New Teams Forming
New Teams Forming
Alpine FC forms new teams in November/December (for the spring season) and May/June (for the fall season). We try to have enough roster spots for any interested players so call this NEW TEAM FORMATION rather than TRYOUTS.
NEW TEAM FORMATION (and tryouts for exisiting teams):
In order to run the most fun and effective sessions, we ask that all interested players register for tryouts online here.
This spring we will be forming new teams at the following ages (fall 2010 age groups):
GU8 NEW TEAM (girls born after 7/31/2002)
GU9 NEW TEAM (girls born after 7/31/2001)
BU8 NEW TEAM (boys born after 7/31/2002)
We hope to have at least two teams per age group; players are grouped by skill level (Red, Blue and Gold), so each player can develop at an appropriate pace.
See the Tryouts page for a complete schedule. If you missed the tryouts or have questions, please email Owen Flannery.
Is my child and my family ready for club soccer?
We are a community-based soccer club and we all faced this same question: is our child (and family) ready for professionally-coached club soccer? We undertand your concerns about time commitment, cost, travel, burnout and the stress of tryouts; we have the same concerns! Our Director of Coaching, Owen Flannery, is available by email to answer your questions, as is our President, Nancy Ditz, and Vice President, Betsy Diaz. We have a great deal of information on the "For Parents" and "About Us" page of this website. Read about our teams on their individual webpages; that will answer some of your concerns; we're local families that want a quality educational program for our kids and believe that soccer is a joyful life-long activity that promotes physical fitness and emotional well-being.
We believe no child who wants to play club soccer should be turned away at a young age--we try to have enough spots on our youngest teams for every child that has demonstrated a readiness for club soccer. Sometimes the numbers don't work out (too many for one team, not enough for two). But we do offer an Everyone Plays Academy environment, the Alpine Attack. In this way, you and your child can see if you love it, and we can try to have the exact right number of players to fill 1 or 2 teams. We also offer an after-school program which is geared more toward the recreational (AYSO) player.
Club Soccer Calendar--what to expect
Teams will practice twice weekly and play at least one game almost every weekend. The fall season for younger teams normally begins the second or third week of August and continues through the middle of November. There will be several different programs offered in the winter (December-February) for those interested in skill development. The spring practice season begins at the end of February or early March, games start in early April and continue through early June.
What age group is my child?
You can use this link or the chart below to figure out your child's "soccer age."
To summarize, U9 means "under-9" -- your child has not turned 9 by August 1 of this year (the soccer year is August-July)
Age Groups for the 2010-2011 playing year:
|
Age
|
Birth Dates between |
| U08 |
8/1/2002 to 7/31/2003 |
| U09 |
8/1/2001 to 7/31/2002 |
| U10 |
8/1/2000 to 7/31/2001 |
| U11 |
8/1/1999 to 7/31/2000 |
| U12 |
8/1/1998 to 7/31/1999 |
| U13 |
8/1/1997 to 7/31/1998 |
Everyone Plays Academy
For those children/parents not ready to jump to competitive soccer, the club offers several options:
Alpine Attack Academy runs once a week for 90 minutes. The Fall Academy runs mid-September to early November and the Spring Academy begins at the end of March and continues through the first of June. The Attack is an alternative or addition to AYSO and allows players to continue their development in a professional coaching environment. These children will not be "left behind" and will be prepared to join competitive teams in the future. We also offer a weekly hour-long after-school program that is more low key but still teaches great skills for players interested in the tremendous benefits of recreational soccer (AYSO).
What distinguishes Alpine FC?
Alpine FC is unique in this area due to the quality of our coaching staff and the commitment of our families to the age-appropriate long-term development of the players. Please review our
Coaching Staff page to learn more about the coaches, and the
About Us page for more information about the club.
Tryouts FAQs
Q: How will I know if my child is ready for club soccer?
If you or your child are frustrated by the level of play in recreational soccer (AYSO), that's an indicator that the player is ready for a professionally-coached and more competitive environment.
Q: How many try-outs should my child attend?
A: The more sessions your child attends, the better the coaches will be able to judge his or her current skill level. This also gives families a chance to see their child in this training environment in order to judge if it is a good fit.
Q: Will my child be able to "play up" an age group in order to stay with friends?
A: If your child is enrolled in the Alpine Attack Academy, the coaches already have a good idea of your child's skills and what will be best for him or her next year. In competitive soccer, the most important thing will be for your child to play at the appropriate level for his or her ability. If your child is not enrolled in the Academy, he or she should attend with the appropriate age group and you should indicate on the tryout form any special request for grouping (the coaches will make this determination based on the ability levels of all of the players).
Q: When will we know if our child is placed on a team?
A: Within two weeks after the last try-out date.
Q: What are the days, times, locations of practices for the teams and Academy for spring?
A: Alpine FC shares field space in Woodside and Portola Valley with AYSO, little league and school sports. In order to ensure that all children have adequate practice space, schedules are not finalized until closer to the start of the season. There are no guarantees about days, times or locations of practice until closer to the start of the season (by mid-February or mid-June).
Q: What is the cost of playing club soccer?
A: Each team has a unique budget based on number of practices, games, tournaments, etc. For a "startup" team (U9 or U10), the cost would include a uniform (about $160 for home and away jerseys, a bag, ball, and a sweatsuit) and fees for coaching, registration, referees, field use, and equipment, that total about $700 (excluding uniform). A $200 deposit is required upon acceptance on a team (by December 31st for the spring season and June 10 for the fall season). While this amount may seem high compared to AYSO and other parent-coached activities, it is quite low compared to tennis, golf, volleyball, gymnastics and other professional instruction. In fact, it works out to about $15/hour.
Q: How far will we have to travel for games?
A: Younger teams play in the Redwood Junior Soccer League or NorCal Region 2 against teams from Burlingame through Palo Alto. As teams progress, they may decide to play tournaments or leagues that are further afield.
Q: Who is "in charge" of the team?
A: The club will hire your coach for you who will be overseen by the Director of Coaching (DOC). The club will also identify a parent to act as "manager" of the team (to handle the administration and scheduling). The club will look for volunteers to help with various other jobs for the smooth running of a team (treasurer, registrar, uniform coordinator). Once the team is launched, the club offers parent mentors to assist in the startup. You will have at least two parent meetings, which will be attended by the coach, DOC and a representative of the club, to discuss areas of mutual interest (budget, schedule, coaching philosophy) but the manager's role is vital to the success of the team (he or she is the communication conduit between the coach, the parents and the club), and is a voting member of the Alpine FC (each team has one vote and the manager is expected to attend monthly club meetings). The club has the responsibility of approving all coaches and managers.
Q: What if my child "doesn't make" the team, or doesn't want to play on a competitive team right now?
Remember--we will offer the Everyone Plays Academy for any children who do not wish to join a team or for any that we don't have room for on the new competitive teams (rosters are limited to 13 for teams that play 8-a-side and 18 for teams that play 11-a-side). Your child will receive professional coaching and will not be "left behind."
