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Frequently Asked Questions:
What is the Kalamazoo Soccer Club? What can we expect to get out of playing in KSC? What credentials do the coaches have? How is Club soccer different from AYSO? How does one join the soccer club? What age do I have to be to tryout for KSC? When are Tryouts, and what if I miss them? How likely is it that I will make a team if I tryout? How much does it cost for a year? How does this cost compare to other travel sports? What kind of time commitment will I need to make? Tournaments What if I'm involved in other activities at the same time? What if my child is in high school, and wants to play high school and club soccer? Benefits of after school training. What is the Kalamazoo Soccer Club? The Kalamazoo Soccer Club was formed in 1991 to provide high value, fun, competitive soccer teams for boys and girls ages 9 and under through 19 and under who live in the Kalamazoo and Parchment School districts. These boundaries are similar to AYSO Region 211 that is based at the Kalamazoo Community Soccer Complex on Drake Road. The KSC is affiliated with the West Michigan Youth Soccer Association (WMYSA) which organizes 15 competitive soccer clubs in southwest Michigan. WMYSA is one of 54 leagues in the Michigan State Youth Soccer Association (MSYSA), which in turn is affiliated with the United States Youth Soccer Association. These organizations were established to provide a structure to develop select youth soccer players in the U.S. The structure provides uniform rules and regulations to allow competition at all age levels across the country. back to top What can our son/daughter and our family expect to get out of playing in KSC? KSC focuses on building additional soccer skills beyond what they might learn in a purely recreational league. For young children, soccer builds team skills and brings joy and confidence as they learn what it is like to work for benefit of the whole. They learn good sportsmanship and the satisfaction of setting and achieving individual and team goals. They run and run and run, releasing the day’s stress while building strong and healthy bodies. They learn to stretch, warm up, drink lots of water, and generally pay attention to caring for their bodies. As they get older in the sport, they have lasting friendships with kids from other schools. They learn self-discipline and time management skills. They keep busy during the teen years, and most play on their high school teams; many go on to play in college. It is no wonder that KSC families enjoy a wonderful sense of camaraderie as the games become part of the family routine and parents cheer from the sidelines and coordinate carpools or snacks. Of course you’ll be part of a truly international culture that enjoys this great game. The club is designed to be high value with moderate travel distances. back to top What credentials do the coaches have? KSC works hard to involve experienced coaches who meet minimal certification levels. Head coaches must have an E license after coaching for KSC for one year. Coaching clinics and other training support are provided to our coaches. The coaches quite often have or have had children playing competitive soccer. Yearly surveys are taken on their performance. The KSC coaches and assistant coaches are recruited and overseen by the director or part of the KSC Board. Individuals interested in coaching should contact Ron Warners at 375-8618. back to top How is Club soccer different from AYSO? KSC is aimed at players with a passion for competitive soccer, players who want to play on high school teams and beyond. So KSC players often practice twice or more per week. AYSO typically practices only once per week. KSC players play more league games, tournaments, and often play indoor soccer together. KSC coaches are experienced and have a minimum of a state E license. AYSO has balanced teams. Teams in KSC’s league are not necessarily balanced. KSC players will meet opposing team with varied skills and abilities that will challenge the player to be their best. AYSO strives for balance with all teams, often requiring yearly team reorganizing. Teams in KSC are formed each year with the strongest rosters in order to achieve competitive play with other league teams. Core groups of players in KSC often play together throughout their development years. AYSO has open registration for all players who want to register. KSC players are selected to play based on several factors including playing ability, coachability, and ability to interact with peers. Not all players trying out may be selected for a team; however KSC will refer all interested players to any available soccer options. back to top How does one join the soccer club? In KSC, players are selected based on performance in try-outs organized and conducted by KSC. All players, new and returning, are required to try out. Exceptions to participation in try-outs of current players are made in certain circumstances on a player by player basis, dependent on KSC Board approval. back to top What age do I have to be to tryout for KSC? The Kalamazoo Soccer Club currently has teams beginning at the under 10 (U-10) for both boys and girls. The league does not allow for kids to play more than 2 years ahead of their proper age group, so kids should be turning 8 on or before July 31, 2005 to try out for a position on a team. July 31 is always the cut-off date for the various age divisions. So, if a child turns 13 on July 15, they qualify for the U-13 division; if they turn 13 on August 22, they qualify for the U-12 age. back to top When are Tryouts, and what if I miss them? Tryouts are held in late June or early July, the week following TKO tryouts. This allows for kids to tryout for a spot on a TKO or Kingdom Reserves team first and still tryout for KSC after the other selections have been made. The tryouts are extremely important as a team of coaches and evaluators are on hand to watch a child’s individual skill and team scrimmage performance. Kids must plan to attend, particularly if they are not currently playing in the Club. However, exceptions are possible, especially for returning players or for teams that may be short, if a child is unable to attend. It is important to contact the board or appropriate coach as soon as a known conflict arises so that the issue can be addressed. back to top How likely is it that I will make a team if I tryout? Not all players trying out may be selected for a team; however KSC will refer all interested players to available soccer options. KSC is a select travel club, so there is no guarantee that you will make a team. KSC players are selected to play based on several factors including playing ability, coachability, and ability to interact with peers. However, our goal is to have every dedicated, good player succeed and join our club in order to help develop their game even further. We will make use of A and B teams whenever appropriate, and will recruit to fill additional teams if the numbers are close. The more kids who try out, the more teams we can form and the better chance for everyone to play! back to top How much does it cost for a year? The club fee for both Fall-2008 & Spring-2009 seasons combined is $220. For high school age teams that play for one season only the fee is a little more than half of that. This covers field rental, coaching expenses, referees, team equipment, and administrative costs. Uniform costs vary from $50-80 and are purchased every three years. The personal costs of travel to games and tournaments are not included in these fees. The club fees and charges for uniforms will be due at the registration meeting in July. The team fees, which will vary from team to team depending on the tournaments a team decides to participate in, must be paid before the first game of each season. A confidential assistance program is available for players’ families who cannot meet all expenses. The assistance is usually half of the player’s club and team fees, but does not cover uniform or travel costs. Financial assistance forms will be available at try-outs or by contacting the current KSC Board President or Registration volunteer. back to top How does this cost compare to other travel sports? Soccer is a relatively inexpensive sport. It is not as equipment intensive as many sports (besides your uniform, you need a decent pair of cleated shoes and some shin guards. Our community is fortunate to have excellent fields at the Kalamazoo Community Soccer Complex located on Drake Road, and lots of good competition nearby. Most of our competition comes from teams in Vicksburg/Schoolcraft; Richland/Gull Lake; Portage; Plainwell; Battle Creek, St. Joe, etc., so we don’t have to travel far other than for a tournament (and that can be loads of fun!). back to top What kind of time commitment will I need to make? Players must be enthused and ready to practice an average of two times per week in addition to the weekend games during season. There are usually 8 games scheduled in each of the fall/spring seasons. Individual coaches and teams set their practice schedules, but these are typically 1 and ½ to 2 hours on a weeknight. The times may taper off as the season progresses. Players are expected to make every effort to make all games and practices. The Fall Season runs from the end of August until the end of October, and the Spring Season runs from the beginning of April until the first part of June. Home games are at the Kalamazoo Soccer Complex on Drake Road. Teams usually play in at least one tournament per season, voted on by the team. Teams usually enter to play indoor soccer during the off-season as well, though this is not mandatory. Conflicts should be discussed with the coach. Seasons: High school age teams play only in the Fall or Spring, opposite the high school season. For U -14 and under teams the registration covers Fall AND Spring seasons, you are commiting for the full year when you join the team. back to top Tournaments All teams are expected to do a Fall tournament, the cost of which will be shared by all team members. It is not optional to pay or play on an individual basis; it is a team decision that must be honored by all. Tournaments can be some of the most fun and memorable family soccer experiences. back to top What if I am involved in some other activities at the same time? Many of our soccer athletes also excel at other sports. We do not like to prohibit or even discourage kids from playing another sport such as basketball, or even playing on an AYSO soccer team. However, families should understand and uphold their commitment to their KSC team and coach, and realize the time and scheduling involved in playing multiple sports. Our best advice in evaluating your priorities in dealing with conflicts it to discuss this with your coach or team manager. back to top What if my child is in high school, and wants to play high school and club soccer? There is no conflict between High School soccer and Club soccer. Players in the older divisions only play Club soccer for one season. Girls play high school soccer in the spring and then Club soccer in the fall. Boys play high school soccer in the fall and then Club soccer in the spring. back to top Benefits of after school training. The article below explains why we train our soccer team the way we do. My long term goal is to get these players in the lifelong habit exercise. It is necessary that kids get exercise year round, not a few months at a time. This makes them healthier and better soccer players. Coach Gordon Miller: More Than Gym Class, After-School Sports Help By Alison McCook. NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Young boys seem to reap many more fitness benefits from joining an extracurricular soccer team than from standard gym classes, new research indicates. Spanish researchers found that 8-year-olds who played soccer for at least 3 hours each week for 3 years had stronger bones, more lean mass, and could run faster than boys who opted instead for 45-minute gym classes twice per week. These findings suggest that mandatory physical education classes alone are not enough to encourage bone growth and other healthy changes in pre-pubertal boys, one of the study's authors told Reuters Health. "Children should do more exercise and also they should likely perform other kinds of exercise," such as soccer, said Dr. Jose A. Lopez Calbet of the Universidad de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria in the Canary Islands. "Parents must look for a kind of sport that their children like and encourage them to practice three or more times a week," he added. This recommendation is particularly relevant right before puberty, Calbet said, when children's bodies are preparing to add on significant amounts of bone mass. He noted that these results likely apply to girls as well as boys, but further research is needed. To investigate what amount of exercise young boys need before puberty, Calbet and his colleagues followed 17 young soccer players and 11 boys just enrolled in gym class for 3 years, noting how their bodies changed. Boys were an average of between 8 and 9 years old. The investigators found that soccer players had significantly higher bone density by the end of the study period than boys taking gym class. Furthermore, while soccer players' percentage of body fat did not change, other boys experienced an increase in body fat over the three-year period. Soccer players also developed more lean body mass. Soccer players could also sprint faster than other boys, the authors report in the journal Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise. This study "shows clearly that soccer participation stimulates bone acquisition in prepubertal children," they write. "It is important that children exercise regularly before the start of the pubertal spurt in growth," Calbet concluded. SOURCE: Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, October 2004. Last Updated: 2004-10-18 (Reuters Health) back to top |
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