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

 

Virginia Club Champions League (VCCL)

Schedule Spring 2012

We are pleased to announce an exciting addition to our Travel Program. Starting Fall 2011 our U11-U14 premier (or A) teams will join a newly created division of the Virginia Club Champions League (VCCL). Please see the official announcement from VCCL here.

The technical staff of ASA believes that participation in the new VCCL league will be a huge benefit for the Club. It will allow a greater emphasis on player development; the flexibility to give more players opportunities to improve and play at a high level; it also allow ASA to participate in the governance of the league as it develops and so giving us some say in a league where our teams play.

The new northern division would begin play in the Fall 2011 soccer season and will include each club’s top (or “A”) team in the rising U11-U14 boys and girls age groups.  Each year thereafter we will add the new rising U11 age group to the northern division until it includes all age groups through U11- U19.  For the time being, Arlington’s B, C, and D teams will continue to play in WAGS, NCSL and/or ODSL, as will our older and younger age group teams not included in VCCL.

In addition, we are hoping that the new VCCL northern division will eventually include two U9 and U10 teams from each member club.  While these teams will not be in the league, they will play against the other VCCL northern teams in their age groups.  Coaches will be free to intermix the players from both teams at any time for games. Scores and standings will not be collected for the U9 and U10 age groups. Planning is underway, but may not happen for Fall 2011.

Arlington will also select additional boys and girls in the U9 and U10 age groups to play in NCSL, WAGS, or ODSL.

Reasons for ASA joining VCCL

• VCCL is governed and administered by the chief technical leaders (Technical Directors and/or Directors of Coaching) of each club, meaning that the primary emphasis is on player development.
•VCCL does not have tiered divisions with relegation and promotion.  This allows teams to focus on player development rather than worrying about relegation.
•VCCL uses a club pass system that allows players to move between teams.  For example, a strong player on a U11 team could play one or more games with the club’s U12 team to evaluate his or her potential in a more competitive environment.  Players on Arlington’s other teams will also have opportunities to play for Arlington’s VCCL teams.  Currently, NCSL, WAGS and ODSL do not allow this kind of flexibility between teams within a club.
•All VCCL games are scheduled for an entire year at the beginning of the soccer year. This gives families advance notice of when they are playing and allows greater flexibility for planning.
•All VCCL games are scheduled so that all teams in a club play at the same venue on the same day. So, all Arlington teams in VCCL will play all the teams from another club on the same day at the same, or a nearby site. This fosters greater club spirit and allows for greater coach interaction.
•Each year VCCL will create a select team in each age group to compete in national, international or premier regional competitions. This will give our players opportunities to play at a higher level.
•VCCL plans to include “cross-over” inter-divisional games between the northern league and the southern league. These games will give our teams additional opportunities to play against quality opponents. These games will be arranged informally for the 2011-2012 season and will be incorporated into formal league play for the start of the fall 2012 season.

Joining the new division of VCCL is likely to enhance Arlington’s reputation and keep Arlington’s travel program on the cutting edge. It will provide a more competitive environment for our premier teams. This move will also benefit our B, C, and D teams by allowing us to include more teams in WAGS and NCSL, which currently limits us to 2 teams per age group (before U15).

We are excited by the opportunity to offer this new program and become part of an organization that mirrors our philosophies and goals for the development of young soccer players.

Any technical questions about the new league should be directed to the Directors of Coaching. If you have any concerns of a personal nature or how this will affect the direction of our Travel Program please contact Travel Committee Chairperson.   All emails are listed below.

Grant Smith, Director of  Coaching (grant@arlingtonsoccer.com)

Mo Tayari, Assistant Director  (mo@arlingtonsoccer.com)

Jawed Sanie, Director of Player Development  (jsanie@arlingtonsoccer.com)
George Shirley, Travel Chairman (geoshirley@hotmail.com)

For more information on VCCL, visit their website www.vcclsoccer.com