Arlington Soccer Association: Rec, Teen & Travel soccer in Arlington, VA

Concussion awareness – Information available to all parents, coaches and players

April 2, 2012 by justin · Comments Off
Filed under: News, Travel Soccer Club 

ASA Board members and staff recently attended a couple of worthwhile presentations on sports-related concussions.  One of the key takeaways is the need for greater awareness of symptoms, issues and aftereffects.  The information below is presented in the hope that ASA families will “read and heed”.  Towards the end there is also a link to a full online “course” from the NFHS that educates visitors about this issue.  Please share this information with others you know in the soccer community and elsewhere.

1)  The Center for Disease Control’s Fact Sheet — HEADS UP: CONCUSSION IN YOUTH SPORTS — http://www.cdc.gov/concussioninyouthsports/english/toolkit_coaches_factsheet.htm (available in English and Spanish).  Discusses symptoms, treatment and general guidelines.  Key point: If you think your athlete has sustained a concussion, take him/her out of play, and seek the advice of a health care professional experienced in evaluating for concussion.

2) The National Federation of State High School Associations’ online course “Concussion in Sports – What You Need To Know” – http://www.nfhslearn.com/electiveDetail.aspx?courseID=15000 .  In this course you will understand the impact sports-related concussion can have on your players, how to recognize a suspected concussion, the proper protocols to manage a suspected concussion, and steps to help your player return to play safely after experiencing a concussion.

3) Heads Up! US Youth Soccer and CDC Team Up to Help Keep Young Athletes Safe from Concussion – http://www.usyouthsoccer.org/news/story.asp?story_id=5963.  US Youth Soccer and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) are proud to be teaming up to help protect participants of all youth sports who may be at risk of concussion. The campaign, is an expansion of the “Heads Up: Concussion in Youth Sports,” and will help get concussion information into the hands of coaches, parents, and school and health care professionals who are on the front-line to help identify and respond appropriately to concussions among young athletes.

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ASA opens the E-store with Score sportswear!

June 10, 2011 by justin · Comments Off
Filed under: News, Travel Soccer Club 

ASA opens the store….the Score sportswear e-store, that is!

We still have some ASA logo’d items available at the ASA office, but we know you want more.  Best of all, you get to purchase quality products at attractive prices, and a percentage of the total purchase comes back to ASA!

All you need to do is go to their site, create an account, enter our special “ASA” club code, and you’ll see the ARLINGTON SOCCER tab at the top of the site. Hit the tab to browse through the items that are available and equip yourself with ASA gear!

Full instructions are available here.  The web site for Score is http://scoresports.com/, and is linked to this banner.

To start we have a limited number of items available. If you don’t see something you would like, please let us know so we can determine what to add to the store in the future.

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U9 – U12 Travel players assessed via the new iSoccer testing tool; most players show improvements

June 8, 2011 by justin · Comments Off
Filed under: Travel Soccer Club 

This Spring, ASA successfully implemented and administered the iSoccer assessment test for our U9 through U12 players.  We hope to utilize this tool in coming seasons to gauge the players’ technical development while presenting a fun series of challenges to the kids.

The iSoccer assessment is a test series that measures an individual player’s overall technical ability.  ASA will administer the iSoccer assessment at the beginning and end of each season to test a player’s most basic skills and measure the progression in their technical development throughout the season.

The assessment is simple and uses three objects (cones) to test as many as 16 skills across a range of 7 topics.  The iSoccer assessment properly identifies the strengths and weaknesses of each player and provides a mechanism for players to self test following the simple steps with three objects.  It also allows player to measures their performance against their peers and across the country through the iSoccer website.

From a club perspective, the assessment provides the Director of Player Development insight into the pool of technical skills and the progression of players across all the age groups in order to tailor club-sponsored skill sessions for the upcoming season.  The assessment also provides the Directors of Coaching insights into the performance of the Travel coaching staff by providing a beginning and end of season measure of technical development for each team.

The kids enjoyed the assessments, and overall we were delighted to see improvements from many of the participants.  We look forward to working with this tool for seasons to come and thus furthering the development of our players.

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Fall registration opens for Rec & Teen, with new registration options in place; sign up before July 1 to get your spot on your favorite team

June 7, 2011 by justin · Comments Off
Filed under: South Arlington 

(Updated June 29) Fall Rec and Teen registration is open, and we urge you to get your Spring teams to sign up soon for Fall ball, especially if players want to return to this season’s squads.  Please read on for more info about Fall registration and new team size limitations.

REGISTRATION – We’ll see a couple of changes with player registration and team assignments this Fall.  I want to make sure you are aware of these changes so that you can register and be comfortable with the results.  We want to make sure that, if you want to get back on a team you just played for, you can take the steps needed to make this happen.

1.      BEFORE JULY 1:  A player will be automatically assigned to the team he / she played for last season if (a) he / she registers before July 1, 2011, and (b) pays for the registration before July 1, 2011.  Registering *and* paying by July 1 is the only way to ensure that you get on the same team!

2.      AFTER JULY 1:  Players who register but don’t pay by July 1, and players who register after July 1, may end up on the same team as last season or they may be placed on a different team.

3.      The late fee for U8 and above starts on September 1, 2011.  For U6 and U7, the late fee starts on September 10, 2011.

The registration system will advise registrants in the following way:

Returning players who register by July 1, 2011, will be automatically placed on their Fall 2011 team based on their Spring 2011 team placement. All players will be placed on teams on a first-come, first-served basis, according to their registration date.  Roster spots cannot be held open for players who wait to register until later in the process. ASA provides no guarantees regarding player placement on specific teams or the completion of all games in a season.

SO WHAT DOES THIS MEAN?  Simply put, if you want to be placed again on the team you are currently playing for, register and pay before July 1, and you will be all set.  ** To register, use this link. **

If you have any questions, please contact your Club Manager or your coach.

TEAM SIZE LIMITATIONS – Team Definitions (effective Fall 2011)

Age Group # of Players on the Field Minimum Number of Players to Form  

a Team

 Minimum Number 

of Players to

Start/Play a Game

 Recommended* 

Roster Size
Maximum** Roster Size
under 6 & 7
(dual games)		 4 v 4 (no GK) 8 3 per field 12 14
under 8
(single game)		 4 v 4 (no GK) 4 3 8 10
under 9 & 10 6 v 6 6 4 10 12
under 11 & 12 8 v 8 8 5 12 14
under 13 & 14 11 v 11 9 7 16 18
under 15 – 19 11 v 11 8 7 18 25

 

* The Recommended Roster Size determines if a team is “full”. Teams below this size must accept a player if assigned. Teams may only exceed the Recommended Roster Size if the Club Manager AND the Coach agree to add additional players.

**If the Club Manager and the Coach agree, players may be added past the Recommended Roster Size; but only up to the Maximum Roster Size.  For existing teams, if the club manager and Coach agree all current players may return to the team regardless of team sizes.

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ASA Rec player takes the internet by storm; snazzy score goes viral

June 1, 2011 by justin · Comments Off
Filed under: Civitans 

ASA player Kenner Galeas (from the Civitans U13/14 Boys team “Bengals) scores a beauty and goes viral.

Check out this often cited video showing an exciting effort at the Thomas Jefferson Rec Center recently:

2011-0522-Soccer Hightlights Kenner02

This clip has caught fire, appearing in numerous sites across the internet, and leading to a TV interview and plenty of interest in this player.  Watch the interview:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TYT85bM2tl0 (go to minute 6:30 in the video)
Kenner, congrats on your acrobatic score, and keep ‘em coming!

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2011-2012 Travel Coach assignments

May 11, 2011 by justin · Comments Off
Filed under: Travel Soccer Club 

 

 

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Player Safety Policies document (UPDATED) – a must-read for all ASA parents and coaches (please)

March 30, 2011 by justin · Comments Off
Filed under: News, Travel Soccer Club 

PLAYER SAFETY POLICIES AND GUIDELINES

We love our kids! At the Arlington Soccer Association, we strive to provide quality soccer experiences for our members in a safe and healthy environment.  In an effort to achieve this goal, the ASA has compiled a set of safety policies and guidelines regarding several areas of the association.  The objective is to outline procedures, many of them new, that can be followed by players, coaches, parents and others to provide a safe, enjoyable place for our children.

The Player Safety Policies and Guidelines focus on:

•        Parent Responsibilities at Practices and Games (new)

•        Transportation (new)

•        Inclement Weather Procedures

•        Check-in and Check-out Procedures (new)

•        Bathroom Breaks at Practices and Games (new)

•        Medical Releases and Situations (new)

•        ASA’s “KidSafe” Program (Background Checks)

•        Movement of Soccer Goals

•        Injury Information (new)

The complete document can be found here.

Several important highlights of the Player Safety Policies include:

•        A parent volunteer must be present at all team events (where there is only one coach  present)

•        ASA Staff (coaches) cannot provide transportation to any player

•        A check-in/out system for players at all team events to be established

•        Players MAY NOT move goals at any time

Please review and incorporate the policies and procedures in this document.  ASA thanks you for helping take care of all of the kids in our programs!

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ASA car magnets are now for sale

March 28, 2011 by justin · Comments Off
Filed under: News, Travel Soccer Club 

ASA presents the new ASA car magnets.  These are 5  3/4″ diameter circular magnets that let you share your affinity with ASA with others.

ASA's new car magnet

These magnets are available for purchase at the ASA office (5210 Wilson Blvd.) and they cost $5 per magnet.

TRADE-IN OFFER: If you have any of the previous style ASA magnets on your car, why not trade it in and update it today?  Bring your old ASA magnet in to the office and trade it in for a new one for the special trade-in price of $4 per magnet!

Adorn your ride with the latest way to show your ASA pride!

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ASA Apparel is available, including new ASA polo shirts

August 25, 2010 by justin · Comments Off
Filed under: News, Travel Soccer Club 

ASA continues to offer ASA logo wear, and there is a new addition (noted below) available in limited sizes.  All items are available for purchase at the ASA office (5210 Wilson Blvd., Arlington).  If you wish, call ahead (703-527-0157) to make sure that the sizes that you want are available.

As before, the Arlington Soccer ballcap is a popular item.  Made from heavyweight 100% cotton brushed twill, this cap features a relaxed crown for a casual look. An easily adjustable Velcro closure with matching color strap gives you one-size-fits-most convenience.

Price:  $15

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NEW: Available in limited sizes, ASA now offers a royal blue ASA polo shirt.  This polo has a very “flat” stitch and gives maximum contact between the fiber and the skin.  The material is ringspun, combed 100% Pima cotton, which is soft yet durable.  Features include a ribbed knit collar, contrast taped neck, and classic two-button placket.

Price:  $20

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Arlington Soccer continues to offer the classic and comfy hooded sweatshirt.  Made from a solid 80% cotton/20% polyester blend that maintains its good looks all day, this premium pullover has a super-soft interior. Matching ribbed cuffs add to the eye appeal and protection of this solid unit.

Price:  $35

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