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FAQs
*When are Fall sign ups? Fall registration takes place at the beginning of June. However, we will be making online registration possible this year. Notices are sent via bulk mail & through the schools in May as a reminder.
*How old must my child be? Your child must be 4 years old by August 31st of the present year to participate.
*What is this new format for the younger players I've heard about? U6 & U8 follow a non-competitive, skill-building format that has been heavily supported at the state level by MYSA. The session ends with a friendly, fast-paced scrimmage.
Field Rules * No Smoking * No Dogs * Drive Carefully * Don't Litter. Watch the Bulletin for Fall and Spring Updates.
Practice at DYSA field:
All areas are on a first come, first serve basis. But please share when possible. Also no PRACTICE ON FRIDAY, this is set aside for field maintenance. One practice allowed at DYSA fields per week.
What To Expect From DYSA This Season Many parents ask - What should I expect my child to take away from the under 6/8 DYSA experience this fall? Fall Soccer is a non-competitive, instructional league. The ultimate goal is to help children begin to understand and enjoy team sports - particularly the beautiful game of soccer. Your child will be introduced to the joys of team sports - building friendships, working together, respecting themselves and others, and having FUN! In addition, we will provide a supportive atmosphere where your child will be appropriately challenged to learn basic soccer skills like ball control with both feet, dribbling, passing and running. Everyone plays! No standings are kept, and no awards or trophies are given out by DYSA at the end of the season (some coaches may, if they choose, discreetly recognize their players with awards or trophies - but these types of awards are not sponsored by DYSA and must NOT be given in the presence of other teams who choose not to give awards).
What We Expect From Parents and Coaches Positive reinforcement is critical at this age - booing, jeering, rooting for one team to "win" (and by extension the other to "lose") is simply not useful. There is a ZERO TOLERANCE policy for this type of behavior. The goal here is to get children to love and enjoy soccer and team sports and boosting self-esteem is essential to this goal.
Soccer at this level is a cooperative, flexible effort between the volunteer coaches, parents and kids, and we need your help. Parents/ guardians must remain at the field at all times and must remain primarily liable for the supervision, control or custody of their children. Based on the large number of children involved in the program, coaches are simply not able to provide supervision for your child, but can use your assistance and support. Please do not be afraid to offer your assistance. Please try and make yourself available to help out when you can. Coaches appreciate phone calls when you will not be attending and having your child bring a soccer ball, shin guards and sneakers or cleats every week. Also, feel free to ask questions, our goal is to build a strong foundation and love for the game of soccer, we hope you will see the season as a positive activity for your child and DYSA as an organization that you would like to actively involve yourself in. Your help, input and constructive criticism are needed to make this happen.
Coaches: "Please pick up all trash after practices, Thank You"
What We Expect From Players We expect no knowledge of soccer from the players. Children need only be prepared to come to the field ready to run, laugh, be nice and enjoy each other's company.
On Game Day There is no practice schedule for this age group - rather each team is allotted 1.5 hours of field time every Saturday morning During the Fall Season. Time slots for the fields (which are much smaller than a regular soccer pitch) rotate each week. Sessions will not include lectures, lines, and laps. Each session will be fun, dynamic, active, and challenging. Children will participate in team building exercises and soccer skill drills for the first 20-30 minutes. After a break, teams will pair up with other teams and, using two fields, will run 3 on 3 or 4 on 4 'micro-soccer' scrimmage games for another 20-30 minutes. The games focus on getting everyone equally involved in contact with the ball, dribbling and passing. Games do not emphasize positions, goalies or score keeping. Water breaks are frequent!
Players should come dressed in their DYSA soccer shirt, with shin guards, cleats or sneakers (cleats are highly recommended for safety and traction, but not required at this age level). Each child must have their own #3 (for U6) and #4 (for U8) soccer ball. Children must bring their own water or Sport Drink (none will be provided). No jewelry of any kind is permitted. Eye glasses must be covered with protective goggles. Also, no snack food is permitted during the session (due to allergy concerns among the children) - the DYSA snack bar is available before and after the session and all profits from the snack bar go back into the DYSA.
Why Micro Soccer? DYSA has adopted this type of play for the U6 and U8 divisions based on the philosophy put forth by both MYSA( Mass Youth Soccer Association) and MPS( Mass Premier Soccer), new organization with us this year, that supports the building of ball handling skills as being crucial in the development of soccer players. We emphasize dribbling, running with the ball, passing and control in both the age groups. The small sided games provide the opportunity for all children to participate, with maximum number of touches per player. Touches are defined as how many times a player has their foot on the ball. The curriculum and training session layout each week is geared to develop these skill sets at an age appropriate level. DYSA hopes to develop in each child a solid foundation of soccer skills and a love for the game in a positive environment that the children look forward to participating in each week.
Volunteer Help: The League needs assistance with following:
• Setting the goals and flags on Saturday
• Opening the Concession Stand
• Staffing the Concession Stand
• Shopping and stocking during the week
• End of day clean up
We don't want anyone to miss attending his or her child's game. We need more individuals offering help! Please lend a hand when you can.
Rain Dates: Sunday, of the same weekend, same time. In the event the entire weekend is rained out we will play the Sunday of the following weekend. Coaches will be notified by their Division Director of cancellation and reschedule day. We will post any schedule updates on the website.
Zero Tolerance MYSA:
All persons responsible for a team and all the spectators shall support the referee. Failure to do so will undermine the referee's authority and has the potential for creating a hostile environment for players, the referee and all
Other participants and spectators. Please understand and support the necessity for youth sports to state, require and enforce adherence to this mandate. DYSA believes we can behave ourselves. Kids learn by examples!
This is an instructional program. We do not keep Standings! But adults or players, who violate the spirit of this mandate, will, at minimum forfeit their welcome on these fields.
Roster Substitutions: Policy rev. for Fall 2004
There will be no roster substitutions. Coaches should observe the Spirit of Fair Play. To maximize playing time: YOU MAY BORROW FROM YOUR OPPONENT or AGREE TO PLAY SHORT ON THE FIELD.
U10 Teams- Concession Duty
APPAREL & GEAR
SHINPADS - MANDATORY FOR ALL AGE GROUPS
SOCCER BALLS- Size 3 for U6, Size 4 for U8-U12, Size 5 for U15
Things to be aware of:
• Jewelry, rope bracelets, sharp hair ornaments, etc. are not allowed
• Substitutions should only be made at the quarters, barring injury.
• No player shall play 4 quarters until all players have played 3 full quarters
• Teams must be off the field 10 minutes before the next game is schedule to start
• Referees will end a game that is running over the allotted time.
GAME DAY CHECKLIST
PLAYERS MUST BRING:
• DYSA soccer shirt
• #4 Soccer Ball (each child must have their own)
• Shin Guards
• Cleats or Sneakers
• Water or Sport Drink (no snacks during the session - please visit the DYSA snack bar before and/or after the session)
• NO JEWELERY OF ANY KIND
• Eye Glasses MUST be covered with protective goggles.
• A Positive Attitude and Best Sportsmanship
• A parent or responsible adult must remain at all times.
PARENTS MUST BRING:
• Themselves - for the duration of the game.
• A Positive Attitude and Best Sportsmanship - There is a ZERO TOLERANCE policy for unacceptable behavior.
REMEMBER TO BE RESPONSIBLE AND LEAVE THE FIELD IN BETTER CONDITION THAN WHEN YOU ARRIVED
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