Halifax City Soccer Club Mini Soccer

Agenda:Welcome

Club InformationHow to Find UsHow to Register

FAQWebsites

Game FieldsSimplified Soccer Terms and Rules

Important Dates, Parent Volunteers & CampsWebsites, Privacy, Bullying, Concussions

Welcome

Welcome to Halifax City Soccer Club and mini soccer. For some of you this is the first time your child will play organized sports. This is an exciting time as both a sporting and social experience, it can provide your child with confidence and a healthy active lifestyle which they can carry with them for life.

Club Information• Email: info@halifaxcitysoccer.ca• Website: www.halifaxcitysoccerclub.ns.ca• Phone: 453-0741• Fax: 453-4281• Office Hours: Monday & Wed 9:00 – 3:00pm, Friday 9:00 – 12:00pm, our

office hours are seasonal and change after peak registration. Please phone and check website frequently under “Our Club” on the website.

• When in doubt call or email the Club. We are more than happy to answer your questions.

• Your Club Manager is Diane Elbourne, Administrator is Matt Holton• Our Mini Tech Staff are Patrick Davis, Joel Sutherland, Kelvin MacLean and

Jack Schembri our Director of Coaching is Ken Wharton.

How to Find Us

• 3380 Barnstead Lane off Bayers Road

How to Register

• You can register online, in person or by mail.• Register Online by Clicking on Player

Registration

How to Register• A screen will come

down, type in your name and birth date. It will ask for your Access code. Please follow directions to find access code. If you cannot access your access code, phone or email the office info@halifaxcitysoccer.ca or 453-0741

How to Register• Check the age group and

location you want to play.

• You can pay in installments or lump sum.

• Complete Banking Information, and proceed to end.

• Make sure your email is correct, an email confirmation will be delivered to your email.

FAQ’s• The Tim Horton’s mini jersey will be given out on the first evening. If you are unable to

attend it can be picked up either at field level or in the office after the first day.• Your child’s name should be listed on the Halifax City Soccer website, under MINI’s. Click

on your childs age group, then location and then team. If their name is not there, call the Club and we will help.

• All players are required to wear shin guards and appropriate footwear. These can be purchased at Soccer Stop, local sports stores and Walmart type stores

• We do not have soccer on Canada Day and Natal Day, because of tournament bookings on the field.

• Small children must stay with a responsible adult. No playing on the sidelines as this poses a danger to the child and our players. Absolutely no climbing fences, nets or stone wall.

• Players should keep water bottles with them at pitch side rather than with parents as this is very disruptive to the program.

• Mark your calendars for July 6th as we will be holding a Mini Jamboree for our U6, U8 and U10 players at the South Common’s soccer pitch, Celebrating 100Yrs of Soccer in Nova Scotia.

Websites

• Halifax City Soccer Club: www.halifaxcitysoccerclub.ns.ca for registration, rosters team practices, camps and special events and announcements.

• Rain Line: http://mobile.halifax.ca/fields/ This will tell you if grass fields are closed for the evening. Closures are usually announced after 3:00pm daily.

Halifax City Soccer Club WebsiteHow do I find my childs team?• Click on Mini • Clinic on age group

Once in the age group, you will scroll to location you signed up for.Then you will look for your child’s name and team.

If you cannot locate your child’s nameDo not panic, call the office or show upon the first night and we will find your place.

Halifax City Soccer Club - CampsWe offer a number of camps through the year. • Daytime Skills in

August• Mini Camp July tba• Dal Tigers Camps• Forms can also be

found under the Printable Forms

HCSC – Field Locations

• Dalhousie Wickwire , South Street Halifax

HCSC – Mini Fields Satellite Program

Springvale – Downs Avenue, Halifax

HCSC – Mini Fields Satellite Program

St. Agnes – Mumford Road and William Hunt Avenue

HCSC – Mini Fields Satellite Program

JW MacLeod, Flemming Tower – Collinade Ave.

Kit - Equipment Game & Training

– U 4, U6 and U8 – Tim Horton Jersey (provided and returned at end of season) – Dark short and sock, preferably black– U10 Game Shirt – Provided and returned at end of season

Training (U10 Positive Play League - Training Day)– Green Training Shirt (provided)– Black Short and Green Sock

All players at all practices and games must wear shin guards.

MerchandiseThere is an assortment of training gear available to all players: backpacks, training tops, tracksuits of various weights and styles and hats. These items are available at our retail partner, Soccer Stop located on Clyde Street in downtown Halifax. It can also be purchased at the office. Remember to ask for your Club discount at Soccer Stop

Policies• 24 Hour Rule

– Quite simple, if you have a problem with the coaching staff, team coach or another parent on the pitch, give yourself 24 hours to cool off and see things in a clearer light. You may say something you will later regret. We will not address issues on the training pitch, in-front of our players as our schedule is tight and we must move on to the next training sessions. These matters can be brought to the office and dealt with face to face.

– We urge parents to email or call the General Manager immediately with any concerns about the program. Problems are usually easy to fix, and we will, but you have to tell us. Take ownership of your program.

• Parent Sideline Behaviour– Parents are to be positive at all time, cheer they players on in a positive manner. – Parents are not allowed to sit/stand on the same side of the pitch as the players and cannot walk

to the bench during the session unless for an emergency. All siblings are to remain with parents/guardians and are not allowed to play with equipment along the sidelines.

– Parents are to remain positive with their children, comments they make in the car and at home about players/coaches affect your child’s attitude both on and off the pitch.

Dates• Season begins week of May 24th and ends week of August 26.

• Canada Day and Natal Day, no soccer.

• July tba Soccer Day in Nova Scotia U6 – U10 Jamboree at South Commons on Trollope Street.

Rain Outs• If HRM closes grass fields for play, training is moved to Dalhousie

Wickwire field, same day, same time.• Programs on Dalhousie Wickwire field are only cancelled if conditions

are considered dangerous to the player, ie lightening and high winds• These cancellations will be put on our website by three o’clock and

the HRM website should also post them at this time.

Program Structure U4 and U6• U4 – Parent and Tot, with parents assistance players will take

direction from “Staff Leader” and as a team the player swill then practice that drill. The session can include small simple drills and games like Red Rover, incorporating the ball into the game.

• U6 – Players are split into teams. These teams along with their coach are directed by their “Staff Leader” through a number of skills on the evening. The 5 and 6 year old players will break into small sided games, working on individual skills, this is a very selfish time in their development where we encourage them to run with the ball and shoot on the net. This is a new format using a “Staff Leader” which we feel will ensure all teams are being directed through the same program and support the parent coaches many of whom are new to coaching at this age level.

Program Structure U8

• This program breaks up to single gender and adds an additional evening.

• U8’s are broken into teams with a Parent Coach, these teams under the direction of the ‘Staff Leader” will run through the drills which are then practiced as a team. This new format will ensure similar quality sessions throughout program and give assistance to the parent coaches and help address issue of not enough parent volunteers stepping up.

• U8 Games nights will be small sided games, max 5 v 5 with no goalies. The coaches are encouraged to get on the field and coach as they play, no referees at this age group. No scores are kept.

Program Structure U10• You will see the biggest changes in this program, now named “U10

Positive Play League”. Thank you to Athens Restaurant for their support.• This program will run more in line with the U10 Select Program.

Wednesday night practice nights will be led by Senior staff who will run through challenging age and skill level specific programs. This program is still team based but bringing senior staff into the mix will ensure a high quality, equitable training program. These players will have a training t-shirt (provided) for training night.

• Game night will move to a smaller sided game in smaller spaces, challenging the player to pass and receive the ball more and work as a team. These games should have no goalie and score will not be kept. We encourage these games to be intense work sessions where the kids learn to really enjoy the game. This program will prepare some players for the Select program and U12 Youth soccer the following year.

Websites – Privacy – Bullying - Concussions

• Bullying on the pitch is not tolerated. Each instance is different and the Club has board members responsible to address this issue. Please do not feel uncomfortable to bring your concerns to the Team Coach, Manager, Tech Staff, General Manager or Board.

• Email’s and privacy. Emails sent out by coaches and managers are for the express use of these people to communicate soccer related information. Parent’s are urged not to “reply all” when voicing a concern. Many of our young players emails are part of team correspondence and replies can sometimes be taken out of context, misunderstood and hurtful to our players, coaches and coaching staff. Pick up a phone, we would be more than happy to meet face to face with any parent or player.

• HCSC is very aware of the issues of cyber bullying and discourage any form of it. If we note a change in a child’s behaviour which may be the result of this we will notify the parent. It is the parents responsibility to follow up with that.

• On our website under Player Development. We have a tab Concussion FAQ, this will take you to recommended information pages relating to symptoms and courses of action for suspected concussions, read it and take it seriously.

The Duration of the Match• U11A, U12A&B - The match will be divided into two (2) halves of thirty five (35) minutes each. There shall

be a half-time interval of five (5) minutes. U14 two 35 minutes, U16 two 40 minutes and U18 two 45 minute halves, 5 minute breaks and the games shorten 5 minutes after July 31 to account for darkness.

• U12 C – The match will be divided into two (2) halves of 25 minutes. There shall be a half-time interval of five (5) minutes.

The Players Equipment• Conform to FIFA. Non-uniform clothing is allowed based on weather conditions, but uniforms must still

distinguish teams. The goalkeeper should wear a colour a different colour from both teams which distinguishes him/her from both teams. Shin guards are mandatory and must be worn under the socks. Jewellery is not permitted.

The Ball • The ball must conform to FIFA standards and must conform to the FIFA inflation specifications. Size four

(4).

The Number of Players• A match is played by two teams, each consisting of not more than nine (9) players, one of whom is the

goalkeeper. A match may not start, or continue, if either team consists of fewer than six players, one of whom is the goalkeeper. All teams will adhere to the SNS fair play policy.

Substitutions: At any stoppage, substitutions are unlimited and must be done with the officials’ permission.

Simple Soccer Terms & Rules

How the Games Start• The referee will call team captains to the centre of the field, review the rules and flip a

coin for first choice of which end you wish to take or who has first possession.• Players will line up on field, team with possession must have 9 meters between them and

their opponent.No Hands, please • The proper way to look at this soccer rule is that a player cannot “handle” the ball. A ball that is

kicked and hits a player’s hand or arm is not a hand ball. This means that the referee must use his or her own judgment to some extent in determining whether or not a hand ball is accidental contact or a purposeful attempt to gain an advantage.

• There is also a situation in which the goalie cannot use his/her hands. This is sometimes called the back-pass rule. Goalkeepers cannot pick up a pass that came directly from one of their teammates. In this case, the goalkeeper must use his feet. Infraction of this soccer rule will result in an indirect kick from the point of the infraction.

Throw-ins • A throw-in is taken when the ball crosses a sideline and leaves the field. The two basic soccer

rules for a proper throw-in are to have both feet on the ground and to throw the ball with both hands over the head.

• For teaching purposes it is common to allow players under the age of 8 to take more than 1 attempt.

Corner Kicks & Goal Kicks • A corner kick or goal kick is taken when the ball leaves the field across the end-line , the end of the

field. • If the offensive team kicks it out, play is restarted with a goal kick. If the defensive team kicks it out,

play is restarted with a corner kick. • The goal kick is taken from anywhere inside the “goalie box” as it is affectionately called. It can be

taken by any player, not just the goalkeeper. • The corner kick is taken from the corner nearest to where the ball left the field. • You may be confused at times in youth soccer games to see a goal kick retaken. This is because the

FIFA soccer rules state that the ball is not back “in play” until it leaves the penalty area, the large box outside of the “goalie box”. No one can touch the ball until it leaves the penalty area, and if the ball is not kicked properly to leave the area, the kick must be retaken.

Fouls

• The common rule of thumb on fouls is “If it looks like a foul, it probably is.” • A player cannot kick, trip, jump at, charge, strike, push, hold, or spit at an opponent. • So what’s the problem? • Soccer can be a physical, contact sport when two opposing players both want the soccer ball and no

parent likes it when little Johnny loses the ball and ends up on the ground! • “Foul!” cries the parent. “Little Johnny was pushed!” • What you need to know as a parent is that bumping or going shoulder-to-shoulder while competing

for a ball is not a foul until the hands or elbows come up. This is a bit of a judgment call and not all referees will call it the same way. Some soccer rules are actually not black-and-white.

• Remember though, the referee is ALWAYS right.

Direct and Indirect Free Kicks • The simple difference between the two is this: On a direct kick you can score by kicking the ball

directly into the goal. On an indirect kick you cannot score. An indirect kick must be touched by another player before it can go into the goal – that is the kicker and a second person.

• As a parent on the sideline, you can tell whether the kick is direct or indirect by looking at the referee. For an indirect kick, the referee will hold one arm straight up in the air until the second person touches the ball. No arm up, it’s a direct kick.

• There are many soccer rules around what causes a direct or indirect kick. • In general, a direct kick comes from a contact foul or hand ball. Everything else is indirect.

Penalty Kick • A penalty kick results from a contact foul or hand ball by the defending team within the penalty area –

the large box on either end of the field. So it’s a type of direct kick also. • The ball is placed on the penalty spot, 12 yards in front of the center of the goal. • All players must remain outside the penalty area and the penalty arc until the ball is kicked. The

goalkeeper must have both feet on the goal line until the ball is kicked. • If after the ball is kicked, it rebounds off of the goal or the keeper and stays on the field, the ball is

“live” and anyone can play it.

Two-touch Rule • A player cannot touch the ball twice in a row when putting the ball in play. You will see this called

many times in youth soccer. It applies everywhere. You will see it frequently on kick-offs or direct and indirect kicks. If a kid barely hits the ball and decides to take another swipe at it, that is a two-touch.

• This also applies to throw-ins. A kid cannot throw the ball in and then kick it. Nope. No way. No can do.

Yellow and Red Cards • This is the way punishment is given in soccer. The FIFA soccer rules give the guidelines for when to give a

yellow card to a player and when to give a red card. I’m not going to get into the specifics here. • If a player is given two yellow cards in the same game, that is equal to a red card. A red card can be given

at any time without the player first receiving a yellow card. When a player gets a red card, they must leave the game and their team must play short. An ejected player cannot be replaced.

Offside (This does not apply in U12T2c soccer)

• I decided to leave the best for last. • This is without a doubt the least understood rule by parents and coaches alike. • Check your local league soccer rules first. There’s a good chance that this rule won’t be called for the U8 or

younger teams. You may be off the hook for now. However, if you are a U8 or U6 coach you still need to know this rule so you can begin teaching your players not to be offside.

• The first thing to know is that you cannot be offside on a corner kick, goal kick, or throw-in. Don’t ask me why. Just accept it and go on. The explanation is too long.

• Also, it is not an offense for a player to be in an offside position. The player must be involved in active play as determined by the referee to be called offside.

• As quoted from the FIFA soccer rules: • A player is in an offside position if: he is nearer to his opponents’ goal line than both the ball and the

second last opponent. • Clear yet? I didn’t think so. • Try this. An offensive or attacking player can’t be ahead of the ball and involved in the play unless there is a

defender between him and the goalkeeper. Or, you can’t hang out at the other team’s goal waiting for the ball.

• A few other buts. You can’t be offside if you are standing on your half of the field. Also, the offside rule applies when the ball is kicked, not when the player receives the ball.