PARENTS WHAT TO EXPECT FROM OUR COMPETITIVE PROGRAM
You and your child are about to begin a new season with the FC CHESCO's Competitive program. For those who have participated in the competitive program before, some of what follows may be repetitive; however you need to carefully read and understand the information in this letter. If you have any questions, please send them by email to [email protected].
FC CHESCO has provided children with an opportunity to participate in this wonderful sport since 1977. As many of you know the club provides an in-house instructional program as well as a competitive program – together there are more than thirteen hundred children participating in the club.
The Competitive Program has grown from a few teams to as many as 20+ teams. This sustained growth has only been accomplished through the extensive and sometimes exhaustive efforts of the many parent volunteers associated with the program. To them we owe our continued thanks for their countless hours on and off the field.
U.S. Club Soccer and United States Youth Soccer Association (“USYSA”) are the national governing bodies our teams play under. Most of our teams play under U.S. Club Soccer rules. Each team is reviewed by the Competitive Committee, Team Trainer and Coach to determine the appropriate league and level for the team which will maximize development and competitiveness. Teams will compete in various leagues including US Youth Soccer National League (USYS), Eastern Development Program (EDP), Atlantic Premier League (APL), Central League Soccer (CLS), DELCO, and PAGS. These leagues are highly regarded and some offer some of the highest levels of competition in youth soccer in the East. We as a club fully support and agree with both the letter and the intent of these rules and regulations.
It is sometimes difficult for us as parents and coaches to understand and fully comprehend perhaps the most basic underlying truth about our children – especially when it comes to their development as soccer players. Within the limits of their athletic abilities, they will become the player that they want to be. The time and effort they spend learning the skills required to play the game, developing an understanding of the game and learning to be part of a team effort will be the primary determinant of their success. The coaches and trainers associated with the program, the leagues and tournaments that they participate in, the summer camps and clinics they attend provide the framework and instructional support – but in the end the success they achieve is entirely dependent upon the efforts they put forth.
As with any human endeavor, the more joy we take in an activity the more frequently we want to do that activity. It is therefore imperative that as parents, coaches and administrators we seek to maximize our children's enjoyment. At the same time we must recognize that our children have varied interests, must attend to schoolwork, family and church commitments and equally important, have time to just be kids. Within the structure of the club we try to meet these needs in many ways from the free clinics we have offered to the summer “pick-up” games.
If we are successful in achieving our goals, our children will have fun, take pride in their club and become the soccer player they want to be – for some this could culminate in playing for their middle and high school teams and for others it may lead to playing at the collegiate level and beyond. As coaches we take particular pride in the scholastic accomplishments of the players coming out of our club program.
Competitive Soccer is a competitive game – it’s why we keep scores and standings, have playoffs and reward champions. A primary objective of FC CHESCO as well as EPYSA and USYSA is to develop players to the highest level that they have the athletic ability and commitment to achieve. However, great players do not develop from only practicing twice a week and playing a game on the weekend. They become great players because they develop a passion and love for the game, but not because their parents push them or constantly ride them to work on their skills. We can nurture and support them, but we can’t do it for them and applying undue pressure only serves to eventually turn them away from the sport. As the saying goes: “you can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make them drink”.
Each child is unique and develops according to the lessons that they learn within the family, school, church and every activity that they participate in. It is incumbent upon us to provide our children with proper example for it is from us that they learn most of their behavior. Unfortunately, there has been a growing problem in the USA within youth sports related to the behavior of players, coaches and parents. The causes for this can be debated at length; the reality is that actions must be taken to end it. Within our sport and our primary competitive leagues there has been extensive discussion about these issues and actions have been taken to address them including an improved reporting system for notifying league officials of problems and random observations of behavior at games.
We have developed the following guidelines governing the behavior of players, coaches and parents within FC CHESCO. These guidelines are consistent with the goals and objectives of the club and must be adhered to.