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Juventus Soccer Club of Illinois Philosophy and Guidelines Our Purpose as a Soccer Club The Juventus Soccer Club of Illinois was formed in 1995 to offer quality soccer training and play in an appropriate competitive environment for committed boys and girls ages eight through nineteen in the Joliet/Plainfield/Shorewood/Channahon/Minooka/Morris area. The Juventus Soccer Club is the premier competitive soccer club in the southwestern Chicagoland area and is affiliated with the Northern Illinois Soccer League. Juventus Soccer Club is dedicated to player development on both an individual and team basis. Through participation in the Juventus program, players continue to develop their soccer skills, learn about responsibility, the value of hard work and come to realize the importance of cooperation for team success. The Juventus Soccer Club is a non-profit organization run largely by parent volunteers with the support of professional coaches and trainers. The Juventus Soccer Club Board is an all-volunteer working board and is the governing body for the Club. The Board develops and implements general policies and procedures, sets fees and oversees the general activities of the Club. The officers of the Juventus Soccer Club are the President, Executive Vice President and Director of Coaching, Director of Youth Development, Director of Special Projects and Travel, Director of Training & Development, Director of Merchandising & Operations, and the Club Administrator, Secretary & Treasurer. The Board, as deemed necessary for the continued operation of the Club, can appoint assistants or additional positions. This handbook has been developed to summarize the Club's collective expectations and policies to guide all Juventus players, parents and coaches in their soccer activities both on and off of the field. The Juventus Board, as needed to maintain the smooth running and development of the Club, may approve exceptions to this philosophy statement. It is intended that this statement is broad enough to allow for continued innovation, yet specific enough to ensure those basic objectives are met. Role of Competition: The Juventus philosophy embraces competition as an important component of player development. Athletic competition is healthy and is an exciting and stimulating part of the sport of soccer. The Club offers high level training for players to develop their abilities and opportunities to play against teams of like skill. Our top teams are anticipated to consistently compete at the highest levels of their divisions and are well prepared for varsity level soccer in high school and college. Competitiveness and player development may sometimes appear to be in conflict. There are some occasions when competition should play a decisive role in team decisions, but on most occasions competition should follow player development goals. Emphasis on competition for Juventus teams differs greatly across the various age groups. Competition plays a relatively minor role for the youngest age group but increases in importance for the older age groups. As Trevian players gain skill and confidence, their natural desire to compete becomes greater and should be encouraged and developed. One major goal of the Club is to select and field teams at the highest level of competition possible. Teams are formed at each age group based upon evaluation of each player's overall soccer ability and general athletic abilities. Tryouts are generally held in May for play the following August. Most age groups have at least two days of tryouts. Participants are expected to attend all days of tryouts for their age group. The highest ranked individual players will be assigned to higher skilled teams; the next ranked players will be assigned to the developmental teams. With the possible exception of goalkeepers, selection is generally based on overall soccer and athletic skills, not on anticipated roles or position. It is expected that there will be player movement between the teams within an age group as players develop and improve at different rates. It is not the policy of the Club to keep the teams entirely intact from year to year. Current Juventus players try out with the same expectations as those not in the Club. Players whose skills have not developed at the rate expected or have not demonstrated a commitment to the team, through missed practices, etc., should not expect to automatically return to a team. Playing Time: A primary goal of the Juventus program is to prepare each player to the best of his/her ability for a significant team role. A key step in meeting this goal is to give every player a chance to play in both league games and in tournament situations. For all age groups, differences in playing time are determined by relative player commitment, work ethic and skill. Players at the younger age groups may expect more equal playing time, while playing time for the older age groups will be geared more closely to player ability. Assuming good commitment, attendance and work ethic, players may expect playing times as follows: Players on U9 and U10 teams can expect to play about equally over the course of the season. For invitational tournaments, efforts will be made to continue this practice. For U11 through U14 teams, stronger players will emerge and when in a highly competitive situation, coaches may play their strongest players and playing time will not be equal At the older ages, coaches will have what they consider a starting line-up and these players will probably get more playing time. For U15 and above, each player's skill, competitiveness, and commitment will determine teams, with substitutions made in response to the competitive situation. Juventus Soccer Club's Commitment to Players and Families: The Club's board, coaches, and trainers are committed to providing a top-quality soccer experience for its players and families. Players are given the opportunity to develop basic, intermediate and advanced soccer skills as well as develop sufficient knowledge of the game required to play at the high school level and beyond. These skills and understanding of the game are gained through extensive practice and drills as well as through competition in league play and in competitive tournaments. It is the Club's rule to have an experienced and qualified professional coaching every team. The Club Board makes coaching assignments on the basis of the coach's experience, needs of the team and the coach's ability to handle a given age group. The Club trainers work individually with teams to ensure that all teams have the opportunity for a high level of skill training. The Juventus Soccer Club values and appreciates constructive parental feedback. Each team will have a parent manager whose responsibility it is to facilitate communication among parents of the team, the coach and the Coordinator and to handle various administrative tasks. Please communicate concerns to your team parent/manager. He or she will notify the proper person and the issue will be addressed. Coach's Commitment: All Juventus coaches must be qualified, through experience and study, to teach soccer skills and strategies appropriate to the respective age group. In addition to teaching the game of soccer, key priorities of all Juventus coaches are to foster the safety, confidence and self-esteem of their players. In every phase of the Juventus program, all coaches will treat players with respect and in a positive and encouraging manner. Good communication and administration are critical to the success of every team. The Coach, working closely with the team manager, is responsible for ensuring timely and accurate communications, including providing written schedules and travel directions. The Coach is responsible for assessing player development information and sharing this information in a timely and constructive manner. This includes the preparation of a written evaluation of the player's performance at the end of the spring season. The Coach should provide team members with a written team policy, including attendance and standards of conduct, with appropriate penalties for rules violations, and will apply the team policy consistently. Player Commitment: Juventus players are expected to attend all practices, clinics and games, except for excused and unforeseen emergencies. The importance of this commitment is based on the nature of team sports. When any player misses a game or practice, it negatively affects every other player on the team, not only the missing player. Juventus Soccer Club usually has two 1-½ hour practices a week. At older ages, it is possible for there to be three practices a week. The fall and spring seasons run for approximately 10 weeks, each. Games are generally played on Sundays during Spring and Fall. Occasionally there will be a game during the week. In addition to league games, coaches involve their teams in tournaments to develop the players' skills and soccer sense. It is not unusual for those tournaments to be held on holiday or long weekends. Players are expected to be available for tournaments; participation is not optional. In winter, most teams participate in two indoor seasons. Although this is not mandatory, it is strongly recommended to continue to develop the player's skills and abilities. While the Club understands that young people have diverse interests and activities and families have obligations, it is anticipated that conflicts will be kept to a minimum. Players are expected to be on time for practices and to be at games at the time specified by the coach, typically 30 minutes prior to game start time. Starting positions and playing time can be modified by the coach in response to missed practice or tardiness. It is the player's responsibility to notify the Coach, or Board members, as soon as possible of any unanticipated absence. Players will abide by the written team policy and agree to: " Be on the field, on time and ready to play for all games and practices " Put forth their best efforts on the field at all times " Support teammates and encourage them in their efforts at all times " Conduct themselves in an appropriate, sportmanslike manner at all times Parent Commitment: Parental support is the foundation of the Juventus program. Parents established the Juventus Soccer Club and serve as board members, officers, team managers, coaches, financial supporters and field volunteers, as well as its most loyal fans. Juventus parents must also make some fundamental commitments to support their children in their soccer efforts. They must reinforce the importance of the commitment made by their child and help their child fulfill his/her commitment. This is crucial to the overall learning process for our players. Without it, players may get "mixed signals" about the overall importance of commitment and responsibility. Another important job of Juventus parents is the on-going encouragement of the teams as well as their own children. The coaches will maintain a positive, encouraging environment for the players, and the parents must also act as "cheerleaders" both on and off the field for all team players. However, there will be absolutely no "coaching" from the spectator sidelines. This confuses the players and is detrimental to their development. Player Safety: Coaches will consider player safety as an overriding priority. While injuries are a risk in any athletic activity, appropriate protective gear is required and the rules of the game will be enforced. It is the responsibility of the parents to notify the Head Coach in writing before the season, or as soon as practical, of any medical condition or physical limitation which could impair their child's ability to perform soccer activities safely. Each parent is required to sign a separate Medical Waiver and Release prior to a player's activity in the Juventus program. The release portion of this form authorizes emergency treatment for a player if a parent is not present. Team practices will not be conducted in the immediate presence of lightning or heavy thunder. The decision to conduct or to continue a practice or game rests with the coach, trainer or referee, depending on the situation. Player Development: It is the Club's belief that players should possibly receive training and playing time in more that one position during their development as a soccer player. This makes players more versatile and better prepared to compliment the needs of the team as they develop both their individual skills and their knowledge of soccer strategy. Teams with versatile players are also capable of remaining competitive in spite of the unavoidable injuries, illnesses and absences, which occur during the season. Special camps, clinics and training sessions are offered periodically. The Club offers its' training staff to interested parties for individual or special group training sessions. All requests for these sessions must be directed to the Juventus Board. Juventus Sportsmanship: Juventus coaches, players and parents are to conduct themselves in a respectful and sportsmanlike manner at all times. This is important because the actions or words of anyone associated with Juventus will be automatically associated with the rest of the Club. It is the responsibility of the Head Coach to establish this tone and reinforce it strongly at all times. Juventus players will show respect to their teammates, opponents and coaches, at all times. In return, Juventus players can expect to be treated with respect by their teammates and coaches. Juventus players will show respect for opposing players and coaches. Juventus team cheers should be positive in nature and directed at our team. Comments, which are derogatory or insulting to an opposing team, are not allowed at any time. Juventus coaches, players and parents will show respect for referees and field officials at all times. Juventus parents and players may not argue with referees or dispute their decisions at any time. Any person contributing to the serving of a red card by using profanity or dissent will be responsible for any applicable fine, at the discretion of the Board. Questions and/or protest by Juventus coaches regarding rule interpretations must be made within specified guidelines. Communications: As the Club size has increased, so has the need for effective communications by which concerns can be addressed and information can be relayed. While interaction between the coaches and parents is encouraged, particularly regarding the development of the players, the Club wants the coaches to focus on training and development and not administrative issues. In addition to a coach and assistant coach, each team is expected to have a parent designated as a team manager. The team manager's responsibility is to facilitate communications among the parents of the team, the coach and the Board and to handle administrative tasks. These tasks may include, but are not limited to, making arrangements for game changes, registration of teams for additional tournament play, arrangements for hotel accommodations for tournaments outside of the area, parent meetings, uniforms and phone trees. It is expected that all participating families will fully support, assist and be responsive to the efforts of the team manager. Coaches are required to provide feedback on the player's progress, including a written evaluation at the end of the spring season. Developmental and playing issues should first be addressed with the coach. The time to do this is not right before a practice or game, but rather, parents are asked to be considerate of the coach's time and to arrange a time that is mutually convenient. When there are other issues a parent would like to address or there are problems with the coach, the team manager is the appropriate individual to contact. If the problem is a disagreement with the coach, the team manager will relay the issue to the appropriate Board member. If the parent feels uncomfortable discussing the issues with the team manager, he/she can contact the Club President. The intent of this process is to provide parents with an impartial representative to whom they can relate issues and/or concerns and to keep coaches and trainers focused on issues for which they are expected to accomplish. This also allows issues to be evaluated on an individual basis and allows assessment of the impact on the overall program's effectiveness. Financial issues, which may be addressed directly and confidentially to the Club Administrator, are the only issues which do not need to follow this chain of communication. The Club provides the Juventus website, www.youthsoccerclub.org, as a communication system for members. The website is an up-to-date source of information for Club programs, clinics and announcements. Questions directed through board member email addresses on the website will be addressed as quickly as possible. Each team will establish its' own procedures for team specific communications. The Club does prepare and distributes to its' members a directory of players and coaches for the member's reference for club related activities. Periodic alerts on our website are intended to advise the membership of issues and information relevant to our broad membership. Conditions of Registration and Participation: Any child is eligible to tryout for the Juventus Soccer Club. Once the child is selected as a result of the tryout process, each player and parent/guardian must register and provide the requested information in a timely manner. Each registration must be accompanied by payment for the program. A player may not be allowed to participate on a Juventus team unless program fees are paid in advance of the season or arrangements for payment thereof. Arrangement for financial assistance may be requested through the Club Administrator. Fees will not be refunded after the registrant is assigned to a team. All parents must take responsibility for informing the children's team coaches, assistant coaches and other relevant parties of any and all special medical conditions or considerations and providing the team coach with an emergency medical authorization and up-to-date medical insurance information. All players, parents, coaches and spectators must comply with the Juventus rules and philosophies. Players or parents/guardians, who fail to comply, may be suspended or asked to leave the program. Club Fees and Payments: The expenses of the Club are financed through the fees charged. The season fee includes the fall and spring seasons (for U9-U18), coaching, training, field expense, equipment and insurance. Uniform and tournament fees are additional. All fees are non-refundable. In the event of player injury or family relocation, the Board may authorize a partial refund upon review of the individual case. In addition, players are responsible for the purchase of their own uniform, tournament fees and travel costs. Optional additional expenses may include any training camps and elective training sessions. Individual teams will determine the need and amount of a team fund to cover administrative expenses, team entertainment, etc. As the Club has grown and continued to improve the quality and depth of its training staff, the level of the fees has reflected the economics of obtaining suitable fields for games and practices, which are at a premium in our community. Consequently, the ability to offer our program on a going forward basis may require the pursuit of fundraising for both the maintenance of fields and potentially the possible acquisition of facilities that will support the goals of the Club. Transfers and Releases Release and Transfer of Players: Release of players may be granted from their team and program, a release or transfer will be granted when all of the followings have been met: 1) Player has paid the club membership fee of $370 2) Reason of transfer was not based upon the player being approached by another club 3) The player must pay an additional $180 fee for their release or transfer outside of the club Juventus Board of Directors: President / Director of Coaching - John Jacob , juventus@youthsoccerclub.org Executive Vice President, Coach - Mario Dukovac Director of Training & Development / Coach - Carmine Raimondi (carmine.raimondi@acxiom.com) Director of Youth Development / Coach - Amadeo Delgado Club Administrator, Secretary, and Treasurer - Anna Raimondi (anna@youthsoccerclub.org) Contact: Juventus Soccer Club of Illinois, P.O. Box 770, Plainfield, IL 60585 www.youthsoccerclub.org |