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Frequently Asked Questions
How long does the soccer season last?
The soccer year is broken into two sessions: fall and spring. Your registration for the fall covers both sessions, and your child will play on the same team both sessions. In-house recreational games in the fall start the week after Labor Day, and run through the end of October. Games start again in April and run through the weekend before or after schools let out. The spring schedule usually avoids Pinckney Schools’ spring break and Memorial Day weekend. The travel teams’ schedules may vary a bit from the recreational schedule.
What are the different levels of teams?
Recreational (in-house) teams play all games at Bennett Park West and only against other Hamburg recreational teams. We have four levels of recreational boys and girls teams. The “U” listed before an age group indicates “under”, meaning children playing in that league are under that age at the start of the soccer season. Ages for our programs are based on a child’s age as of August 1st of the current year.
•U-6 (A League) = 4 or 5 years old
•U-8 (B League) = 6 or 7 years old
•U-10 (C League) = 8 or 9 years old
•U-14 (D League) = 10 to 13 years old.
No try-outs are necessary. These teams are intended for beginning players and players only interested in soccer for the fun of it.
Travel: Players are required to try-out for select and premier teams.
Players who are considering playing soccer in high school and beyond should try-out for the appropriate Select or Premier team. We offer several levels of competitiveness and normally have one boys and one girl’s team in each age group.
Travel teams require more time and financial commitment. There are additional costs at this level that are not included in the original registration fee.
•Travel teams practice more often and play teams from other communities, usually about a ½ to 1-hour drive away.
•S/P players usually need to purchase an additional equipment each year.
•S/P teams may also enter tournaments, some local and some requiring an overnight stay.
These extra costs will vary by team and can range from as little as $100 to several hundred dollars per play year, but these are the costs of fielding a competitive S/P team. Check with the coach at tryouts to see what expected costs will be.
What are the rules for late registration?
Registration officially closes on the selected deadline. Registration or payments for in-house recreational players not received by the deadline will be considered late and must be accompanied by a late fee and are subject to space availability on teams. LATE REGISTRANTS ARE NOT GUARANTEED PLACEMENT ON TEAMS. BUT EVERY EFFORT WILL BE MADE TO PLACE AS MANY PLAYERS AS POSSIBLE. If there are no teams in need of players, your registration will not be accepted and you will be placed on a wait list.
Select and Premier travel players must complete registration and make payment within one week after notification of placement on a team.
What are the rules for refunds?
Due to the work involved in putting teams together, refunds are not issued except for unavoidable situations such as an injury or illness that prevents the child from playing the remainder of the season, or if the child moves out of the area. Unfilled requests for team placement, loss of interest, dissatisfaction with a coach, etc are not grounds for a refund.
The point in time that the refund is requested will determine the amount of the refund. Insurance payments, uniforms costs and other overhead and prorated costs will be deducted before refunds are made. To be considered for a refund, requests must in writing by the parent either via e-mail to any of the Board members or mailed to HCSC P.O. Box 242 Lakeland, MI 48143.
When will practices be scheduled?
The practice schedules (nights and frequency) are at the discretion of each coach. Practices typically start 1-2 weeks before games each session. In-house recreational teams typically practice one night per week and travel teams practice 1-5 days per week depending on the coach and the level of competition. If your child is trying out for a select or premier team, you should ask the coach about his/her expected practice schedule for the coming season.
What days are games played?
In-house recreational U-6, U-8 and U-10 games normally are played on Saturdays between 9 AM and 3 PM. There will also be a couple of weeknight games per session around 6 pm. Frequency of the number of weeknight games depends on the number of teams per program. If a program has an uneven number of teams, you can expect your weeknight games to be more frequent.
In-house recreational U-14 games are normally played on Friday evening aroung 6 pm and Sunday afternoons at either 2:00 or 3:30 pm.
Travel games are either on Saturdays or Sundays with a couple of weeknight games per session.
Can I request placement of my son or daughter on a particular team or with a particular coach? We do not take coaching requests, but will try to honor car pooling or one particular night to not have practices on.
These requests need to be noted on the time of registration. But we do not guarantee that every individual's request will be honored. We cannot schedule around player’s other activities, or change rosters once they have been set. This process is necessary to assure we can get rosters and schedules out in time. Unfilled requests are not grounds for refund of registration fee.
When will the coach call me?
The volunteer recreational coaches will receive a roster usually in late August. They are then to contact each of their players.
How did my child get placed on this team?
After the close of regular registration, recreational teams are formed by age group, gender and coaches’ child(ren). Special requests are then considered. Teams normally have an equal balance of players from both age groups in their particular league (i.e. a roster of 10 in the “A” league (U-6) will have equal number of players 4 year olds and 5 year olds). Late registrants are added to teams that need players, regardless of any special requests. Some may not be placed do to lack of volunteer coaches. That is why it is very important to consider coaching.
How many games will be played?
Teams can expect to play 8-10 games per fall/spring session, for a total of 16-20 games in the year. The number of games varies a bit from year-to-year based on the calendar.
What equipment will we need?
Players will need the following items:
•Uniform: As part of your registration fee, HCSC will provide each player a complete game uniform consisting of team colored soccer jersey, shorts and socks.
•Soccer shoes (not tennis shoes): Baseball shoes or any other shoe with metal cleats or a cleat of any kind on the toe are prohibited by club rules. If you can afford them, a better quality leather shoe can be a worthwhile investment in terms of superior comfort and wear.
•Soccer shin guards: Mandatory for games and practices to protect players from painful injury.
•Soccer ball: Required for team practice - Many team practice activities require everyone to have a ball. There are three ball sizes: U-6 uses #3; U-8, U-10 and most U-14 in-house teams and U-8 through U-12 travel teams use #4; some U-14 teams and travel teams U-13 and above use #5.
•Water bottle: Required for both practice and games. Sports experts recommend plain water over sugary soft drinks that can leave your child feeling even thirstier.
•Mouth Guard: Optional
These items can be purchased new at reasonable cost at many local discount stores and can sometimes bought used at even lower cost at some sporting goods stores.
What do we do in case of Bad Weather?
Do not assume a practice or a game is cancelled just because the weather is inclement. Cancellations for practices will be decided by the coach. Games can only be called by a referee and teams are expected to show up at the field.
What is my registration fee used for?
HCSC charges a fee that allows us to provide a high quality soccer program. The club provides complete game uniform (jersey, shorts and socks), well maintained fields, coach training and a trained professional referee staff. We are making enhancements to our coaching and player training programs. We are also participating with Hamburg
Township to make further improvements at the soccer complex, such as field improvements, additional pavilions, and bleachers and lights on selected fields.
Volunteers fill all HCSC recreational coaching and club officer positions and perform all administrative functions.
We understand that registration costs seem substantial. We also hope parents will realize that HCSC Soccer represents an excellent value. Depending on level of play, your child will be involved in 35 to 80+ hours of games and practices over the course of the play year. This works out to $3.25 OR LESS per hour to participate in either the recreational or the travel program! Soccer is great fun, exercise and physical development; it is cheaper than a movie; it is also
very cost-competitive with other skill-development and athletic programs your child could participate in.
Why did my child end up on the wait list?
Sometimes programs are very popular and we have more players than we do volunteer coaches. Sometimes we need to place players on a wait list until a coach is acquired. If one does not volunteer, your child will not be placed on a team.
THAT IS WHY IT IS VERY IMPORTANT TO CONSIDER COACHING.
Once your child is removed from the wait list, you will receive an acceptance email. Those who chose to pay via credit card will be charged at that time. Those who pay via check have 7 days to submit payment.
No player will be placed on a team or will receive a uniform if payment is not recieved within 21 days prior to the start of the season.
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Hamburg Community Soccer Club
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