St. Columbkille Soccer Club
Program Overview and Release Waiver
St. Columbkille Soccer Club is first and foremost an extension of St. Columbkille Parish. The intent of the club is not to compete for membership with other local soccer clubs. Rather, the intent is to provide an opportunity for parish youth to develop their soccer skills and play together as St. Columbkille Crusaders, all while maintaining a vision that is consistent with the parish's call to Go and Make Disciples. We want to offer an opportunity for athletes to represent St. Columbkille Parish, and to do so in a way that keeps them enthusiastic about playing soccer.
AGE BRACKET:
Players register to play soccer based on their age, not their grade in school. The age brackets are named based on the oldest a player can be to play in that bracket. For example, "U9s" are ages 9 and under, based on State-specified age cutoff dates. Players are allowed to "play up" into older age brackets, but never down into younger brackets. Unfortunately, this system sometimes leads to situations where players will not get to be on the same team as their classmates. This is a State-imposed rule, not one determined by St. Columbkille. History has proven that the player's best interests are served when he/she is placed on a team appropriate for his/her age. While this is usually not as significant an issue when the players are very young, it becomes much more significant when they are older and player passes are more closely scrutinized. It's important to team formation to conform to State regulations from the start.
TEAM ROSTER CONSTRAINTS:
Whereas some sports do not impose constraints on team roster sizes, soccer explicitly does. The team roster constraints vary by age bracket, increasing as the number of players on the field increases. When a team's limit has been reached, no further players may be added to the roster. Attempts to circumvent this constraint--while they may seem "doable"--are problematic, burdensome and (most importantly) could jeopardize the entire program. Consequently, St. Columbkille Soccer Club will determine how many teams will be fielded each season and what the composition of those teams will be, subject to the State-imposed roster constraints. This decision will be made in a manner that is maximally equitable and consistent with the club's by- laws.
Jr. Academy – SARPY COUNTY SOCCER LEAGUE (SCSL)
Jr. Academy is an academy style program designed for players in the Under-7 and Under-8 age groups. The focus is on providing players the best possible environment to help them learn soccer, develop individual skills, and build a love of the game. Jr. Academy teams practice once or twice per week during the season. Practices are at the St. Columbkille Soccer Complex.
Jr. Academy teams play in the Sarpy County Soccer League (SCSL). Each season (Fall and Spring) is 8 weeks long. Games are played at the home fields of Plattsmouth Soccer Club, Springfield Soccer Club, Murray Soccer Club, Gretna Soccer Club, Bellevue Soccer Club, La Vista Soccer Club and Papillion Soccer Club.
The registration fee for the Jr. Academy program is $70 per season and includes all in-season training, equipment, field conditioning, league fees and participation medals.
Uniforms for the Jr. Academy program are issued and returned at the end of each season from the St. Columbkille Soccer Club.
U7-U8: Players in these age brackets will only play in recreational leagues/divisions. This will give the youth an opportunity to see if they like playing soccer--perhaps trying out other sports as well--while also giving the coaches a chance to get to know their players and assess their skill levels.
Academy – EASTERN NEBRASKA SOCCER ASSOCIATION (ENSA)
Academy style program is designed for players in the Under-9 and Under-14 age groups. The focus is on providing players the best possible environment to help them learn soccer, develop their skills, and build on their love of the game.
Academy teams will practice twice a week during the season at the St. Columbkille Soccer Complex. Practice times are determined by the team coaches.
To foster development, players in the Academy program are grouped on teams with other players of similar experience and ability. All players are offered the opportunity to attend additional training both during the season and over the winter and summer.
Academy teams play in the Eastern Nebraska Soccer Association (ENSA) league or the Sarpy County Soccer League (SCSL). Each season (Fall and Spring) is 8 weeks long. The games are at the home fields of other teams in the league: Plattsmouth Soccer Club, Southeast Soccer Club, Gretna Soccer Club, Elkhorn Soccer Club and others.
Academy teams could choose to participate in winter indoor leagues as well as tournaments throughout the year.
The registration fee for the Academy program is $100 per season and includes all regular in-season training, equipment, field conditioning, and league fees. The cost for one tournament is also included.
Uniforms for the Academy program are not provided and must be purchased separately at a local supplier chosen by STSC.
U9-U14: Players in these age brackets will play in either recreational or competitive leagues/divisions. The decision about which league to play in will be up to St. Columbkille Soccer Club, and generally at the discretion of the coach. Depending on the interest level in a particular age bracket, this could lead to fielding multiple teams in different leagues. On the other hand, it could also lead to fielding a team into a league that is contrary to the interests of an individual player (e.g., recreational, when the player would prefer competitive) because such is in the team's best interests. St. Columbkille Soccer Club encourages its coaches to engage players and parents to ascertain what makes the most sense for each team.