Verona Area Soccer Club Manager 101

1. Team and Player Registration (May)

In House and Recreational Teams:
Register players with the Verona Area Soccer Club (VASC). Each team member must fill out a Player Registration Form (www.veronasoccer.org under “forms”) and money must be collected from everyone. Fees owed are listed on the VASC Team Registration form (www.veronasoccer.org under “forms”). This registration and the fee covers both fall and spring seasons.

Contact the youth director at youth@veronasoccer.org if you need more players. The youth director keeps a waiting list of those that want to join a team. Players for our in-house and rec teams must come from this waiting list.

Teams that are already formed should turn in their registrations, team registration form and money all at once. New teams will be formed by the youth director.

Classic Teams:
Classic players must try out for a spot on a team, thus registration is a bit different. Players will register for tryouts and if offered a spot on a team, must submit a $140 deposit to VASC to secure that spot. This money is mailed to the club PO box or dropped off at the VASC drop box at 600 Hickory Ct, Verona. The manager also will be emailed the team roster with all information. Also player registration papers will be mailed to managers for use in tournaments. Players that have not played classic for VASC in previous years must provide a copy of a birth certificate.

2. Uniforms (Summer)
Uniforms must be ordered for each player that needs one. Uniform order information can be found under the "uniform" link.

3. Coach Registration (Summer)
This form is now available for online registration and needs to be completed and sent directly to the Wisconsin Youth Soccer Association (WYSA). Do not send the processing fee. WYSA will bill VASC for this. A 1”x1” digital photo must be included with the form. Do not supply your social security number. They do not need this to process the card. The form can be found at: http://www.wiyouthsoccer.com/riskmanage.html
VASC’s club number is 100. This is needed for the form.

Coaches that sign up for licenses will have to fill out this form in order to get a license. Coaches that already have a license should check the state website to see if their license has expired and renew if it has. Go to www.wiyouthsoccer.com to find this information. Look under coaches/coach listings.

4. Schedules (August and March)
If you are a recreational or classic team (not in-house), in early August and March team contacts (coaches and managers) will receive an email with a preliminary schedule and instructions on what to do if some dates will not work for your team. There is a time period to get this information back so that changes can be made before the final schedules are set.

If you are an in-house team, your schedules will be handed out at the coach/manager meeting in late August and late March. There is no preliminary schedule for in-house teams since most games are scheduled on Saturday mornings.

There is a meeting of all coaches and/or managers before each season begins. Meeting times are emailed to coaches and managers. At this time paper schedules for the teams are handed out. These need to be copied and handed out to each team member. It is a good idea to assign treats at this time. www.Maysa.org has directions to fields online.

Usually in late June and late February all non in-house teams will receive an email from the club administrator about black out dates. Each team is allowed 4 black out dates per season. Be sure to block out tournament weekends. Consider school dates such as cross country and track meets, music concerts, plays, etc. You will need to find out what other activities outside of soccer your players participate in. For example, if you have 4-5 players in band with a roster of 16, your will want to make sure and block out those concert dates. If you do not respond to the email, the dates of tournaments at Reddan Soccer Park will be used.


5. Referees (August and April)

Referees self-assign on a website called “The Arbitor.net.” Coaches and managers are given access to their teams only on this site. Coaches and managers have to be assigned to the correct team every season so this may take some time. If you are concerned about your game having a referee, the club administrator

Pay the referees with cash (no checks) at the beginning of the game. Referee should be given a team roster for rec and in-house teams and roster and player cards for classic games.
To find out how much to pay the ref go to http://www.maysa.org/html/referees/fees.php. The referee fees are NOT part of the VASC and MAYSA fees. These fees need to be collected each fall and spring to pay the referees.

7. Player Passes
Player pass information is online at: http://www.wiyouthsoccer.com/Assets/wysoccer_assets/pdf/Club+Pass.pdf.
Only classic teams may use the pass. This pass is used to let players from other VASC teams help out on a team that needs players in regular season games or tournaments.

8. Emails to club board members or administrator
Please include your team name and age group and girls or mixed in the subject line. At times email traffic is heavy and it saves time to not have to figure out which team you are affiliated with when the information is team specific.

9. Corner Flags and Game Balls and Jerseys and Refs:

In-House: Away team provides the corner flags.
Home team provides the game ball.
Typically home teams wear white jerseys.
Ref fees are split between both teams.
Refs sign up at ref pizza party. Any remaining games ref must be found by home team.

Rec: Home team provides the corner flags.
Home team provides the game ball.
Typically home teams wear green jerseys. Away team has final choice.
Home team pays all ref fees for home games.
Refs sign up at ref pizza party. Any remaining games refs must be found by home team.

Classic: Home team provides the corner flags.
Home team provides the game ball.
Typically home teams wear green jerseys. Away team has final choice.
Ref fees are split between both teams.
Refs sign up on The Arbitor web site. You should check before games to make sure you have a ref. You can also see if there are 1, 2, or 3 refs assigned to your game.

10. Practice Fields
Fields where VASC practices are Lincoln St Fields (Veterans Park), Cross Country Park, Prairie View Park, Tollefson Park and Badger Prairie Park. You can find these park’s locations at www.veronasoccer.org. Harriet Park is used for the Verona City Rec Program.

Managers and coaches will receive an email about the third week in July and March to sign up for practice fields and times.

Specifically for Classic Soccer Team Managers

Player Cards
Classic teams have a card for each player, coach, and manager. These cards are mailed to the manager before the season but the manager must complete them. Each card requires a 1"x1" photo of the player's face. These can be obtained by gathering school photos or take a group shot with about 6 players in the group and cut the faces out. They don't have to be pretty, but the player should be recognizable. The signature of each player also has to be on these cards. A handy tip is to get each player to sign a small return address label. That way when the manager receives the player cards, he or she can glue on the photo and put on the signature. The next step is laminating the cards. You will receive individual laminating sheets for each card. Sometimes it is best to trim the card slightly so there is a good seal all around the card. Cards can be laminated at the MAYSA office or at Kinkos. Punch a hole in the corner of each card and put them on a key ring. These cards are presented to the referee at the beginning of each game. Make sure you get them back after each game. These cards are like gold because no manager wants to start over with cards.

Classic Coach Fees
Classic coaches for VASC are not volunteers. The club helps find coaches for teams, but the parents pay the coach and say whether or not coaches stay with a team. Payment for coaches is paid in two segments for each season. Coaches should be paid at the beginnings of September and October for the fall season and mid April and mid May for the spring season. It is easiest to collect two checks at the beginning of the season and have parents write two different dates on the checks. For example, for the fall season, one check should be dated September 1 and the other dated October 1. The manager only has to collect checks once, but waits to hand out the second check until the following month. This makes it easier for families to afford the fees and also makes sure the coach is not paid everything up front.

OTHER MANAGER RESPONSIBILITIES

- Act as liasison and interface with Club administrator. IT IS CRITICAL THAT MANAGERS PASS ON CLUB COMMUNICATIONS TO THE PARENTS OF PLAYERS ON THEIR TEAMS.
- Work with your coach to insure compliance with club policy, procedures, etc. Read through the Team Resource Guide on www.maysa.org.
- Meet with your coach and designate responsibilities, tasks (tournament applications, etc).
- New rec and in-house players are added only by contacting the Youth Director (youth@veronasoccer.org). This ensures all waiting list kids get first priority for placement.
- Arrange for all team members and parents that are new to VASC to the view the “Attitudes are Contagious” video and read/sign the code of conduct papers and return forms to club. Code of Conduct papers can be downloaded off the club website (www.veronasoccer.org/forms.asp). Completed forms are handed into the club administrator. Mail to VASC, PO Box 930141, Verona, WI 53593, or drop in the club drop box at 600 Hickory Ct, Verona.
- Act as a liaison between your parents and club coach.
- Be a good ambassador of VASC when interfacing with other teams and within the community.
- Keep paperwork and forms up-to-date and the roster accurate for the team. Remember ALL registration paperwork flows through the VASC – it never goes directly to MAYSA. Part of this is a software issue because updated electronic files are sent to MAYSA via VASC.
- Act as team treasurer and financial person – possibly open up a separate checking account.
- Collect information/fees for winter clinics, tournaments, etc in off season.
- Arrange team volunteers or better, have another parent be the volunteer coordinator to assist in finding people to work at various club activities throughout the year.
- Carry or make sure coach has pass cards (classic only) and roster for players at every game. Coaches should have their coaching license with them at every game. Remember to get player cards back from ref at the end of every game.
- Help encourage positive behavior by parent spectators, fans. Zero tolerance is MAYSA’s policy. Parents are to stay on the opposite side of the field than the players. If a parent needs something taken to his child, the manager should take it to the players’ side of the field.

For those practicing on City of Verona fields (all but Badger Prairie fields are included in this) – DO NOT MOVE THE GOALS. The city anchors the goals for the safety of players, but with enough players they can be moved. We have been asked by the city to leave the goals where they are. This is especially true of Lincoln Street Fields which are used for football on weekends in the fall.

***Do not play games without a certified coach or manager on the team sidelines.***
Do not play games without a certified referee. These games are not considered MAYSA games and thus are not covered under liability. Keep a list of the refs in Verona in case your ref does not show up. If the Verona ref is available it will make a difference of the game not being played at all.


Here is an idea for keeping in touch with your team members from a seasoned manager: "I’ve been sending text messages the day of practice or game w/ reminders of time, location, etc. My team really likes this. As you may know it can be done from any email account. More details at: http://www.livejournal.com/tools/textmessage.bml?mode=details."

MAYSA vs VASC and REC vs IN-HOUSE


Many people get these two issues confused so hopefully this explanation will help. MAYSA is the organization that oversees the clubs under its umbrella. Verona Area Soccer Club is one of these clubs. We do not have anything to do with the Verona City Rec Dept except to work with them when scheduling field availability (The city also keeps our fields mowed.).


Rec vs In-House

Both Rec and In-House teams are recreational teams. This means players do not have to try out to get a spot on these teams. The difference between the two is that Rec teams’ games are scheduled by MAYSA. These teams play anywhere in the MAYSA area. Rec games are usually on Saturdays but may be other days of the week. In-House teams are scheduled by the Alliance. The Alliance consists of Magic, Regent, Shorewood and Verona soccer clubs. Theses clubs get together and schedule games for our U8 – U10 in-house teams. Because the Alliance schedules these games at no cost the in-house league is a little less expensive. In-House games are generally on Saturday mornings only and at the same field each week depending on the age group.