Questions

(more FAQs are in the works…)

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Answers

Q1: What does all this U11, U13, Uwhatever actually mean?

A1: U stands for under, as in under age 13. The cutoff date is August 1 every year, as dictated by the Alaska Youth Soccer Association. For example, a player born on 8/3/97 would be a U13, while a player born on 7/30/97 would be a U14 player.  It all depends on which side of August 1 the players birth date falls (see chart below for guidance).

Playing ‘down’ is never allowed. In order to encourage the development of robust teams at all age levels, JSC also requires players to play with their age-level peers and not ‘play up’ with an older age-group team. See section 5.7.5 of the JSC Policy and Procedures for more information.

For the 2009-2010 season, the following chart provides an easy way to see on which team a player belongs:

Q2: Who is in charge of my child's team? The coach? Manager? Someone else?

A2: Head coaches and their assistants run the team on the field, but they need a great deal of help from parents. Coaches are volunteers and the more help parents can provide the more the coaches can concentrate on team and player development. Each team needs a manager and bookkeeper/treasurer and people to do such functions as coordinating fundraising efforts, travel agent, chaperones, and van drivers. Managers typically handle the team's administrative duties such as keeping the roster and assembling credentials information for tournaments, keeping track of equipment, passing on club and team information to all parents and players, arranging coaches' travel, van rentals, and places for the team to stay while traveling, and working out travel budgets with the bookkeeper/treasurer. Teams often hold parent meetings to decide what tournaments to go to, what fundraising projects they will take on and who will organize them, and who will chaperone on trips. The most successful and cohesive teams generally have large, active groups of parents contributing and sharing the load.

Q3: What are “skills” clinics, goal keeping clinics, and ATP?

A3: They are free indoor training sessions offered to JSC members during mid October - May to develop the fundamental and advanced skills needed for competitive soccer. Skills clinics are co-ed and grouped by ages - U6-U7, U8-U9, U10-U12, U13-U15, and HS - one-hour sessions once a week. The skills clinics primarily focus on a player's ball handling and control and physical conditioning with nonstop action. At the sessions players learn juggling and ball balancing tricks too which add to the fun and satisfaction they get. Director of Coaching Matt Dusenberry runs the skills clinics.

ATP (Advanced Training Program) is for JSC members U12 (5th grade) and up and emphasizes higher-level skills and strategies working with other players and as a team, passing, defending, and moving without the ball. ATP has separate girls and boys programs. Sessions are weekly - an hour for younger players, longer for high schoolers - and generally combine 2 grade levels per session. ATP is coached by Director of Coaching and JDHS girls HS coach Matt Dusenberry, and JDHS boys High School coach Gary Lehnhart.

Goal keepers U10 and older get individual training as part of their weekend team practice sessions. Philip Subeldia and Matt Dusenberry coach the goal keeping sessions.

Attendance at these clinics is optional, however the players who regularly attend these clinics show more rapid skill development and improvement than those who do not. JSC membership fees fully cover participation in these sessions. Check the JSC website for session times and locations.

Q4: What is “ODP”?

A4: ODP stands for Olympic Development Program. It is a US Youth Soccer program to identify and train a pool of players in each age group for Youth National Teams. Each year Alaska Youth Soccer Association puts together 5 ODP teams of 18 players each in the 12-16 year-old age groups for both boys and girls. The age groups are grouped by calendar birth year - 94's, 95's, 96's, etc.

Tryouts for the Alaska ODP pool occur in the fall in Juneau. From the fall tryouts, 25 players statewide are selected in each boys' and girls' age group. Those players are required to attend at least 2 of 3 mini-camps held during the winter - one each in Fairbanks, Anchorage, and Juneau - where final selections are made for the state teams. Those teams go to week-long Region IV ODP training camps each summer in McMinnville, OR for boys, and California or Idaho for girls. At the ODP summer camps the Alaska teams train and compete against teams from throughout Region IV (14 western states). Players showing the most promise for a national teams pool are "held over" for a few days after camp for further evaluation and may be selected for the regional team. Juneau has had several players held over for the Region IV pool - most recently, Margaret Sekona in 2006.

Participation in ODP has significant additional costs beyond JSC membership fees. See the AYSA or Region IV websites for more information.

Q5: What do Juneau Soccer Club membership fees cover?

A5: JSC fees cover the basics of running a year-round high quality competitive youth soccer program in Juneau. Included are: contract costs for Director of Coaching, JSC bookkeeper, high school ATP coaches, clinics and goal keeping assistant coaches, 400+ hours rental of Dimond Park Field House, gym and outdoor field rental, Alaska Youth Soccer Association dues (includes insurance), modest competitive team coach stipends, coach licensing training.

In recent years JSC has also been able to provide competitive team uniforms, practice shirts and t-shirts, balls, goals and other equipment through an annual CBJ youth activity grant. That grant along with other club funds has contributed some money to offset competitive team travel costs and to helping fund local tournaments, such as 6v6 and the annual Whitehorse Exchange.

JSC membership fees do not cover most of the cost of competitive team travel. Teams' families typically cover those costs by using JSC fundraisers to help pay individual players' shares, holding team fundraisers throughout the year, or paying out-of-pocket. Travel costs to tournaments can be around $1,000 per player depending on tournament location and lodging costs.

Q6: How do JSC membership fees compare to other soccer club fees?

A6: Compared to other competitive youth soccer clubs in Alaska, JSC fees are a bargain. Approximate costs for one typical club in Anchorage for U11 and above are $355 annual membership fees, $250 local league tournament fees, $20-65 per month coaching fee per player, approx $250 for uniform and warm-ups, plus an indoor facility fee based how many hours of indoor practice the team takes a year ($200-400 estimate). Those teams also pay extra fees for out-of-town tournaments and travel like JSC teams. A total of about $1200-$2000 a year, compared to $325 for JSC.

For younger players U6-U10, costs at that Anchorage club are $540 to $720 a year for 2 hours a week. JSC's fees for U6-U11 are $100-$150 total for one hour a week - 36 weeks a year.

Q7: Can fees be fundraised?

A7: A portion of JSC annual membership fees for U12 ages and older can be fundraised through club-sponsored fundraisers each year. Players pay $200 upon registration and can pay the remaining $125 through fundraisers. Club-wide fundraisers are:

1) Raffle ticket sales October-November
2) Mark Kelley calendar sales Thanksgiving through Dec 21
3) Goal Card discount cards January-February

A player's portion (50-90%) from these sales can be used to offset the balance of their membership fees, or if fees are fully paid, used for the player's travel costs. All profits from club fundraisers go to the players.

In addition, a player may use the money they raise from team fundraisers to pay club fees if desired.

Q8: Does Juneau Soccer Club offer scholarships to players unable to pay membership fees?

A8: JSC does have a scholarship program that covers the $200 initial membership fee for a limited number of players. Scholarship players can then pay the balance of their fees through club (or team) fundraisers. JSC also has a dedicated fund to help scholarship players with team travel costs. Two sources of scholarships are available:

1) The Irene & Anne Shima Memorial Fund - supported by JSC and generally limited to $200
2) CBJ Parks & Recreation Youth Scholarship Program - up to $100 per player

For instructions for applying for these scholarships see the JSC membership page: www.juneausoccer.org/membership.htm