2^nd set (rec, travel)

Use 501(c)3 status to avoid sales taxes on uniform and equipment purchases

Club level uniform and equipment recycling/passback programs

Two or more Clubs could combine their uniform orders- greater volume discounts

Review mix of paid trainers/paid coaches vs volunteers

Consider limits on indoor practices and paid trainer practices (reduce the “arms race”)

Hosting Tournaments as fundraisers (box soccer for rec players, travel tournaments)

Fewer club winter indoor programs, reduce gym rentals

Offer players paid opportunities- field lining, tournament helpers, trainers for younger teams

Offer payment plans to families (ie, pay club quarterly, not all upfront)

Encourage teams to maintain full rosters to reduce costs per family

Work with local soccer shop to create special “club sales days” – buy excess inventory cheap

Stay close to School and Rec facilities personnel to maintain low cost access to fields

League level Identify fundraising ideas on web site- educate clubs about opportunities

Suggestions Promote Member Club fundraising events (tournaments, camps)

Develop active sponsorship program (uniform companies, soccer camps, etc)

Create Fundraising Committee at League Board

Earmark a percentage of Select Program revenues to scholarships

More website ad sponsorships

Encourage carpooling to away games

Promote referee job opportunities as "work-study" program for players needing financial aid

Reduce the "burdens" of playing in the WYSL (registration process? make-up games?)

ENYYSA level Scale back State ODP into the League Select Programs, reduce travel distances

Suggestions Reduce costs and "burdens" of Premier Leagues (long distance travel, hotels, etc)

Take advantage of ENYYSA offer to provide free coach education courses for Rec coaches

State Cup will be eliminated for U-11s next year (already decided by ENYYSA)

Reduce Risk Management compliance costs

Renegotiate rates for insurance, passing savings back to leagues and families

December 6, 2008