COACHES' MEETING March 28, 2006
Section 3, Area T, Region 220

AYSO Region 220 - Tarrytown/Sleepy Hollow - Spring 2006 Coaches' Meeting 3/28/06

1. Thank you for volunteering! Our region was honored at the Section Meeting in Orlando with the Platinum Award, for regional achievement. Congratulations.

2. The season starts on Saturday 4/8 (if the weather co-operates).

3. Check and read your e-mail often and please act upon it. Become familiar with eAYSO and tell the parents. Every coach is now in eAYSO, but not all of you have signed up for user ID and password and signed up as volunteer. Most questions can be answered with "it's on the website": www.aysotarrytown.com, including contact information about opposing coaches.

4. Field Issues: Leave the field as you would like to find it and clear the trash. - Portable goals. Coaches should have the key that fits all locks (contact Gary van der Meer). At all fields: First game, set up the goals, this means getting there early if you have the first game; Last game, store the goals. Please don't add to the burden of your fellow volunteers by leaving it for someone else. - Games MUST start and END ON TIME. Referees will be enforcing the Area rules that require running time, NO quarter breaks, just a quick substitution break and a short break at halftime. If it is really hot, talk to the opposing coach and referee to have a short quarter break, but shorten the playing time accordingly. Pre-game activities such as equipment and field checks should be done before the scheduled start time, and post-game handshakes should be done off of the field. If your game starts late for whatever reason, the total playtime will be shortened accordingly; referees will be instructed to clear the field at the scheduled time. - We will be using spectator lines at the fields. No spectators are allowed behind the goals. Good sportsmanship and appropriate behavior are important. - Together with the schools, we are creating momentum to get 1 or more artificial turf fields in town and will keep you posted on that. - We don't have Peabody and Losee Park this Spring. U8 will play games at Kenny Field, next to the pool on Marymount Avenue in Tarrytown (2 fields) and Pocantico (1 field. Note: DO NOT PARK ON THE ROAD, park to the left of the field, next to the school; or go through the gates to the right of the field.)

5. What’s in the handout? Yearbook (combination photobook and parent handbook); new printout of your roster (remember it is the coaches responsibility to contact the player's parents asap with the schedule); a notice "registration on-line only"; new registration forms if you have new players (we folded 2 U8G teams); additional uniforms for new players will be available next week. There may still be a few players added.

6. Calendar: Game days: 4/9, (skip 4/16 Easter), 4/23, 4/30, 5/7, (skip 5/14 Mother's Day), 5/21, (skip 5/28 Memorial Day), 6/4, 6/11 and 6/18. (Extra program starts 4/15)
- April 2: Daylight Saving Time begins
- April 7&8: Regional Referee certification: encourage assistant coaches, (team-)parents, and players U10 and older to attend: Friday April 7 - 7-9:00 pm & Saturday April 8 - 9am-3pm (you must come to both sessions)
- April 23: coach trainers will assigned to each team once, and open for signup after that.
- April 15: Easter weekend (no practice/games, but fields are available for practice for U6 as on April 8 and at regular practice times for others)
- May 13: Coaches' Game at WI, 8-10am.
- May 27: Memorial Day weekend (fields are available for practice for U6 as on May 20 and at regular practice times for others)
- Registration 2006/2007 season: April 29, 11am-2pm WI cafeteria + May 13, 11am-2pm Sleepy Hollow High School cafeteria (volunteers needed). Cleat Exchange + donate used soccer clothing for “La Pampa” in Argentina - Ricardo Gonzalez)
We want to encourage you to sign up on-line and early, which guarantees your children a spot on a team, and makes scheduling easier. We want to grow our reserves rather than tap into it, purchase more equipment, continue the paid coach trainers, and have more volunteers attend the section and national meeting. The early registration fees are $85 for the first child, $65 for additional children. (This is our first raise in 6 years.) After May 31, 2006 the fees are $110 for the first child, $90 for additional children. After June 30, 2006 the regular fees apply of $135 for the first child, $105 for additional children, and waiting lists are possible. REGISTER ON-LINE, COMPUTER ARE AVAILABLE.
- June 6: parent info evening (mandatory for all new parents, suggested for others) Senior Center
- August 7-11: Soccer Camp - register on-line

7. Schedules: U5, U6 & U8 will be essentially the same as in the Fall. For U10 and above, teams were placed into two groups based on Fall records to seek balanced games. You don’t have to keep track of scores in the spring, but try not to run up scores by more than 5. U10 will be played on Pennybridge and WI Upper; U12 on Pocantico; U14 and U16 WI Lower. Area Guidelines are in effect for U10 and above (on the website). Adhere to them. Example: "Games should not be cancelled because coaches cannot field a full team for a scheduled game". The schedules should be available on the website around April 1 (area meeting is 3/30). In a few weeks I will invite you for evaluations and your coaching plans for next year, so the teams next year can be balanced. Remember: “All evaluations, or no trophies”.

8. Practice Field Signup. U5 & U6 coaches may leave. We will call up the remaining teams by age group, oldest first.