Letter From the President

Spring 2017

Welcome, Randolph Soccer Club families, to the 2016-17 season!

We are at the beginning of another great soccer year for RSC teams.  From U8-U15, we are fielding 20 teams in all for boys and girls this season.  Thank you to all those dedicated volunteers who have stepped up to help with club leadership and team leadership for this season.

For anyone interested in getting involved with the club, we are always looking for new volunteers.  Over the course of the season, you’ll be hearing more about the importance of parent volunteerism in helping club leadership keep the club fee we all pay as stable as possible from year to year.  Please reach out to any Board member for additional information on ways to get involved.  Click HERE to view the current RSC Board Member listing.
 

As everyone has heard, transition and change are the hallmarks of 16-17 for travel soccer in the U.S.  The birth year age eligibility changes have resulted in a great deal of roster upheaval.  Plus, a number of on-field changes have been mandated that will make for on-field differences for players.  Click HERE to view U.S. Soccer’s latest clarifying presentation.  Click HERE to view a FAQ document from NJYSA (the governing body for travel soccer in NJ that oversees MCYSA, the league in which most RSC teams play) about implementation in NJ.
 

Between the roster changes and the on-field changes, everyone’s ability to predict the competitive landscape heading into this fall is much weaker than usual.  Leagues have done the best they can with the info provided by clubs to flight teams appropriately.  It is very possible that your team will have the range of game experiences this fall:  games where they dominate; solid competitive matches; and games where they are dominated.  Once there are actual results at the end of this fall, each league, with input from clubs, will revisit flighting for the spring season.  Thank you in advance for your patience and support as we are all working through the learning curve with these changes.   
 

As we’ve done for the past several years, toward the end of the fall season, RSC will conduct an anonymous on-line survey that goes out to all of our families.  Please take the time to respond when you receive the email as the feedback provided is a valuable source of information and insight to those of us dedicated to managing the Randolph Soccer Club.
Finally, just a reminder about expectations for spectator behavior:  support your whole team, refrain from coaching (remove action verbs from your cheering), and understand that making decisions on the field, which will include making plenty of mistakes, is the optimal way for players to develop.  The English FA (Football Association) has a great series of short videos on this topic that are worth a watch.  Click HERE to go to the videos.

 

Best wishes to all for a fun, developmentally productive season on the pitch!

 

On behalf of the entire RSC Board,

Tammy McConnell

President
Randolph Soccer Club