Club/Competitive Program Information

THE COACH

- All coaches are USSF licensed and dedicated to assisting youth players pursue their passion for the game of soccer. Some of our coaches have had very distinguished playing and coaching careers.
- Coaches are expected to serve as teachers and leaders whose attitudes and behavior will set the tone for the players and the sideline.
- In addition to the above applicable standards, coaches are expected to:
- Set high standards for their players’ conduct and attendance as well as their own conduct and attendance
- Treat all players honestly, fairly and with respect
- Be committed to help all players reach their maximum potential
- Refrain from releasing players from the team during a soccer season unless it is for disciplinary reasons or non-payment of team dues and fees
- Conduct themselves as positive role models and display appropriate behavior at all team and club functions
- Be responsible for the conduct of the team on and off the field when the team is together as part of a team event
- Conform to the rules established by the team and the club

TRYOUTS

- Club/Team tryouts will be held annually and are open to all players who meet age requirements for teams in question (e.g. teams with openings). Selections will be based on technical ability first, then attitude, commitment, and willingness to be coached.
- In addition to annual scheduled tryouts, potential players may be asked to tryout for teams during nonscheduled tryout events to fill roster openings. This will be by invitation only and coaches will make final decisions based on available position and talent.
- The coach, with the assistance of the DOCs will have reviewed, in depth, the qualities of all players and selected those who show the most promise for a successful team. Skills and technical ability, speed, agility, endurance and decision making are all important components of the selection process, as are commitment and coachability.
- We encourage all coaches to follow the progress of each player.

NUMBER OF TEAMS

- Anaheim Futbol Club will field boys and girls teams in the local gaming circuit — Coast Soccer League.
- Coast Soccer League allows clubs to field three teams per age group per gender from U9 to U19 and it is our goal to field the maximum number of teams.

AYSO/RECREATIONAL (U9-U11)

- Players are encouraged to play as often as possible, as the game is after all, the best teacher. Therefore, players are permitted to participate in AYSO and/or recreational leagues when they join Anaheim Futbol Club but only between U9 and U11 age groups. Players are not permitted to miss any Anaheim Futbol Club training sessions or games due to playing outside of the club. Players are subject to suspension if this rule is not followed.

PLAYER DEDICATION (U12-U19)

- For under 12 and older teams, we expect our players to be 100% dedicated to their Anaheim Futbol Club team, and therefore insist that those players no longer continue to play in AYSO, Recreational and other leagues, in order to avoid overplaying, burn out and/or injury.

COAST SOCCER LEAGUE

- The Coast Soccer League is the largest league in the nation in membership with over 2,100 teams featuring over 30,000 players that compete in over 15,000 games on 540 fields throughout Southern California.
- Coast Soccer League is a state, regional and national leader in the competitive youth soccer landscape. With more than 170 clubs and 2,100 teams covering the 330 miles from San Luis Obispo to the U.S. — Mexico border, Coast Soccer League has drawn praise from soccer organizations both inside and outside the United States. In particular, Coast Soccer League has focused on club and player development, corporate partnerships that provide direct benefits to Coast Soccer League members, and the use of technology to organize programs and promote Coast Soccer League players. There are currently four bracketing levels of competition for U9 through U15, namely, Gold, Silver Elite, Silver and Bronze levels. This ground up philosophy has resulted in several programs that set new standards for league organization and player development in the United States. These include Coast Soccer League Premier, an invitation only league for top boys and girls teams in the U16, U17 and U19 age levels.

STATE AND NATIONAL CUP

- While it is great fun for the players, we place minimal importance on the results of preparation tournaments. However, we do emphasize the need for our teams to win State and National Cup tournaments.
- State and National Cup is a California State Soccer Association (Cal South) sanctioned event that begins in February for younger teams and April for older teams. Winning an age group leads to inclusion and participation in a Regional championship tournament held in mid June, followed by a National competition in mid July.
- At the younger ages in general there is an effort to give every player roughly equal playing time, particularly during tournaments and league play, though this may not be the case if a player does not satisfy practice attendance and effort expectations. However, at State and National Cup, it is possible that only the starting eleven will see considerable playing time. State and National Cup is the culmination of a year’s hard work and effort. We acknowledge that players may be disappointed as a result of this policy. Players and parents should not be surprised by the different approach toward playing time at State and National Cups.

COACH EVALUATION

- Prior to or during the December break, the club asks players and parents to participate in a coach's evaluation. The sources of input are confidential and we encourage parents and players to participate as this is a critical way for Anaheim Futbol Club to improve our coaching staff. This gives the DOCs an opportunity to analyze players’ and parents’ satisfaction with their coaches. These evaluations are a factor in determining whether a coach will be retained with the team and/or club.

PLAYER EVALUATION

- The player evaluation is a formal communication between the player and the coach. The club provides coaches with some guidelines to follow suggesting that more information provided in a thoughtful manner is best, but as with most communications, coaches may approach this sort of thing very differently and more or less effectively.
- The first evaluation may take place during the December break with the second evaluation a reasonable time after California/State/National Cup. The timing is largely up to the coach, but ample time to improve player strengths and work on weaknesses is the goal of this process. Evaluations can be scheduled either before or after practice, but not during practice. Good preparation by coaches and players will produce better results. In advance of the evaluation, players should prepare a list of questions they may have about their performance.
- Player evaluations serve an important role in determining the following year's placement process. Any player who is unhappy with an evaluation should discuss the details with the coach at to be sure of his or her position on the team. If a player thinks they might be on the cusp it is incumbent on the player to ask the coach the appropriate questions. There is no reason why a player should be surprised if they don't make the team at tryouts and players are encouraged to assume responsibility for knowing their own status at all times.
- It is often difficult for parents to accept that their child may be on the cusp. A parent is encouraged to meet with the coach to discuss what their player can do to improve and what the expectations for their player might be going forward into the future. Solutions might be to send the player to extra training sessions, which may improve the player’s skill level, but may or may not improve it enough to keep a position on the team.