More Recreational Program Information

If you register after May 31, 2010, a $25 late fee will be added and we cannot guarantee team placement.  Late registered returning players will be assigned to teams on a space available basis, regardless of last year's assignments.   We also can't guarantee  the proper uniform size for Kindergarten-2nd grade players for late registrants.   T-shirts tend to run small.  If no size is chosen when registering, a medium will be ordered for you.  Regular online registration for 1st - 12th grade players closes June 30th, 2010.  An online wait list will be open from July 1-July 30th, but we hope to finalize rosters by July 15th.

The 2010 season starts in August with practices.  Kindergarten-4th grade teams' games are on Saturdays beginning September 11, 2010.  Most teams practice once or twice a week, depending on the age level and coach.  Season ends October 30th for Kindergarten - 2nd grade teams.  3rd & 4th grade teams cap off their season with a one day in-house tournament Nov. 6th.    5th - 12th grade teams end their season November 13, 2010.

Team Assignments

Recreational soccer team assignments are probably the least pleasant part of the season for our staff.  It’s not because it’s a terribly hard job assigning nearly 2,000 kids to 150+ teams, but we always have a vocal minority of parents who complain about their child’s assignments.  To help you better understand our process we have “briefly” summarized the team assignment process:

    For 1st-8th graders, rosters from the previous season act as a template.  Players are reassigned to the same roster unless 
        we are asked not to do so.  Late registrants are only added to those rosters as space allows; just because a player was on
              a certain team last year doesn't guarantee that same placement if the registration is late.   New Club members are  
              assigned to teams based on space, the school attended and if possible, teammate requests.              

• WUSC was established in 1979.  Since that time we have attempted a number of team assignment methodologies including coach’s drafts, randomly scrambling teams each year and attempting to allow parents to choose their team/coach.  For the last 7+ years we have followed a fairly consistent practice that we intend to continue to use in the coming fall season.  The process (described in greater detail below) was supported by the majority of our recreation parents that completed our end of season survey in 2004. 

• We will form small Kindergarten teams again  (6-8 players) this year to allow teams to play 3 v 3 games.  First & Second grade teams will play 4 v 4 games.  This year our 5th grade teams will play 8 v 8 for the 3rd year.  We first start by grouping players by grade, gender and the public school that they either attend, or in the case of players who attend private schools, what ever public school they live nearest to.   Smaller teams mean we'll need more coaches!

• Depending on the age of the children and the number of players that on the field during game situations (e.g., 3^rd grade = 6 v 6  or 5^th grade = 8 v 8, etc…) we develop standard team sizes that have a minimum and maximum number of kids on each team.  The targeted team size is designed to assure adequate playing time (in recreational socccer, each player should play at least 50% of each game, unless there is a disciplinary issue) as well as provide for adequate substitutions in the event a player or two is not able to show up for a game.

• Rosters from the prior season act as templates for current year roster formation.

• Players who register by the May 31st “regular” registration deadline get first priority to the team they played on in the prior year.

• New players entering the program and registering by June 15th are then assigned to local teams based upon available space on each team.

• Players who want to register after June 30th will be placed on a waiting list.  The exception to this applies only to kindergarteners; registration for them stays open until August 15th to allow parents new to soccer a chance to register.  

·        During the registration process we do allow for parents to “request” players or coaches.  However, this information is only a guide and is used when a team is full so that we can try to balance the teams as well as to allow for a child to see familiar faces.  We want to stress that although you may have requested a teammate or coach, we will NOT guarantee to accommodate your request.

·        We often get requests to move a child from one team to another for various reasons including carpooling, wanting to be with other friends, etc…  We appreciate the request, but we have found that once we accommodate one family it quickly snowballs and we get numerous parents wanting to move their children around.  Thus, to prevent the perception that we are giving some families preferences, the overwhelming majority of the time we do not accommodate these requests. 

·        We always allow a parent to coach their own child, so long as they are the same age as the rest of the team.  We also allow each team to have one assistant coach, and that parent may also have their child on the team.

·        Recreation coaches are all volunteers that dedicate significant amounts of time to the team.  Each year we welcome our coaches back.  If they volunteer again and we are not aware of any significant issues with the team, they are given the first option to again coach that team. 

·        We do not allow coaches to pick their team or to add a new player to their team simply because they request a child.  Any new kids are assigned based upon the process that was briefly explained above.

·        Each year we get a determined parent that attempts to over-ride the team assignment process.  If this occurs, the child will not be allowed to play and no refund will be given.

The Board of WUSC, made up of volunteer parents, sincerely understands that the process is not perfect.  We also understand that 10-20 of our 1,200+ families will be upset that their requests are not accommodated.  To these families we appreciate their frustration and apologize that we are not able to accommodate your request.  If this occurs, we will gladly refund your registration fees if a refund is requested by September 1^st of each year.  Last, we always welcome additional volunteers who can help us improve our process and experience for our children and community we live in.

Volunteer Coaches

We are also taking sign ups for Recreational coaches. To register as a volunteer coach go to Registration, choose Coaches for Fall Soccer. There is no cost to you to register as a coach.  Coaches will also need to fill out online background disclosure statements at http://oysa-wusc.sportsaffinity.com
No signed forms are required.

Here's a little info about last year's Recreational program and answers to questions about our budget.

If you speak to anyone on the Willamette United Board of Directors, you will learn the one thing we agree upon is that the recreational soccer program is the core of our Club. Without it, our Club would cease to exist. Last year, our recreational program touched close to 1,900 youths from Wilsonville, West Linn and the other surrounding areas. Without a doubt, the success of the program is directly attributable to the volunteers who spend countless hours providing our kids with this great opportunity. For these Herculean efforts, the Board of Willamette United extends a well-deserved "thank you!"

Looking ahead to 2010, our recreational program will build upon the many successes we had last year. WUSC offers a good, professional program in relation to other youth recreation organizations.  Some of the positive changes we've seen in the last couple of years include:

• The  3rd/4th grade tournaments (Twin Cities, Willamette Cup Rec tournament) were a good addition.
• Winter and spring academy programs and summer camps seem to be popular and we've been asked to provide more of these opportunities.
• The Club's  web site (www.wusc.net), and the use of e-mail have helped us make improvements in communication.

Past surveys have provided us with good constructive criticism regarding ways to improve the program.  For example, we learned we need to focus on the technical training for our volunteer coaches and young referees. Also, some of the parents of our kindergarten and first grade players have requested that we minimize the driving times to games. Improving the quality of the uniforms for the 3rd and 4th graders was mentioned repeatedly. We heard these suggestions loud and clear, and kept them in mind when signing a new Uniform contract with Nike.

Coaches Training - Our volunteer coaches are the glue that binds the program and helps build the technical foundation for our young soccer players. Over time, our volunteer coaches have become more versed in the game as many have played competitive soccer themselves. However, there are a fair number of coaches, myself included, that never played the game and need help understanding skills and technique. Even if you know the rules, most coaches need to understand what skills are age appropriate, as well how to better communicate game strategy to our young players. As a result, our coaches generally want more training. This year,Willamette United will continue to offer several coaching clinics during the summer that are free to all club coaches. 

Referee Training - Beginning in the 3rd grade, the club utilizes paid referees to facilitate the games. These referees are kids themselves. Older players who wish to referee recreational soccer games must complete a licensing course provided through Oregon Youth Soccer Association.  For information about the classes, and to register to take one, please go to
http://www.oregonyouthsoccer.org/ 

The items above are only highlights of the recreational program. In the end, we hope that our children will learn the game of soccer, but most importantly, that they have fun!

Liam Hayes
Recreational Program Director

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