Club Policies & Guidelines

Before making a commitment to join any club, both the player and parents should take into consideration all the factors involved, including what the club expects from the player and parents. The club has no desire to write rules covering every possible problem, but we expect players and parents to follow the club policies in this document and to behave in ways that reflect positively on the team and club. By either accepting the club’s offer of a spot in an age group or signing the Player Agreement, parents and players agree

that the club may take disciplinary action when these club policies are violated, and
that they will abide by the club’s decisions regarding disciplinary sanctions.

The player evaluation, offer, and acceptance process works best when everyone involved is open, honest, and ethical in their behavior. The club's coaches are expected to adhere to these standards and we ask that parents act the same way.

Competitive Selection

Each team is re-selected every year.
Players are evaluated based on dimensions that may not be apparent to the bystander, including technical skill, tactical awareness, physical attributes, work rate, character, mentality, and fit within a particular age group or team. Evaluation is based on those factors only.
The club will initially place players on a team that is best suited to their performance based upon the evaluation factors above. Players may be moved from one team to another during the year based on what the age group coaches determine is best for the teams and the player.

Current Players

Current players are evaluated throughout the season during practices, scrimmages, and games.
If a player does not intend to return to the club, he or she should inform the coach as soon as that decision has been made; To be fair, coaches will tell players as soon as they have made a decision not to ask a player back.

New Player Evaluation and Tryouts

New players are evaluated during annual tryouts, practices, scrimmages and under game situations.
Tryouts are held annually, at the end of May, and are open to all players who are eligible to play in the following fall's U8 - U18 age groups. Players will be evaluated by all the coaches with teams in a particular age group as well as the club Director of Soccer Operations.
Coaches may have one or more additional tryouts after the open tryouts to narrow down their selection.

Offer and Acceptance

The Club will honor all offers (oral or written) it makes to the players. We expect the same from the players and parents. If you commit to our club, other potential players will not receive offers, so please make your decision carefully.
Any offer is for a slot in a specific age group, not for a specific team, position or a certain (or equal) amount of playing time.
The offer is for one full "soccer year."
- For teams ages U8 - U18, the soccer year begins in late August and continues through the following May.
- We expect players to remain on their team through the end of this season regardless of whether they intend to play PSC in the following soccer year.
Once accepted, players will not be cut from the age group due to their performance. However:
- Players may be moved temporarily or permanently to other teams at the club if the staff decides that such a move is in the best interest of the player and the teams involved.
- Players (and their parents and guardians) may be sanctioned for disciplinary reasons as outlined elsewhere in this document, which could affect theier ability to train or play in games. You are also aware that the player is subject to separate discipline by the leagues or PSC for violations of league, FYSA, US CLUB, , FLUGSA, PBSL, and/or SFU rules.

Commitment and Travel Soccer Program Training Concept

PSC travel teams are identified by colors within each age group.

First team: Red
Second team: White
Third team: Navy
Forth team: Gray

The coaches and the Director of Soccer Operations have placed each child onto a team based on their observations of each child present at tryouts. Several coaches evaluated each player – no single coach had sole responsibility for evaluating any single player. Teams are broken down by age, gender and skill level and assigned to a color team (red, white, navy and grey). The colors assigned to each team have the following general meanings:

First team: Red -- will likely play in Division 1, which is the highest level of competitive of soccer offered. All tryout participants demonstrated a passion for soccer and commitment to participating in the upcoming season, but Red team participants were selected because of their natural talent and advanced technical abilities.
Second team: White – will likely play in Division 2, although it is possible that some of our white teams will enter division 1 (depending on the skill levels of the teams, once registrations have been completed). White team players are more advanced than recreational players and, in some cases, may have opportunities to play in red team games.
Third team: Navy – will play in Division 2. This level of soccer focuses on player development and taking the player from recreational soccer onto a path of premier soccer (Division 1) or remain and continue to play an advanced type of soccer at their level.
Fourth team: Gray – will play in Division 2. This level of soccer focuses on player development and taking the player from recreational soccer onto a path of premier soccer (Division 1) or remain and continue to play an advanced type of soccer at their level.

It is possible that a player may be moved to a different team based on how many of the players receiving invitations complete the registration (for example, a player initially placed on a white team may be moved to a red team if one or more of the players invited to participate on the red team declines the invitation).

Player Placement and Movement Player

Placement and movement is the process by which a player moves from one roster to another, based upon the players individual abilities, performance, and head coach and Director of Soccer Operation's evaluations. At PSC, movements are made at the discretion of the Director of Soccer Operations and Head Coach. The player's family will be informed by email prior to the move and the player spoken to at practice. We operate an “open door” policy and will always hold a meeting at a mutually convenient time if required. However, all decisions regarding movement are final and are not considered sufficient reason to request a release from PSC. The club is loyal to players within the club first, but may be replaced by player's from outside the club to another team within the PSC Organization if the player demonstrates higher levels of ability with regards to the coach’s evaluation criteria. If you request a release, all annual financial obligations shall be fulfilled prior to the players release.

"Playing Up"

Depending on the needs of the teams involved, some players may be asked to play with an older age group or team. Any such arrangement will be evaluated by the coaching staff on an ongoing basis. Refer to the "Play Up" Application for additional information.

Player Position

PSC believes that, under the age of 14, every player should have the opportunity to experience all positions on the field. Players should not be locked into specific positions because of speed, size or other qualities, but should experience the emotion and functions of all positions on the field. The development of a goalkeeper also requires varied playing opportunities. While this position has become highly specialized at early ages, these players also need to experience playing on the field. These experiences allow them to advance their soccer knowledge, raise their technical ability, and gives them opportunities to think as a field player, all of which raise the level of their position specific demands.

Expectations For Players:

Make soccer your #1 priority – outside of family and school – during the soccer year. If this is not possible or it is apparent to your coach that this is not the case, it may affect playing time.
- Make yourself a better player
- Focus on soccer during training and games
- Do not miss training. You can not miss practice, or practice poorly, and expect to improve
- Listen to your coach's constructive criticism and use it to make yourself a better player.
- Be mature enough to get proper rest before games, and eat well always.
- Know the rules of the game
Respect your coach's and your teammates' time
- When you are given a time for training or warmups, that is when you are expected to be on the field, dressed and equipped, and ready to go.
- Contact your coach at earliest possible time if you will be late / absent from training, game, or other team activity.
Be prepared
- Training: players are expected to train in club training shirts and bring a ball and water to every training session
- Games: you should have all necessary game items in your bag, which will stay in the technical area during games. This includes uniform(s), water or sports drinks, and sun block.
Stay with your team during training and games
- Remain with your coach and team from the start of warmups until released by the coach after the game or practice. This includes half-time. Do not visit your parents, friends, family, or pets. If you are subbed during a game, remain in the technical area with the coach – the coach may need to make a quick substitution or an important coaching point.
- If there is an important need to leave the area, you should ask the coach for permission.
- If you are in between games, you should assume that the coach wants the team to stay together unless he or she tells you that you are free to do what you want.
Represent your team and club positively
- Have a positive and supportive attitude within the team, regardless of playing time or position. Put the team ahead of yourself.
- Demonstrate sportsmanship and fair play in your words and actions. Keep your emotions under control and do not treat opponents, referees, or anyone else disrespectfully.
- Excessive red cards will be grounds for disciplinary action.
Help the club and the community
- Leave the field and sidelines cleaner that you found it at all practices and games. That means that you clean up after yourself, your team, and, if necessary, other teams.
Disregarding the above may result in discipline by the coach. Serious or recurring problems will be referred to the Director of Soccer Operations.

Playing as a guest player on another team

Within the club: players may be asked by other PSC teams to be a guest player at a league game or tournament. Coaches normally check with each other before asking the player, but the player or parents should still confirm with their own coach that this is OK and doesn’t create any problems for the player’s “home” team.
Outside the club: If you are asked to be a guest player by a team at another club for non-league play such as a tournament, you may do so. Your coach or manager may not hold back your card or FYSA OR US CLUB paperwork. However, the club strongly recommends that you discuss this with your coach before accepting the guesting offer.

Expectations for Parents

As a parent, you must commit to supporting your child's participation in team and club functions.
Please familiarize yourself with the rest of this document, especially:
- the “Expectations For Players” section above – please be sure you and your child understand it.
- the “Communicating and Resolving Issues With Your Coach” section below.
- the “Game Day Behavior By Players, Parents, and Spectators” section below.

Travel

The parent / guardian is responsible for arranging player transportation to and from training, games, and other team or club events.
During overnight trips, all team members may be required to stay at a designated hotel and eat meals as a team. Players' family members will always be invited to stay at the designated hotel and may be invited to join the team during team meals. Final decisions regarding team travel, including timing of arrival and departure to and from locations (hotels, restaurants, game fields, etc.) are the responsibility of the team manager or coach.

Volunteering and fundraising

Without fundraising and the efforts of team and club volunteers, the cost of club soccer would be significantly higher. While the club charges dues that primarily pay for coaching management, and coach compensation, there is a significant amount of unpaid work that keeps the club running. We expect all parents to help with club functions where possible. Some of our peer clubs require parents to volunteer a certain amount of hours and impose a $300 fee for parent non-participation. We hope to have an actively engagged group or players and parents so that we do not have to take such a step.
Almost all teams in the club also run their own fundraising efforts in order to lower parents' out-of-pocket costs and to assist families who need financial assistance. You should expect this as part of your child’s participation in the club.

Other

Contact your coach immediately (and copy your manager) if you are aware of an upcoming scheduling conflict that will prevent your child from attending a practice, game, or other team event. The coach should tell you the best way to do this (text, email, etc).
Please help your child maintain a healthy lifestyle, including proper nutrition and rest
Familiarize yourself with the rules, especially offside and illegal contact. The Laws of the game are simple and can be found here.

Communicating and Resolving Issues With Your Coach

Introduction

Parents should feel free to arrange meetings with their child’s coach to discuss their son or daughter. As one of our experienced coaches writes to her parents every year, “at some point this season, you are going to disagree with me.” Sometimes you should communicate a perceived problem to the coach, and sometimes you should not.
As players mature, they are expected to try to resolve issues between themselves and their coach without parental intervention.

Guidelines and policies regarding these discussions:

Keep the meeting focused on the player
- Good topics: the player
  - what a player might or can do differently to earn more playing time (keeping in mind that, as noted in the “evaluation and selection” section, there are no guarantees with respect to position or a specific or minimum amount of playing time in games).
  - problems that may affect the player’s training or game performance
  - problems they might have with other players on the team
  - injuries or other health concerns
  - other issues concerning the player
- Bad topics: coaching decisions or other players on the team
  - positions you think certain players should play
  - playing time in the past
  - your opinions about other players
  - team formations
Talk to the right person
- If you have an issue that should be discussed with the coach, bring it to them – and not other parents or the team manager. Don't burden the manager, whose role is team administration, with issues that are properly the coach's.
- Players and parents should recognize that it is always best to resolve issues directly with the coach. However, if they feel they can not discuss a sensitive topic with their coach, they should communicate with the Director of Soccer Operations.
When to meet
- Please defer to the coach’s wishes about what times, places, and means of communication are appropriate. Immediately before, during or after a game, or during a practice, is not the appropriate time. Many coaches do not want to have parent conferences on game days, and may also ask that parents cool off for 24 hours before discussing an issue that arose in a game. Each coach should communicate their preferences to the parents at a team meeting, and parents should respect those wishes.
Please respect your coach’s time
- The coach has a limited amount of time to allocate to each of their players and each of their teams. Parents are asked to respect their coach’s time and not take up a disproportionate amount of it compared to other parents and players, or to keep revisiting the same topics. While the club expects coaches to respond promptly and professionally to a reasonable level of parent communication, a coach may limit their responses or take other action if they feel that a parent is placing undue requirements on their time. If the parent disagrees, they may follow the escalation process described below.

Escalation process

If the problem is not resolved by the coach, the parent should then contact the Director of Soccer Operations;
In most cases you will be able to resolve your issues/ questions by speaking with the coach and/or Director of Soccer Operations. If not, you can contact one of the members of the Travel Leadership Committee ("TLC"). The TLC will designate an individual or committee to make an investigation and report back, at which point the TLC will make a final decision on the issue. The Board’s decisions are final and players and parents must abide by them.
Parents should recognize that PSC will place the interests of the club ahead of any one team, and the interests of a team ahead of any individual player. By joining PSC, you agree that you will abide by the club's priorities.

Game Day Behavior by Players, Parents, and Spectators

Game days can be exciting, but we expect parents and other spectators to

provide a positive environment for teaching the game
understand that team and player development will be given a greater priority than winning

We know other clubs may not have or observe these standards for their players, coaches, parents or supporters, but we should be different.

All club members - both players and parents - must conduct themselves in a manner that is consistent with a healthy team and game environment.

There will be no coaching by parents and/or spectators. Feel free to be supportive, but do NOT provide any type of instruction ("pressure," "shoot," "wide," and so on). Although you may think you are helping, it is probably counter-productive to the players and is definitely disrespectful to the coach. Your coach may be looking for a more composed choice in that moment, want the player to learn by making their own decision, or use choices taught in practice. Please trust the staff.
Never direct a disparaging comment at a player, coach, referee, parent or supporter. The best policy is to acknowledge positive play and otherwise keep quiet.
Never get into a confrontation with anyone.
Do not complain to officials. Our players need to learn to overcome adverse calls and foul play or gamesmanship by other teams – they are part of soccer – and we expect our parents to do the same. Parents yelling at referees sets a poor example and can swing calls against our teams.
Any parent who is disruptive and / or abusive to players, opponents, PSC or opposing coaches, opposing spectators, field staff, or referees, or who in any way brings dishonor to the PSC, may be prohibited from attending games.

Give the coach room and time to work

If spectators are on the same sideline as the team, only players and coaches should be in the "technical area," which extends ten yards in both directions from the midfield line. Players should stay with their teammates inside the technical area (or on the field) and spectators should be outside that area. This gives the coach room to do their job and focus on the game and the players.
The coaches are teachers and the field is their classroom and their workplace. If you have a question/concern about playing time, game decisions, etc, please do not approach the coach during a tournament, game, or practice. See “Communicating and Resolving Issues With Your Coach” above.

Please follow field rules and don't leave a mess

Please read and adhere to all rules about fields – whether posted at the field or on the league or club websites. Common examples include "no chairs or tents on the turf or track surface," "all spectators must remain in the grandstands," "no dogs allowed," "no food or Gatorade on field." See the "Taking Care of Our Fields" section for more.
Please help clean up after your team – and the other team, if it's a home game – after all games.

Taking Care of Our Fields and Equipment
If we don't take good care of our fields, we won't be allowed to use them. So please ...
Leave every facility in better shape than you found it.
   •   Pick up all trash after every game – even if it’s not yours.
Follow the rules for each facility
Don't annoy the field owners or the neighbors.
   •   No kicking balls against buildings, walls, or fences
   •   Goals and nets are expensive – don’t abuse them
   •   Treat the field staff with respect
Everyone please help. If you see a PSC or visiting player or parent violating these rules, please let them know and ask them to fix their problem.

Coaches

Coach duties and behavior

The coach is in charge of player and team development, so his or her roles include

player selection
training plans in line with the club’s curriculum
game day team selection, playing time, player positioning, tactics and strategy
team behavior

The coach’s decisions about the above are final.

Coaches are expected to behave professionally; They will

communicate openly and honestly with players and parents
be consistent in their treatment of players
not use foul language or act abusively
be prepared for all training and games, and arrange a substitute when there is a conflict
will return phone calls and emails within 24-48 hours

Initial team meeting

Coaches should have a team meeting early in the season where they discuss their expectations of players, parents and themselves
Review policies involving players and parents
Let parents know how best to communicate with them
Outline the schedule for the year
Review other team matters
Ask your coach to have this meeting if one has not been announced

Outside activities

If a coach is involved in outside activities such as private training or coaching school teams, a player’s participation or non-participation in those activities shall in no way impact their PSC team selection, playing time, position assignment, discipline, or any other aspect of the player’s PSC soccer experience.

Team Management and Team Fees

Team management

Each team shall have a parent manager to handle administration. The manager can have several assistants to handle different aspects of the job. The tasks include:

collect neccessary paperwork (Birth certificate, player photo, etc.) for league registration.
budget, collect, and manage team fees, and pay team expenses
communicate information to the team, such as practice dates and times, information from the club, etc
assist the PSC as necessary to collect club dues from players on the team
organize team fundraising
register for tournaments in coordination with club tournament schedule and coach
handle game-day player check-in
report scores as needed
assist with uniform orders
organize team volunteers for club events such as the tournament
make overnight team travel arrangements
and there’s more, depending on the team and its needs
The manager is NOT a go-between for concerns that need to be discussed between parent and coach.
Managers are nominated by their coach and approved by the Director of Soccer Operations and TLC.Travel Leadership Committee (TLC).

Team fees

Certain costs are not included in the club fees and instead are paid by the team. Families of team members are expected to pay these costs. These include:
- tournament entry fees
- for tournaments coach travel expenses (typically, gas to away games and, for overnight team trips, hotel and meals. This is split with the coach’s other teams if they are at the same tournament.)
  - club dues pay for the coach's compensation. There should be no other payments by the team to the coach.
  - gifts to the coach are optional and should not be paid out of team funds.
The manager (or team treasurer) should prepare a budget right after the team forms so that parents understand the team fees for the year.
There should be a team meeting at the start of the year and parents should agree what additional expenses, beyond the above, they are committing to pay.
Everyone on a team is expected to participate in tournaments and games, so team fees are not pro-rated if a player is unable to attend an event.
Non-payment of team fees is equivalent to non-payment of club fees and the club’s options are the same.

Management of team funds

Coaches should not handle team money – that is a job for the manager or team treasurer
Team funds belong to the parents pro rata and should be dispensed with their consent or in accordance w/ team budget or policies announced at the start of the year.
If there is a positive balance in the team fund at the end of the year, parents may ask for a refund of their allocable share. Otherwise all individual balances will be combined to create the team’s starting balance for the following year.
Parents always have the right to review the team accounts. A good way to do this is with a shared Google spreadsheet.
It’s a best practice to set up a separate bank account for team funds. There is a little bit of paperwork involved; email parklandtravelsoccerfl@gmail.com for guidance.

Consequences of Violating Club Policies

Types of problems

Failure to fulfill financial commitments (to the club or to the team)
- The player may be suspended from training and/or games until their account is current or acceptable payment arrangements are made.
Single minor violation of team or club policies
- Examples: tardiness or lack of focus in training
- This should be dealt with between the player and coach. The coach will discuss the problem with the player, in private, and give the player an opportunity to correct the problem.
- The coach may use tools such as withholding playing time in order to provide incentive for the player to fix the issue.
Recurring minor problems
- If the player can not fix the problem in a reasonable period of time, the coach or Director of Soccer Operations will discuss the problem and the player's inability to fix it with the player's parents.
- The coach or Director of Soccer Operations may institute sanctions as described below until the problem is corrected
Major violations of club, league, or PSC policies
- Examples: verbal abuse or physical assault on a teammate, coach, opponent, referee, or spectator; recurring sideline behavior problem by parent; excessive red cards.
- The coach or the club Director of Soccer Operations may institute sanctions as described below
- There may be additional discipline from the league or PSC
As noted above, this list is NOT comprehensive and some situations will require the club to craft a unique sanction.

Sanctions

Players
- Players are subject to reasonable discipline at the coach or club’s discretion (running laps, writing an apology, etc.).
- Players may be suspended from training or games for a length of time commensurate with the gravity of the offense.
- Players involved in a major violation of league or PSC rules may be referred to those organizations for further discipline.
Parents
- Parents may be banned from fields during training
- Parents may be banned from fields during warmups, games, and post-game activities
- Parents may be subject to other reasonable rules that minimize or prevent the problematic parent behavior

Appeals

If a player or parent feels that a punishment is unjust, they should discuss it with their coach.
If there is not a satisfactory resolution, they should contact the Director of Soccer Operations.
If the player or parent are unsatisfied with the Director of Soccer Operation's decision, they may contact the TLC. The TLC will investigate the problem. Its decision is final.

Disciplinary actions by other organizations

The different leagues that our teams play in and PSC each have their own disciplinary processes for significant problems such as assault on a referee or major problems between spectators. The club may support the player or team in such hearings, or abstain, depending on the results of our investigation of the incident and the severity of the proposed sanction. Any discipline handed down by those bodies is separate from any sanctions that the club imposes.

Club Fees, Payments, and Financial Aid

Club fees

Parents will receive a current year fee schedule on the Player Agreement.
Hiring high-quality coaches, while PSC strives to make club dues as affordable as possible, club soccer is a serious financial commitment. Club fees pay for staff compensation for approximately two-three training sessions per week (except for approximately six weeks per year of club breaks, three months for high school season (U15 and above), and staff personal time off), games, and off-hours planning; approximately 80 - 90 training sessions; about 20 -25 league games; player and team registration expenses with league and state assocuation.
Club fees do not include:
- the team fees discussed in the “teams” section
- travel costs to and from games, tournaments, and other events
- required uniform and other equipment costs
- optional warmups and backpacks.

We expend a lot of effort keeping our fees as low as we can. We are a non-profit organization and need volunteers, donations, and sponsorships.

Payment

Parents may
- pay in full
- pay over time using automatic credit card payments and the schedule on the registration website
- be on a personalized payment plan if approved by the Director of Soccer Operations and TLC. A promissory note may be required as part of the approval.
Failure to pay club fees on time will result in the suspension of the player from training and games as described in "Consequences of Violating Club Policies" above.
PSC (bounced) checks will incur a $25 fee and must be paid within seven days.

Refunds of club fees

Refunds of club fees are issued in only three cases:

no team
- If a team does not have the minimum number of players required for league play by July 31, the club will make every effort to place the players on other teams in the club. If it is unable to do so, it will refund fees on a prorated basis.
Season-ending injury
- If a player suffers an injury that requires a rehabilitation period of six months or longer, club fees will be refunded on a prorated basis.
- A note from a medical doctor (MD) may be required.
player permanently moves out of the area

club fees may be refunded on a pro-rated basis if the player permanently moves outside Florida or broward area.
The club may require evidence, such as a report card from their new school, to support this.

Financial aid

The amount of funds the club has available for financial aid, if any, changes from year to year depending on the club budget, reserve, fundraising, and sponsorship income. The club must first be able to pay its expenses plus maintain a sufficient reserve before the club can offer any financial aid.

Other policies: Team Fundraising

Teams should not be involved with any activity that potentially brings disrepute to the club or the PSC brand.
Approval of team fundraising activities

In order to maintain transparency, fairness, and compliance, all team (and club) fundraising activities must be approved in advance by the Director of Soccer Operations. The process is simple – team managers should email parklandtravelsoccerfl@gmail.com and include information about the proposed event.

Use of the PSC (club) name or logo

Teams may use the club name and logo to promote team fundraising activities. An example would be signs promoting “Parkland Soccer Club Car Wash this Saturday.”
Any other use of PSC name or logo must be with the written approval of the TLC. Examples would be printing the club logo on water bottles -- even if it's for a fundraiser.
If in doubt – ask first! Send an email to a TLC member.

Club Management and Organization

The club is divided between the “soccer side” and “everything else” (although there is a lot of overlap between the two), overseen by the Director of Soccer Operations and TLC. Although the structure may change from time, the following may help you understand who does what. For list of current staff, refer to the "staff" page on the website.

Parkland Soccer Club Board - 20 members

Our Travel Leadership Committee (TLC) is comprised of the following members:

Chairman - Daniel Del Aguila

Director of Travel Division - Alfredo Alvarado

Director of Operations - Keith Brodsky

Secretary - David Balaban

Executive Management Team:

Director of Soccer Operations - Roger Thomas

Club Operations - Laurie Thomas

Finance & Administration- Corlton Simmons

Program Directors:

Director of Soccer Operations - Roger Thomas

Rec. Technical Director & Director of Girls Travel – Laurie Thomas

Administration Staff:

Operations: Keith Brodsky / Laurie Thomas

Registration - Ryan Block/ Eve Sullentrop

Human Resource and Contracts Coordinator - David Balaban / Laurie Thomas

League Coordinator - TBA

Referee Coordinator - TBA

Rec. Communications - Alfredo Alvarado

Travel Leadership Committee:

oversight of all soccer and business operations
responsible for the financial health of the club, including the budget and financial results
ensure that club resources are used in accordance with its mission and the by laws
select, set compensation, and review performance of senior staff
approval of initiatives and activities that could have a material impact on the club's financial or other resources
set long term club objectives and strategies and track management progress toward those goals
set club policies.