Important Tryout info for 2009-2010 Season

ALL OF THIS INFO IS UNDER THE "IMPORTANT INFORMATION" LISTING ON THE BLOG AS WELL.

Parents and Players,
There are a couple of items I wanted to make you aware of for next season. I think we cleared this first one up before the season end but I wanted to make sure everyone was clear with regard to club and school soccer. For those going on to play high school soccer, you can still play club soccer at the same time. There is a catch though. Basically, you can be a member of the club team but just can’t practice or play with the club team during your high school season (i.e. approximately from November 1st thru February 15th, although that changes depending on which school you attend and how far in the playoffs they go.) I hope that clears it up for everyone.

The next item is the team for next year. The Louisiana Soccer Association, the Association for the entire state, has some very strict rules about team formation and soliciting players. This year, tryouts for our age group (U14-U19), are allowed from June 1-18. That means we can only have tryouts and CANNOT SOLICIT OR EXTEND OFFERS FOR PLAYERS TO JOIN THE TEAM until June 30th. If a coach, player or parent (from any club) attempts to recruit players anytime before that date, it can put that club in violation of the state rules. You can however let anyone, and I highly encourage this, know about the dates for tryouts. If you know someone who wants to attend tryouts, have them e-mail me at richjstewart@yahoo.com.

Our team tryouts are tentatively scheduled for June 3, 6:30-7:30 and June 9, 6:30-7:30 both to be held at Comeaux High School (this information will also be on the LFC website www.lafayettefutbolclub.com). All members from last year’s team are invited to attend and I would love to see ALL of the players there. I highly encourage players to attend both tryouts but attendance at least at one of them is mandatory. However, if you have conflicts or cannot attend or just want to discuss the format of the tryout, please let me know well in advance. Please understand I cannot make any solicitations or ask for commitments from the past team members, or any potential team members, until June 30th or I will be violating the LSA rules. Regardless, we will need to add at least one or two more players to the team. As a reminder, we have a roster limit of 18 players. Only players born after July 31, 1995 can attend the tryout. Feel free to call me if you have any concerns or need to discuss it in more detail.

Finally, for summer soccer camp, it sounds like there are some conflicts but I would recommend that the players try to attend the ULL residential camp. There is a residential option ($300) and a commuter option ($200) so choose the one that fits best. This is not a mandatory camp for the team merely a suggestion. Each player needs to register to attend and when you do, tell them you are on the Galaxy team so you get the discount (I think Samoa spoke to them about it and they offered to extend it past the deadline but I will let Samoa comment on that). Here is the link to the website. The residential camp dates are July 16-19.

Thanks,
Rich

End of Season notes

Parents and Players,

I just thought you might want to know how LFC did as a club so I am passing this e-mail along to you. The excerpt below is from an e-mail sent by Jim Diehl, Club President:

LFC's eight (8) teams are all awesome. Thanks to all for taking the time to spend time with the players and guide them with your patience and knowledge.

A re-cap of some of the statistics to inform the public about:
3 State Champions

2 State Finalists

2 State Semi-Finalists

We all need to congratulate Karen Smith and her team for a well earned State Championship!

The club continues to grow and outside teams are expressing an interest. There are several U11 teams being formed so if you know of anyone who wants to attend tryouts, they are scheduled in the next couple of days and all the information can be found on the Club website, www.lafayettefutbolclub.com.

The club has a small group working on locating and securing fields for the fall. Once we have something concrete, I will pass it along to all of you. Our goal is to have a location that can be more central and provide lighted fields for the fall.

Look for a few e-mails coming out in the next few days regarding tryout dates, commitment letters for next year and our summer camp plans. Below are the sanctioned dates that we can hold tryouts and more info will be sent to you soon:

U14-U19 Boys & Girls

Tryout Period: June 1 – June 18
Dead Period: June 19 – June 29
Premier Invitation Date: June 25
Division 1 Invitation Date: June 30

In closing, let me say that I am extremely proud of our players for their efforts and success. I have taken a few days to think about what we have accomplished as a team and one thing, among many, that stands out is the girls finally are beginning to understand that a team is made up of many parts and every player has a role but no one alone can carry the entire team. It takes every player working as a cohesive unit and understanding their role and the roles of the others to win. As we continue teaching, identifying learning experiences (like our last game) and using those experiences as a platform for more development, Galaxy will become an example of what a team is and an example of how a team operates on and off the field.

Thanks for everything,

Rich