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Sep, 2020

Welcome to the 2020 Fall Vernon Soccer Club Season!

Welcome to the 2020 Fall Vernon Soccer Club Season!

Next weekend, our season starts with games or activities in all our divisions – Little Kickers (U4), Micro (U6), In-House Recreational (U8), Multi-Town Recreational (U10-U15) and Competitive Travel Clubs. I would like to thank all the volunteers who have worked hard to get us ready for the season - including all coaches & managers, division directors, all board members and the parents and guardians of all the players as well. Additionally, I would like to thank the Town of Vernon for assisting us in the setup and maintenance of the fields and goals. We have worked diligently to improve the condition of the fields over the past few years and our efforts have paid off. Our game fields at Legion Large and Small are impressive after instituting a turf management plan. There is a lot of behind the scenes work to run our program and for some volunteers, it is a 12-month effort. We also would like to thank our sponsors for the 2020 season. Please see our web site for the list of sponsors as many of these local companies have supported VSC for many years and we would also like to support them as well. Later this season we will be sending out more detailed information from our sponsors and some special offers for our VSC member base.

2020 has presented unique challenges that clearly span well past youth sports. I hope everyone is staying healthy, safe, and doing as well as you can during these difficult times.

Just a few weeks ago the VSC decided to expand the opportunities for the children of the community to participate in our soccer program and we are very happy to welcome back so many players and families as we move forward with a FULL traditional fall season.  Our full restart plan is posted on your team page under the file tab and here. As participation increases so does the number of people at our fields.  As such, we want to remind all of our families that we are trying to create the safest environment we can while letting our kids play soccer. At the end of my communication are specific rule changes and modifications set forth by the CJSA, as well as our basic seating requirements for all spectators to adhere to. 

Masks at ALL Fields are mandatory at all times except for players who are active on the fields.

If one of our COVID-19 Ambassadors notices someone without a mask we will kindly ask the individual to put a mask on. If they refuse, Vernon Soccer Club will not argue or be confrontational.  What we will do as a club, is stop the activities that your child is involved in and end the practice or match.  If someone does not want to wear a mask they can remain in their vehicle. Our new Health & Safety Director, Sarah Wilper, is available to answer any questions you may have @:  [email protected] / 860-424-2876

Please understand that we are following directives from the State of Connecticut, the Town of Vernon, Connecticut Junior Soccer Association, and US Youth Soccer.  We are a team of volunteers going the extra mile to provide a service for kids.  We fully respect everyone's opinions, but it's very important that we all be respectful of these rules and procedures, of all the people volunteering their time and hard work to make this happen, and of each other. Let's all work together to keep everyone safe.

Our NEW web platforms and registration process continue to be state of the art and we are told is one of the best around. Each team has an exciting new vibrant team page which is paired with a dedicated “Game Changer” mobile app just for them! This platform will provide you with a first-class communication tool and an interaction platform that will be unique compared to anything you have used before in youth sports leagues. If you have not downloaded and installed your “Game Changer” app you are missing out and you will not fully experience all our club has to offer! This season we continue our long-standing tradition of providing a 1st class team jersey to each recreational player to use and keep once the season concludes. We have invested in new equipment upgrades, and advanced training gear.

The VSC is 100% committed to providing a safe environment for our players, coaches and spectators. Please take a minute to review our zero tolerance policies and participant expectations.

September is Childhood Cancer Awareness month.

The Vernon Soccer Club is proud to make September its month to support Jamie's Run and the Connecticut Children's Medical Center. Some of our players will be wearing gold socks to bring attention to this and these foundations who directly impact children and families struggling and fighting cancer and blood disorders right now. Not only do they support over 100 pediatric cancer clinical trials with research shared all over the world, they assist families struggling to make ends meet during their child's treatment. One of our local families started Jamie’s Run back in 2010 after losing their daughter to cancer and making a decision to work in her memory to help other children and families fighting cancer like they did. (www.jamiesrun.org)

Some things to keep in mind this season as we get into our match season:

  • Shack Shack – We do not currently have plans to open our snack shack due to Covid-19.
  • Board of Directors – Our Board of Directors is always evolving. Each year, every position is available by vote. This upcoming season we expect multiple positions to be vacated by members that have players aging out of the program or who no longer have players in the program. Our club cannot function without parents getting involved at the board level. Should you like to get involved, the board is always looking for help. Please seek our any board member for more information on how you can get involved now.
  • Parking at VCMS - Please be aware of the designated parking areas during game and practice days. There is no parking in the fire lane along the wooden fence on lower VCMS (along the gravel driveway) and no parking in the fire lane on the driveway next to the school. Please do not park on the hill per the Towns request. It interferes with the 1st hole of the disc golf course. Should you choose to ignore this request, do not park cars facing down the hill - park them perpendicular to the fields below.
  • Fields - All of our fields in Vernon, as well as the away fields in other towns are located on our field’s page. We provide you with easy to navigate directions, diagrams, and even GPS coordinates to assist you in easily locating the correct place to be.
  • Cancelations - Any game cancelations for the Little Kickers, Micro, Rec, D5 Divisions due to weather and/or field conditions will be made by the VSC Board prior to the start of games, generally by 8:00 AM. We will post all updates on our website homepage and send out notifications. Please enable your mobile device to receive TEXT messages from VSC within your website profile page so you do not miss out on important information. If conditions deteriorate after games starts, postponements may also occur then. We will use the VSC Web site to cancel games which will send email and/or text messages to all teams. For Travel Division teams, all cancelations will come from the travel coach for home and away games.
  • VSC Web Site - To access all information regarding team schedules, club events, field locations/directions and general soccer information - please visit our web site at www.vernonsoccerclub.org Please make sure all of your contact information is updated and correct as we use the web site as our main source of communication to all members, including game cancelations and changes throughout the season and information about upcoming VSC programs. Please enable your mobile device to receive TEXT messages from VSC within your website profile page so you do not miss out on important information. Member support for our web site and apps can be located on the website. Other features include "subscribing" to your child's schedule on any mobile device and computer calendars. You can find our VSC app for your Apple or Android device by downloading the “Game Changer” app.
  • Parent & Player Code of Conduct - To make the season enjoyable for all involved - players, coaches, parents and referees, please be aware of the VSC Code of Conducts which are available on each of your Team page sites under the files tab and on the website. Parents - please let the coaches do the coaching and other support for your child and team. Coaching from all sides of the field just causes confusion and undermines what the coaches have been working on.
  • Referees - Most of our referees are our local youth residents and former VSC players or local adults from our community. At no time, should there be any direct conversation or contact with them during or after a game, which includes verbal criticism and abuse. VSC has a Zero Tolerance policy regarding this behavior. Any issues regarding referees can be brought up to your coach's attention who will then follow VSC protocol from there.

Good luck to all teams and I wish everyone a healthy season!!

 

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2020 playing policy updates as provided by the CJSA:

Connecticut Junior Soccer and the Connecticut State Referee Program in partnership are implementing the policies below that will take precedence over all other policies or procedures for all sanctioned US Youth Soccer matches in the State of CT. Unless “Note”d, these policies may not be modified at the field. If it is not specifically mentioned below, the standard Laws of the Game (LOTG) and Rules of Competition shall apply.

  1. In lieu of a local policy establishing a field configuration with spectators and players, teams will be required to be across the field from each other, diagonally behind the position of the assistant referees. Parents / spectators for each team will be to their own team’s right hand side on the other half of the field (same touchline). The bench area where the players and coaches are sitting is required to be five yards off the side of the field to protect the assistant referee.… Note: Clubs may have guidelines based on their facility setups that make more sense, i.e. Stadium environments, or facilities with multiple fields running parallel to each other. The referee shall follow local club protocols when made available to them.
  2. Referees will no longer handle player passes, or conduct a player check-in. Each Head Coach will submit a team roster containing the player name, US Soccer Pass ID, and player uniform number to the center referee prior to the game. The referee shall not collect, receive, or keep player passes or paper copies containing pictures of the players and/or PII/PHI information. Head coaches will have player passes available at every match in the event that a player eligibility question is raised. Coaches may validate those player passes among themselves if needed. Coaches will verify verbally to the referee that players on their team are properly equipped.
  3. Any questions related to player eligibility or player pass evaluation is the responsibility of the head coaches. The referee shall notify the SYRA ([email protected]) via email of any disagreements or problems at the field concerning player eligibility.
  4. Referees will no longer keep player passes for ejected players or coaches (Handled in Procedure #9)
  5. There will no longer be a pre-game coin toss or conference among player captains and the referee crew the home team will pick the half of the field to defend, the visiting team will kick off. In matches that require or mandate a winner, standard protocols will be followed according to the LOTG and the Rules of Competition.
  6. Referees are not required to wear a mask. They must wear one when coming to and leaving the field area.
  7. Referees are not mandated to use an electronic whistle.
  8. Referees are not required or allowed to administer spectator adherence to social distancing guidelines Spectators are required to social distance, and wear a mask when attending Youth Soccer Matches.
  9. Individuals in the technical area (player substitutes, coaches, administrators) must wear a mask at all times. Substitutes checking into the match shall report to the mid-field line ready to play (without a mask)
  10. Referees shall report RED cards electronically though Central Assign (www.ctreferee.net ). The referee shall send an email to the SYRA ([email protected]) for all RED cards issued. The email should contain a picture of the two rosters submitted from the head coaches, and the player or coach clearly identified on the roster that received the RED card. The Referee shall not keep any player passes or pictures of player passes for any reason.
  11. Instances of spitting on the field are punishable by YELLOW card on first offense, and then RED card for second offense.
  12. For league matches, clubs may assume that their opponents have met appropriate Return to Play guidelines. For friendly matches, clubs can validate that their opponents have met the Return to Play guidelines by contacting their District Vice-Presidents.
  13. Referees are mandated to notify the SYRA ([email protected] ) should they become ill, or feel ill after officiating, or receive a positive diagnosis of COVID-19.
  14. All questions related to game day procedures for Youth Competitions shall be forwarded to the SYRA at [email protected] .

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