1 | P a g e

Information Document 2016

Table of Contents

Intro and Mission ................................................................................................................... 2

Explanation of Festival Format, Age Group Pairings, and Divisions............................................. 3

Academy Division (U9-U12)........................................................................................................4

Kohl’s Recreational Cup Division (U5-U12) ....................................................................................5

Registration Fees, Division Prices, and Registration Link........................................................... 6

Extra Benefits and Opportunities ............................................................................................. 7

Frequently Asked Questions .................................................................................................... 8

We are excited to once again bring you the Alabama Soccer Festival during the SEC Women ’s Tournament in

Orange Beach. For the 2nd year in a row, the ASF is combining with the Kohl’s American Cup, a recreational festival that is supported by US Youth Soccer.

I also want to take the time to a HUGE THANK YOU to Bob Baumhower and his team at Aloha Hospitality for

creating this event and being the caretakers since its inception a few years ago. Bob has been a tremendous

supporter of soccer and instrumental in keeping this festival alive and providing fan support for the SEC Women’s Soccer Tournament.

Please see below for all pertinent information and let me know if you have any questions.

Thank you and I look forward to seeing you at the event!

Zac Crawford, ASA Technical Director

Alabama Soccer Festival Director

2 | P a g e

ALABAMA SOCCER FESTIVAL

U6-U12 Soccer Festival Event November 5th & 6th, Orange Beach, AL

(hosted by Alabama Soccer Association)

Our mission is to grow the sport of soccer within the State of Alabama while displaying good sportsmanship within a professional, positive, fun environment. It is also our mission to support the SEC Women's Soccer Tournament in Orange Beach at the Orange Beach Sports Plex.

About Alabama Soccer Association

As the Alabama affiliate of US Soccer and US Youth Soccer, the

Alabama Soccer Association (ASA) is a non-profit and educational

organization whose mission is to foster the physical, mental, and

emotional growth of players of all ages, by creating and increasing

opportunities for wholesome participation. ASA has a current

membership of over 25,000 registered players statewide, youth and

adult, and approximately 2,000 active coaches, referees, and administrators.

3 | P a g e

Explanation of a Festival Format

A “festival” format differs from a “tournament” format in many ways in that festival format is focused on each

player, parent, and coach enjoying a good soccer experience were more of an emphasis is placed on

development rather than on winning. Too many times in youth sports we overvalue winning and expect young

players to behave as adults and professionals. We must stop doing this if we are ever going to battle the fact

that 75% of kids are quitting sports by the age of 13 and today’s generation of kids are the first in the

U.S. to have a shorter life expectancy than their adults. We are not saying that winning is not

important- we strive to do our best every time that we step onto the field, however, we will not have win at all

costs mentality. Therefore, there are no playoffs or championship games and we hope that players are able to compete and learn at the same time while having fun. Here are the ways that a festival is different:

First, a festival allows for teams to know exactly how many games they are to play and who their

opponents would be in advance of the event.

o Teams do not have to worry about potential additional games in playoffs. Scores will not be

posted because scores would not determine who got a trophy.

Second, in the “festival” format coaches have more incentive to play all players equally, experiment

with line-ups, and have more time to observe (long-term gain) rather than coach to win (short-term).

o Players will realize that not every error is necessarily life and death and the opportunity to be

creative and take chances is encouraged.

o Parents should enjoy the games a little bit more because the pressure to win, which already

exists in leagues and tournaments, is off and consequently the pressure on the referees is less

and the whole demeanor of the sideline should improve.

Third, in a “festival” format, the idea is to match teams with similar ability levels. This way there are

still high degrees of competition. In fact the degree of competition might improve.

o Instead of schedules being devised to ensure the host clubs team gets to the final, and its

strongest potential opponent is scheduled away from it until then, now schedules can put teams

of like quality together immediately.

o Rather than a good team having three walkover type results and then one meaningful final

game there is more to be gained playing three competitive games to close scores and leaving

the event having learned more about the team’s competitive ability.

Winning and losing can still matter, but that does not have to be because the winner gets a trophy.

Rather the results matter in terms of what the team, its players and coaches and parents learned about each player’s and the team’s soccer ability.

ASF Age Group Pairings- Rationale for 2 year age cohort

The athletes in the 5-12 year old range are considered Zone 1 soccer players (also known as the “golden

age” of learning right before the growth spurt). All children develop at different rates and development is

not always linear. By combining these two age groups together, player development should be enhanced

through creating a larger player pool to account for a wide range of ability levels. I.e. early bloomers or more advanced 9U players may sometimes find a good fit with other 10U players and vice versa.

ASF Divisions

There will be two divisions at the ASF:

1. The Academy Division for U9-U10 and U11-U12 (see page 4 for more information)

2. Kohl’s Cup Recreational Division for U5-U6, U7-U8, U9-U10, U11-U12 (see page 5 for more information)

4 | P a g e

ACADEMY DIVISION of Alabama Soccer Festival

ASA Youth Academy

Mission: To promote player development over team development in a child centered environment.

Why: The purpose is to increase enjoyment and retention

Objectives: 1. Focus on the technical development of each player 2. Reduce the emphasis on players and coaches to earn results

What is an Academy?

An Academy Program focuses on the complete development of each player. A properly organized Academy provides an educational environment for boys and girls to learn through playing; the main emphasis is of enjoying the process of technical development and gradual tactical understanding. The main goal of the ASA Youth Academy is to promote player development over team development in a child centered environment. This should help provide a program structure that meets the needs of all clubs and associations in Alabama. We feel that clubs must be empowered to provide a variety of programming options for their players including recreational and competitive play and that the Academy Program provides both the flexibility and structure to create a special program for boys and girls U10 and under. By using the ASA Youth Academy’s standards, best practice recommendations and guidelines, which are included in the ASA Youth Academy Manual, member associations and clubs can foster programs of all sizes and shapes that can grow and flourish.

Academy Standards:

Youth Academy Director must possess the National Youth License (or National Y outh Course Certificate), the club must submit a curriculum for player development, the club must host 2 parent interactions per season, and must keep a proper training to match ratio of at least 2 trainings for every 1 match.

While the current ASA Youth Academy is only for U9-U10, we are experimenting with the U11-U12 format. Therefore, any teams currently participating in the U11-U12 ASA State Leagues are encouraged to participate.

Current ASA Clubs that are participating in the Youth Academy:

Clubs from outside of the ASA Academy can apply to participate but must be approved by the Festival Director before being accepted.

Clubs from out of state that participate in a similar format may still apply, but must be approved by the Festival Director before being accepted and do not receive the ASA Discount for members.

Probationary Members: Daphne Strike, Fairhope Soccer Club, Mobile United.

Auburn Thunder

Birmingham United Soccer Association

Briarwood

Capital City Streaks

Homewood Soccer Club

Hoover Soccer Club

Hueytown Youth Soccer Club

Huntsville Futbol Club

NorthStar Soccer Club

Opelika Crush Soccer Club

Trussville United Soccer Club

Tuscaloosa United

Vestavia Hills Soccer Club

5 | P a g e

Kohl's Cup- Recreational Option

We are proud to announce that Kohl's US Youth Soccer American Cup will be held at the Alabama Soccer Festival. This event will be one of only 45 Kohl's American Cup held throughout the country this year. The Kohl's American Cup provides recreational players registered in US Youth Soccer* the opportunity to play in a FESTIVAL based on participation and experience, rather than competition. This goes directly with the Alabama Soccer Festival format to provide positive soccer experiences through the process, rather than the product.

The Kohl's US Youth Soccer

American Cup provides

recreational youth soccer players

an opportunity to experience a

consistent and high quality

statewide festival in a fun,

family-like atmosphere. It

fosters stimulation and

excitement about soccer in an

effort to increase the

recreational players interest in and love for the game.

We want the recreational player

to feel special and have fun! The

Kohl's American Cup can achieve

this by providing recreational players with the opportunity to participate in an original event outside of their

normal league play. The American Cup gives US Youth Soccer State Associations another benefit to bring even more service to current members and a tool to use in increasing membership enrollment.

Join our community! Check for Kohl's US Youth Soccer American Cup updates on facebook and share your comments, pictures and more at facebook.com/USYouthSoccer.

*ASA Members receive a discounted registration fee. Teams/players that are not registered with Alabama Soccer Association/US Youth Soccer will pay an additional fee to register so that they can participate.

6 | P a g e

ACADEMY DIVISION PRICING

ASA Youth Academy Member Teams*:

U9-10 $225 (7V7)

U11-U12 $300 (9V9)**

Non-ASA Youth Academy Member Teams:

U9-10 $300 (7V7)

U11-U12 $375 (9V9)

*ASA Members receive a discounted registration fee. Teams/players that are not registered with Alabama Soccer Association/US Youth Soccer will pay an additional fee to register so that they can participate. ** While the current Youth Academy is only for U9 & U10, the U11 & U12 age groups will participate in this similar festival format. KOHL’S AMERICAN CUP DIVISION PRICING ASA Member Rec Team Fees for Kohl's Cup:

U5-U6 $100 (3V3 OR 4V4)

U7-U8 $125 (4V4)

U9-10 $150 (7V7)

U11-12 $200 (9V9)

Non-ASA Member Rec Team Fees for Kohl's Cup:

U5-U6 $125 (3V3 OR 4V4)

U7-U8 $150 (4V4)

U9-10 $200 (7V7)

U11-12 $250 (9V9)

*ASA Members receive a discounted registration fee. Teams/players that are not registered with Alabama Soccer Association/US Youth Soccer will pay an additional fee to register so that they can participate. ** While the current Youth Academy is only for U9 & U10, the U11 & U12 age groups will participate in this similar festival format.

Registration Deadline- OCTOBER 31, 2016

Payment is due in full at application. Teams not accepted will be refunded the entire amount.

Credit cards or e-checks only.

Registration LINK, CLICK HERE Registration is completed in the GotSoccer registration system. If you do not have a current GotSoccer team account, you can create one to get registered. If my application is accepted I acknowledge that my payment will be deposited upon acceptance and if payment is refused, my application may be revoked, and I acknowledge that: 1) My team (players, coaches, and parents) understand that this is a festival format where results are NOT posted and

there is no CHAMPIONSHIP FORMAT

2) Once accepted no refunds are allowed. Every effort will be made to play all games in case of inclement weather.

3) My application must be reviewed by the festival director before my team is accepted.

4) Submitting an application does not guarantee acceptance

5) Games may be shortened to accommodate a delayed schedule.

7 | P a g e

EXTRA BENEFITS

SEC Women’s Tournament

As previously mentioned, part of the mission of the ASF is to support the SEC Women’s Tournament. Therefore, players that participated in the ASF will receive tickets to the Semi-Final matches on Friday evening and the championship match on Sunday afternoon. This is a great opportunity for our players to watch high-level soccer and be part of a great atmosphere.

Player Clinic

There will be a free player clinic for all registered players at the ASF on Friday evening with ASA Technical Director and “A” Licensed Coach Zac Crawford and his Elite Player Development Staff. The clinic will be open to all U6-U12 players and will take place following the completion of the 2nd semi-final match on Friday evening.

Coaching Clinic/Coach’s Game

As done last year, there will be a small coaching clinic held on Friday evening as part of the Player Clinic. Coaches will be able to interact with Coach Zac and ask questions about the training environment.

On Saturday afternoon, there will be a game for all coaches, managers, parents, and referees that would like to participate. Our goal is to model the correct behavior for our younger players and let them have some role models that they can identify and aspire to become when they grow older.

Awards

Player Character Awards

Upon check-in, each team’s coach will be given three “Character Awards”, which are meant to recognize an outstanding player from the opposing team that exhibits the core values of the mission of the ASF: sportsmanship, positivity, and having fun!

Positive Coaching Alliance Double Goal Awards

The Positive Coaching Alliance (PCA) develops BETTER ATHLETES, BETTER PEOPLE through resources for youth and high school sports coaches, parents, administrators and student-athletes. In addition to 1,000+ free audio-video and printable tips and tools at www.PCADevZone.org, PCA has partnered with roughly 3,500 schools and youth sports organizations nationwide to deliver live group workshops, online courses and books by PCA Founder Jim Thompson that help those involved in youth and high school sports create a positive, character-building youth sports culture.

PCA's Double-Goal Coach Award is given to youth and high school sports coaches from throughout the U.S. who embody the ideals of the Double-Goal Coach, striving to win, while also pursuing the more important goal of teaching life lessons through sports.

Our goal at the ASF is to have coaches, referees, and parents nominate a coach for recognition of being a Double-Goal Coach and to receive recognition at half-time of the SEC Women’s Championship.

8 | P a g e

ALABAMA SOCCER FESTIVAL/KOHL'S CUP FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Q: Will scores or standing be kept?

A: No, this event is a festival format.

Q: How many games does our team get? Are there championships? A: Each team will get a minimum of 3 games. There are no playoffs or championships.

Q: Where will the matches be played? A: All matches this year will take place at the Orange Beach SportsPlex at 4385 William Silvers Parkway. Q: Will the kids be able to watch the SEC soccer teams play? A: Yes, each player will be given free admission to each game.

Q: We have a rec team, can we still play? A: Yes, the Kohl’s American Cup Division is for Recreational Teams.

Q: Is your event sanctioned? A: Yes, both the Kohl's Cup and Alabama Soccer Festival are sanctioned through Alabama Soccer Association through USYSA.

Q: What documents to I need to check my team in? A: You will need proof of a USYSA State Roster and Player ID Cards (laminated with signature), and Contact Information/Lodging Form and Permission to Travel Form (if your team is out of state). While not needed for check-in, it is the responsibility for each team manager/coach to obtain a signed copy of the Medical Release for each player, Player Release form, Guest Player form (if you have guest players),

Q: What are the rules? A: Go here to view the ruleshttp://alabamasoccerfestival.com/rules.php

Q: Will all the games be on Saturday? A: No, we will plan to have two games on Saturday and one on Sunday morning prior to the SEC Championship Game. Teams traveling from far away can request a late game on Saturday and an early game on Sunday.