Soccer FAQs - Recreation Programs (revised 7/29/2023)
Enclosed is a series of questions and answers about the Intramural, Minikicker and Microkicker soccer programs operated by the Stafford Springs Soccer Club. Following the FAQs are some pages describing how we run parts of these programs that may provide further insight into what you should expect.
1. Volunteer requirements - background check, SafeSport awareness, Concussion
2. Intramural FAQ
3. Minikicker FAQ
4. Microkicker FAQ
5. Intramural Player Assessment Process
6. Big Rules for Coaches
7. Minikicker Session Guidelines
8. Minikicker Activity Suggestions
9. Minikicker Organizing Sessions
10. Thumbnail Rules of Soccer
Volunteer Information:
For the safety of all involved, all volunteers must:
a) complete the Safesport training (see instructions at CJSA.ORG) and upload refresher certificate annually;
b) complete the CDC Concussion Awareness module (see www.cdc.org/concussion) and upload completion certificate annually;
and
c) submit your application for a background check (see following registration process) every 2 years.
d) agree to the terms of the COVID-19 waiver and Mandated Reporter waiver
NOTE: Parent involvement is necessary. Our club is strictly a volunteer organization. The club officers handle the registration, field and equipment logistics, and overall administration. The club does NOT hire or provide the program with a staff of coaches. Adult volunteers are needed to chaperone and coach each team. Our club officers will facilitate enabling anyone who does volunteer to ensure a successful program and to keep your overall commitment manageable.
We are recruiting parents or older siblings interested in helping to assist with the fall programs. Anyone interested should contact Dave Bachiochi ([email protected]) and register as a volunteer on the registration web site.
Intramural Program - Under 8 - Frequently Asked Questions
The intramural program is the Under 8 (years old) league operated by the Stafford Springs Soccer Club. The program provides a forum for 6-7 year olds to have fun playing soccer in a recreational but competitive environment. The club provides the basic infrastructure for the program and relies heavily on parent volunteers to supervise and chaperone the activities.
Q: Who can play?
A: Under 8 is the age bracket. Under 8 means born in calendar years 2016 or 2017 for the Fall 2023 season. The program is for boys and girls and operates as a co-ed environment. With permission from the program director, we have made exceptions for some kids a little younger to "play up" if they have enough size, experience and skill to handle this level.
Q: When do they play?
A: The program consists of two sessions during the week and one on Saturday mornings. The coaches have some discretion on when they practice but practice is usually on Mondays and then again on Wednesdays or Thursdays, evenings from 6:00pm-dusk and starting earlier as we lose the daylight. Sessions are scheduled for Saturday mornings at 11:00am. Small teams are formed to support a 4v4 game format and teams play against each other using a round robin schedule over the course of the season. All activities are held at the Stafford Middle School softball fields, except for some special October practices under the lights at Stafford High School.
Q: How long does the season last?
A: It will start with assessments on the Saturday after Labor Day and run through the end of October or first week in November, depending on how mother nature treats us. We like to end the season with the intramural jamboree on the Saturday of the last week. A firm schedule will be published during the season. If we lose a lot of days to rain, we may extend the season by one week. If it starts snowing by then, we won't.
Q: When does the season start?
A: The assessments are held on the Tuesday or Saturday after Labor Day and teams are selected and announced by Sunday. All kids are asked to come to the Stafford Middle School on the following Monday at 6:00pm to meet their teams and hold their first practice unless otherwise notified. The first games on the schedule will be on the second Saturday of September.
In addition, we generally conduct open field clinics on the Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday after Labor Day, prior to assessments. These are held at the Stafford Middle School field at 6:00pm. The kids are invited to come to the field for a pre-season workout to see what it is like and burn some energy.
Q: Can I still sign up?
A: We accept sign ups until the night prior to assessments. Any late sign ups are accepted on a space available basis only. We will form the teams in the league based on the enrollment that night so pre-registration is strongly encouraged.
Q: What equipment do I need?
A: Shin guards are required, preferably covered by a sock. Molded sole soccer spikes are recommended. Regular sneakers are acceptable footwear. All players should bring a water bottle with plenty of water to every event. The club provides a team t-shirt as soon as teams are formed. Shorts are generally best but otherwise please dress for the weather. In colder weather, wear long sleeve clothing underneath the team t-shirt and don't hesitate to wear gloves or hats to keep warm on the field. The club provides some soccer balls. It is good to have your own. A #3 size ball is appropriate for this age.
Q: What do I need to do to volunteer to be a team coach?
A: Before the assessments, we solicit parents to help chaperone and coach the team. The team size is 6 players. The soccer background you need is minimal. The requirement is really that you can attend most of the sessions. The club provides some easy to learn activities that all kids at this age need to learn the game and the club provides a few entry level coaching clinics to get you grounded and to go over the rules. This works best if parents team up themselves. I trust you will find this experience very enjoyable. We do require all adult volunteers to pass the mandatory CJSA background check online and complete the SafeSport training modules.
Q: How do I complete the CJSA background check and SafeSport training?
A: We do ask all adult volunteers to complete the mandatory CJSA background check online.
Background check and SafeSport training:
http://staffordsports.org/news.php?table=news_soc_youth&id=20 .
Q: What is the program like?
A: Teams are formed with 6 players each at the coach team placement meeting. Any requests to be on the same team as other players are honored in this process as long as we know about it ahead of time. Teams are formed with a balance of stronger and weaker players to create some parity to make the games as much fun as possible. A full regular season schedule is created with teams matched up both during the week and on Saturdays. All games are played on small-sided fields set up in the outfield of the two softball fields at Stafford Middle School. Games are four versus four players on the field at once. Each team gets a t-shirt with a unique color. Once formed the kids must pick a team name. If we end up with an odd number of teams, each team will rotate gamedays where they will be scheduled with a double-header.
The goal is to get all the kids to exercise their soccer skills in a more formal soccer atmosphere. Smiles are our #1 objective.
Minikicker Program - Under 6 - Frequently Asked Questions
The minikicker program is the Under 6 (years old) league operated by the Stafford Springs Soccer Club. The program provides a forum for 4-5 year olds to have fun learning how to play soccer. The club provides the basic infrastructure for the program and relies heavily on parent volunteers to supervise and chaperone the activities.
Q: Who can play?
A: Under 6 is the age bracket. Under 6 means born in calendar years 2018 or 2019 for the Fall 2023 season. The program is for boys and girls and operates as a co-ed environment. (There is a three-year-old program for kids just younger.)
Q: When do they play?
A: The program is Wednesday evenings from 6:00pm-7:00pm and Saturday mornings from 10:00am-11:00am. The kids play twice per week. The location is the Stafford High School lighted field to ensure daylight isn't an issue in October.
Q: How long does the season last?
A: It will start with organizing sessions on the Wednesday after Labor Day and run through the end of October or first week in November, depending on how mother nature treats us. We like to end the season with a minikicker jamboree on the Saturday of the last week. A firm schedule will be published during the season. If we lose a lot of days to rain, we may extend the season by one week. If it starts snowing by then, we won't.
Q: When does the season start?
A: The organizing session is held on the Wednesday immediately following Labor Day at 6:00pm at the Stafford High School lighted field.
In addition, we like to conduct a pre-season open clinic just prior to Labor Day. Look for announcements posted on the website as the time draws nearer to the season. This is held at the Stafford High School lighted field at 6:00pm on a date TBD. The kids are invited to come to the field for a pre-season workout to see what it is like and burn some energy.
Q: Can I still sign up?
A: We accept sign ups up until the organizing session but we form the teams at the organizing session, so late sign ups are accepted on a space available basis. We generally can accommodate this.
Q: What equipment do I need?
A: Shin guards are required, preferably covered by a sock. Molded sole soccer spikes are completely optional. Regular sneakers are very acceptable footwear. All players should bring a water bottle with plenty of water to every event. The club provides a team t-shirt as soon as teams are organized. Shorts are generally best but otherwise please dress for the weather. In colder weather, wear long sleeve clothing underneath the team t-shirt and don't hesitate to wear gloves or hats to keep warm on the field. The club provides some soccer balls. It is good to have your own. A #3 size ball is appropriate for this age.
Q: What do I need to do to volunteer to be a team coach?
A: Before the organizing sessions, we solicit parents to help chaperone and coach the team. The teams are small and the soccer background you need is minimal. The requirement is really that you can attend most of the sessions. The club provides some easy to learn activities that all kids at this age need to learn the game. This works best if parents team up themselves. I trust you will find this experience very enjoyable. We do ask all adult volunteers to pass the mandatory CJSA background check online and complete the SafeSport training modules.
Q: How do I complete the CJSA background check and SafeSport training?
A: We do ask all adult volunteers to complete the mandatory CJSA background check online.
Background check and SafeSport training:
http://staffordsports.org/news.php?table=news_soc_youth&id=20 .
Q: What is the program like?
A: Teams are formed with 6-8 players each, ideally 6, at the organizing sessions. We like to form the teams at the field so friends or parent acquaintances can join the same team. Each team gets a t-shirt with a unique color. Once formed the kids must pick a team name. The teams are paired against other teams at each session following a round-robin schedule over the course of the season. Each session consists of about 30 minutes of contrived activities or practice games followed by about 30 minutes of scrimmage activity. Fields are set up next to each other on the large field using the 6-foot portable goals and cones to attempt to have a boundary for the activities. We can fit as many fields as needed at each session, so all teams play at the same time and place each week.
The goal is to get all the kids kicking the ball, dribbling the ball and running as much as possible. Smiles are our #1 objective.
Microkicker Program - Three-Year-Olds - Frequently Asked Questions
The microkicker program is the program for three-year-olds operated by the Stafford Springs Soccer Club. The program provides a forum for 3-year-olds to have fun learning how to play soccer. The club provides the basic infrastructure for the program and relies heavily on parent volunteers to supervise and chaperone the activities.
Q: Who can play?
A: Anyone who turns 3 years old during the current calendar year. For the fall 2023 season, this means the child's birthday is in calendar year 2020. The program is for boys and girls, and operates as a co-ed environment.
Q: When do they play?
A: The program is Saturday mornings from 9:00am- 9:45am. The kids play once per week. All sessions are held at the Stafford High School varsity soccer field.
Q: How long does the season last?
A: It will start on the Saturday after Labor Day and run through the end of October or first week in November, depending on how mother nature treats us. If we lose a lot of days to rain, we may extend the season by one week. If it starts snowing by then, we won't.
Q: Can I still sign up?
A: We accept sign ups up until early September and late sign ups are accepted on a space available basis but run the risk of our t-shirt stock running low. We generally can accommodate additions through the course of the season.
Q: What equipment do I need?
A: Shin guards are required, preferably covered by a sock. Molded sole soccer spikes are completely optional. Regular sneakers are very acceptable footwear. All players should bring a water bottle with plenty of water to every event. The club provides a team t-shirt. Shorts are generally best but otherwise please dress for the weather. In colder weather, wear long sleeve clothing underneath the team t-shirt and don't hesitate to wear gloves or hats to keep warm on the field. The club provides a soccer ball for every player to keep. A #1 or #2 size ball is appropriate for this age.
Q: What do I need to do to volunteer to be a team coach?
A: Before the season, we solicit parents to help chaperone the weekly activities. There are no teams formed. The club provides some easy to learn activities that all kids at this age need to learn the game. I trust you will find this experience very enjoyable. We do ask all adult volunteers to pass the mandatory CJSA background check online.
Q: How do I complete the CJSA background check and SafeSport training?
A: We do ask all adult volunteers to complete the mandatory CJSA background check online.
Background check and SafeSport training:
http://staffordsports.org/news.php?table=news_soc_youth&id=20 .
Q: What is the program like?
A: There are no teams. Weekly activities are contrived to keep every kid active throughout the session.
The goal is to get all the kids kicking the ball, dribbling the ball and running as much as possible. Smiles are our #1 objective.
Intramural Player Assessment Process
1. We are using the player assessment process this year. The purpose of the player assessment process is to insure we don’t have grossly unbalanced talent distribution on our teams while maintaining the recreational aspect of kids playing soccer with their friends.
2. Saturday following Labor Day at 11:00am is Player Assessment Day. Kids will be asked to participate in a variety of activities to assist a small group of coaches in classifying each kid as being in the upper half or lower half of this age bracket in terms of overall soccer skills. Have fun!
3. Assessments, all kids must get a Numbered Tag (White Sticker or pin on).
· All Kids previously registered should get their pre-printed label and stick it to the back of their shirt.
· All kids NOT previously registered should get a pre-printed NUMBER and a blank label.
4. Get into Groups and Proceed to Skill Stations. Kids should get into groups of about 8-10 and proceed to the 3 or 4 assessment stations. It is helpful if one parent could accompany each group. The coaches / assessors are stationed at an assessment activity and stay there throughout. Once you have completed all stations, you are free to leave or get into any pick up games on the side.
5. There will be a coach’s meeting after the assessments to fill out the player rosters via a draft / placement process. We try to accommodate all requests for players to play on teams with their friends and we balance the relative skill level so the league games are competitive for all teams. We will try to finish early enough so coaches can call each kid that night. Coaches are ALWAYS needed for some teams.
6. Preseason Open Practice. One of our coaches will supervise an open practice session on Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday just before and/or just following Labor Day from 6:00pm – 7:30pm at the Stafford Middle School field.
7. Each kid should plan on reporting to the Middle School fields on the Monday following player assessments at 6:00pm unless you get a call otherwise. Uniforms and schedules will be available at that time for the remainder of the season. A preseason game may be scheduled for that session as well.
8. The first Saturday following team formation will be the first league game for all teams.
Intramurals: Big Rules for Coaches
Team Parents / Coaches: Thank you for volunteering to help organize a team. This one page guide is intended to help you understand the very few basic soccer objectives to keep in mind. It also includes a one page thumbnail guide to the rules of soccer.
Big Rules for SSSC Coaches
1. Kids are here to have fun. Keeping a positive attitude at all times and using words of encouragement goes a long way toward kids and parents having fun.
2. Safety is essential. All kids always wear shin guards. No jewelry or dangerous apparel, like hard casts. Players that fall to the ground should be continuously instructed to get up before they attempt to play the ball. Horseplay is not good.
3. Always take time at every practice session to kick and dribble the ball, and do so under pressure. “Under Pressure” means with some kind of distraction going on, like a defender that is covering closely. Less intense pressure might be kids dribbling in close quarters without losing the ball. A kid’s overall soccer skills are greatly enhanced by simply being very comfortable with these fundamentals.
4. Positions on the field should be no more precise than forward / offense, back / defense or goalie. All field players should always be involved in the play all over the field. Players should attempt to keep their “shape” all around the field, attacking offensively with all players and defending defensively with all players all over the field. (for example, Defenders shouldn’t just be standing 10 yards in front of the goalie the whole game waiting for the ball to come to them.). Further, kids this age should be given a chance to play each of the different positions at some point.
5. All practice drills / activities should be constructed so all or most of the kids are actually participating in the activity at the same time. Nine kids standing in line watching one or two kids do a drill is VERY BORING for those nine kids. Nearly ALL activities can be modified in some way so that all kids can be “doing” the activity at the same time. Keeping kids busy helps their fitness, conditioning, increases the amount of time they are learning soccer and getting more comfortable with the ball.
6. Frequent water breaks are good. Period.
7. TAKE TIME TO TALK WITH THE PARENTS; explain what your role is and what you expect of them. TEAM, Together. Everyone. Achieves. More
Minikicker Session Guidelines
Coaches and players are here to have FUN.
· Sessions should be 30 or so minutes of contrived skill activity and 30 or so minutes of scrimmage activity.
· Skill activities should:
· focus on kicking and dribbling not passing.
· include something silly (not necessarily soccer related)
· include frequent activity changes and frequent water breaks
· include lots of touches for every kid
· AVOID passing drills and AVOID kids standing in lines
· Scrimmage activity should:
· keep teams fair (5 versus 5 is optimal) -- and don’t keep score!
· not worry about positions, NO goalie
· spread out over a large area (take as much space as possible for your field)
· look like bunches of kids chasing a ball
· include frequent water breaks
Coaches and players are here to have FUN.
Play It Safe! Safety… is no accident!
· Make sure kids are all wearing shin guards.
· Kids will fall a LOT. Make sure kids stand up immediately when they fall. Don’t allow kids to play the ball when they are lying on the ground. Be very consistent.
· Kids will push each other, especially when it gets crowded. Stress “no pushing” and intervene when it gets very crowded – kick ball to opposite end of field, for example.
· Kids that continue to push should be asked to sit for a while.
· Kids that slide to the ground frequently should be encouraged to stay on their feet.
· When kids get hurt, it is ok to let them take a break until they feel like going back in. Let the rest of the kids keep/resume playing once you get the injured player safely away from the action.
· Players cannot use their hands. It hurts to get kicked in the hands or to get stepped on.
Play It Safe! Safety… is no accident!
Logistics
1. The group director will have a first aid kit and some extra equipment each session.
2. Please set up portable goals and secure them each session.
Minikicker Activity Suggestions
General: Emphasize kicking, dribbling and running in all activities. Keep activities very basic and simple to understand. Encourage energy around the ball. If anything is too hard, either simplify it or move onto something else. Attention spans are not long in any case. Activities should be structured so all or many kids are participating at once. Kids standing in line watching one shoot the ball is VERY BORING.
- Knock Down Cones – Coaches set up cones. Every kid has a ball. Have kids kick ball to knock down cones. Coaches race to set them back up while kids continue to try to knock down every cone at once.
- Knock Out – Every kid has a ball in an enclosed, marked area. Kids move ball around the area trying to kick other balls out while keeping their own ball inside the area. Ball out of the area (or three times out of the area) means that kids sits on the perimeter. Last one in wins.
- Red Light, Green Light – Kids line up and coach is a distance away facing away. Kids dribble toward coach on green light and must stop on red light.
- Character square –Mark a square area. Assign each side of the square a name of some character the kids know. (Let the kids pick the characters.) Coach calls out a character and kids have to dribble their ball to the line marking that side of the square and stop the ball on the line.
- Relay Races – Two or three teams in a short line take turns dribbling one ball per team up and back in a team race.
- Cone dribbling – Set up a small course using cones or parents or both for the kids to dribble through. If you don’t let the return trip follow the same route you can send one kid off, then another after the first gets out a few cones, etc. This lets every kid participate at once.
- Punt the ball from hands – Have the kids pick up the ball with their hands, drop it and punt it before it hits the ground. While this is really goalie practice, it is a good skill to develop coordination and also can be done at home. Try with either foot.
- Long Kicks – Match up kids that can kick about the same distance and let the kids just kick back and forth as far and hard as they can. The objective is to strengthen their legs and learn to kick hard with either foot. Try to spend five minutes on this one every session.
- Follow the Leader – kids take turns dribbling and are encouraged to do something creative or silly while doing so.
Minikickers: Organizing Sessions
Parents / Players
1. Welcome to Minikicker Soccer. Minikicker soccer is for 4-5 year olds and is played in very small groups. The program is geared toward creating an environment that keeps all kids very active for their 60 minute session in contrived soccer games and soccer scrimmage activity. The ideal soccer scrimmage for kids this age is with 4 players on a team on a small sized field with boundaries that are not too strict.
2. Organizing sessions are scheduled for the Wednesday after Labor Day. At the organizing session, we are going to form teams at the field. It is important that we form an even number of teams. Those teams should target having 6 players each on their team. So your director will be choosing the number of teams to create based on final registration census. Thanks in advance to those parents who have volunteered to work with a team. The only real job requirement here is that you can attend the sessions. The club will help with the soccer part.
3. The team volunteers are provided a blank roster sheet. The kids will be brought in together and the team volunteers will start just selecting players for their roster. They are encouraged to choose kids in groups based on familiarity. So if your child wants to be on the same team as their friend, they should stick together during this part of the process. The director needs to ensure we have all kids placed and that no teams get too large.
4. Once the teams are formed, they separate from the other teams. At this point, the team volunteer needs to record name of each kid, and pass out a t-shirt to each. There are eight t-shirts for the kids for each team. The kids need to choose a name for their team. Then all this needs to be reported to the group director. There is a little bit of idle time in here for the kids, so having an extra person helping keep the kids active in a small soccer activity is great.
5. It is helpful to the director to keep one or two roster spots open on each team to permit some flexibility to place any late registrations. Having only six players on a roster is also better than 7 or 8 when it comes to the playing sessions. Note that skill level is not that important – the session format will help keep the activities fun.
Intramurals Thumbnail Rules of Soccer
Ball in play – when any part of the ball is inside of or touching the perimeter line around the field. I.E. On the line is “IN”, and the line extends straight up in an imaginary plane.
Goal is scored – when all of the ball passes over all of the line between the goal posts and under the cross bar. The team that scores the most goals wins. A tie is a tie – no overtimes unless it is a special tourney.
Penalty area – large area in front of the goal includes the larger of the two rectangles. This is where the goalie can touch the ball with his hands. The arc at the top of this area is not part of the penalty area.
Throw in – How the ball is put into play when it leaves the field of play at the sidelines. The ball must be released using two hands, over the head of the thrower, and with both feet on the ground upon release. The team that touches the ball last when it leaves the field “surrenders” the throw – in – i.e. the opposing team takes the throw-in.
Goal Kick – How the ball is put into play when the offensive team last touches a ball that goes out of play over the end line. The goal kick is taken from the smaller box in the penalty area (this box is called the goal box) and must leave the penalty area before anybody can touch it.
Corner Kick – How the ball is put into play when the defensive team last touches a ball that goes out of play over the end line. The corner kick is taken from the corner. A goal can be scored directly from a corner kick.
Kick off – How the ball is put into play to start a half or quarter and after a goal is scored against you. The ball is placed at the center of the field and taken as a free kick. All defensive players must stay outside the center circle until the ball is first played.
Fouls – There are two kinds of fouls in soccer. One kind results in the opposing team taking a direct free kick. A direct free kick is one in which the offensive team can shoot and score directly from the kick. Fouls that result in a direct free kick are generally the physical fouls, including tripping, kicking, pushing, charging, holding, jumping at, handball, etc. The other kind of fouls results in the opposing team taking an indirect free kick. An indirect free kick (IFK) must be touched by one other player on either team before it can legally enter the goal. Offsides, dangerous play, obstruction and getting a yellow card caution are fouls that result in an IFK.
Offsides – This is the hardest rule to understand in soccer, and maybe any sport. An offensive player ahead of the ball and in his offensive end of the field is in an offsides position if he does not have at least two players between him and the goal. Then, a player is judged offsides if his teammate plays the ball to him while he is in an offsides position. The judgment is made precisely when the teammate actually passes the ball. The player must also be what they call “interfering with play”, which means he is consciously involved with the play and trying to get the ball and score in order to be judged offsides. In any case, if a player is not offsides when the ball is played but then runs behind the second last defender while the ball is in flight (common example that is misunderstood), the player is NOT offsides. And you cannot be offsides if you receive a ball directly from a throw in (just a rule) or corner kick.
Penalty Kick – A foul committed in the penalty area by the defensive team that would result in a direct free kick is taken as a penalty kick. The penalty kick is taken at the penalty spot – a spot halfway between the goal box and the penalty box straight in front of the goal. All players except the goalie and kicker must be outside the penalty area and penalty arc upon taking of the kick. The kicker must wait for the referee’s whistle to take the kick and cannot touch it more than once until it is touched by another player (if this point blank shot does not go in).
Other – Players cannot use their hands or arms on the ball anywhere on the field – ok to do so for throw ins which are taken from off the field. The goalie cannot use their hands outside the penalty area. Slide tacking from behind (at the players heels specifically) is a foul penalized by a direct free kick and sometimes a yellow caution (dangerous) or red send off (serious foul play).
This link is out there for FAQs in case it helps.
http://www.staffordsports.org/uploads/download.php?id=230