Please read through it entirely as it contains a lot of information for coaches for this upcoming season. Many details are the same as the past, but as always we try to make improvements so we do have several new things as well – efficiencies we have put into place to hopefully enhance the experience and reduce the work for all of us.
First and foremost, THANK YOU for volunteering to be a youth rec league soccer coach for our 2021 rec league season. We really appreciate it and it we will do what we can to ensure you have a good experience. With nearly 1300 players and 120 teams in our rec league, it is quite the undertaking to organize and run, but as a coach you are the key to a great experience for both the players and the parents. We fully know that not everyone has extensive soccer experience so for any coaches that have questions at any time or encounter any difficulties please reach out to us right away. We prefer to take a proactive approach whenever we can.
The first part of our rec season kicks off for our U4-U14 teams in May and our High School League begins mid/late June. We need to wait until the end of the WIAA season to finish for that league to begin. If you have any involvement at the High School rec team level we will be sending info on that at a later date.
Let’s start off with who to go to with questions:
· U6 Coed and U7-U14 Boys Teams: Luke Newman is our Rec League Director (and also VP of the Club) and can be reached at recdirector@fondysoccer.com or via phone at 920.979.4283 and organized all the teams for U6 Coed and the U7-U14 Boys teams.
· U4/U55 Coed and U7-U14 Girls Teams: Chad Collett organized the U5 Coed and the U7-U14 Girls Teams and can be reached at president@fondysoccer.com or via phone at 920.539.6059.
Below are a few key areas I want to make you aware of. I know the #1 thing on everyone’s mind is the rosters. We had 800+ special requests for team placement. Try to imagine putting that puzzle together. Some people requested coaches that are not coaching (or were not signed up yet), some requested to play with players who were (a) not signed up (b) were in a different age group, and for some teams we frankly had too many requests for a single team that exceeded the max roster size so could not accommodate. Bottom line, Luke and I want you all to know that we spent a month putting these teams together by hand vs letting a program do it randomly. We know we were not able to grant every request so we hope that you see you teams, and will make the best experience for those players.
Registration Software – Demosphere:
· Home for your Rosters + Schedule + Communication for Teams: For those who have coached with us in the past, you know it as a bit of a manual process to get your rosters, your schedule, and reach out to your teams. This new portal launched in 2019 will help streamline that process. When we send out team communications, you will get two emails if you are a parent + a coach inviting you to the portal. One as an Admin (Coach) and one as a parent. This portal has a lot of exciting features:
More info…
· Jerseys: The Fond du Lac Soccer Association utilizes Hopper’s in Fond du lac for our player jerseys. We will keep you informed as we lock in the date they will be ready. Your players will need to provide their own shorts, soccer socks, shin guards, and ball.
· Coaches Shirt: All coaches will also get a coach t-shirt. You will be able to pick that up, when you pick up your team jerseys at Hopper’s.
· Rosters: Please reach out to your team and introduce yourself. Parents will be able to email you via the TeamNet portal so if you don’t, I am sure they will. You can be brief to start in your intro email and ramp up information as the season gets closer.
· Coaches Meeting: Similar to the past, we have moved to a full digital meeting so we do not hold in-person coaches meeting anymore with a packet handout. We put together this short presentation you can view instead and we will be sending that out next week which will contain A LOT more information. Also, for any coaches that do have questions you want you can contact either Luke or I.
· Practices: We do not schedule your practices. You can conduct them at a date/time that works best for your team. All fields at the Fond du Lac Soccer Complex are first come, first serve. We do ask that each team practice at least once per week. If you do need to cancel a specific week, please try to make it up if you can.
Risk Management Pass:
· WYSA Background Check: We do need ALL coaches who are currently not holding an active coaches card or has a current risk management card to complete this online application for a risk management card. Note when you do this you will need to include a headshot photo of yourself. This card is valid for two years and costs $15. Once you complete this application, you can submit an expense reimbursement if you wish and we will send you a check or apply a credit to your account in Demosphere towards a future program.
Registration to volunteer coach can be done within the Demosphere system. Simply click on the 2021 Summer Rec League and register "as a volunteer". This can be done as a stand alone act, or at the time you register a player.