Queen Anne Soccer Club Home Page

This is the official web site of the Queen Anne Soccer Club. The Queen Anne Soccer Club is a non-profit, volunteer-led soccer club whose primary purpose is to promote and develop recreational soccer opportunities for the youth in the Queen Anne community of Seattle, Washington.

Early Bird Registration for the 2012 Fall Recreation Season is open May 1 through June 15 for U7 players and above. U6 registration (5-year-olds) will open on June 1 as long as we have volunteer coaches. Registration continues through September or until teams are full. Please click on the Registration menu link to your left and follow the directions on that page to register.

 
Equipment Return

To keep our player fees low, we ask that all QASC equipment be returned at the end of the season. Several coaches still have extra balls and ball bags. Check your cars, and drop the gear off at my house when you have a chance: (REYS - 2900 3rd Avenue North 98109 - Uphill from Ponti Restataunt/Nickerson; brown house on corner of 3rd Ave N and Fulton).

 
Announcements

SYSA Spring Soccer 2012

Please note that Spring Soccer operates a little differently than the fall soccer season.

  1. Play begins April 1st and continues through June 17th.
  2. Your age group will change from the fall season. If you played U8, your team is now a U9.
  3. Registration requires a single TEAM, rather than individual player, registration. This means one fee is paid and will require collection for reimbursement at the team level…you have a team treasurer, right?
  4. You will need your team ID number to register. Click here for the team ID numbers for Queen Anne teams.
  5. QASC will not issue uniforms or equipment for this season. If you are thinking that you will hang onto your fall gear, please do not, but rather return it to my front porch. White tee-shirts will be available for teams as needed. Please send your requests to me at: mark@reys.us.
  6. Fields are not allocated for practice. This does not mean that you cannot hold practices to brush away the cobwebs. Some teams choose to hold practice sessions…most do not. Do not feel pressured to train. If you do decide to hold practices, please be respectful of those who have registered and paid access the the fields. If a group asks you to move, please apologize and move quickly.
  7. Play is "small-sided". This means that teams will play with smaller squads on smaller fields.
  8. The Spirit of Spring Soccer. Started many years ago by Queen Anne hill's own Neil Callahan, spring soccer was developed as a semi organized pick-up game environment. No scores or standings are recorded. If one team is short, either lend the other team a player, or better yet, blend the teams and play. This goes for matches that are lop-sided. If one team is getting crushed, blend the teams and play with even strengths. With that said, if you run into a situation where one team is dominating and the opposing team's coach will not make adjustments, you have the right to stop the match, take half of the field and play with your squad. The idea is that that the environment is to be fun…one where players are able to touch the ball many times. If you have questions, please feel free contact anyone from Queen Anne Soccer.
  9. Register early as there is much more demand than there is capacity and divisions will fill up. Send an email to your team and get the team organized today.
  10. Remember that the spring soccer teams are organized by the coaches/volunteers, not the registrar. If you are short players because they are playing baseball, etc, you can bring players from othe teams to complete the roster. Poaching or the building of super-teams is frowned upon, however.
  11. Lastly, we are asking that all Queen Anne coaches attend the Coaches Meeting on March 18th.

Below is the the Seattle Youth Soccer Association (SYSA) announcement. Please take the time to read it as it outlines new guidelines to help sort the competition for your team as well as tips for prepping your team for play…remember, because you are playing in a new age group, rules, ball-sizes, number of players, etc may have changed from the fall session.

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SPRING SOCCER REGISTRATION IS OPEN

But before you start your team registration, make sure you read the information below. There are a number of important changes for 2012 you need to be aware of.

If you are not able to or not interested in forming a spring team, please forward this email to your fall players in case any of them would be interested in playing this spring.

For all the details about Spring Soccer, including a FAQ, Coaches Page, and Spring Soccer Rules, visit the SYSA web site Spring Soccer page. The information below summarizes some of the key points about our spring program for 2012.

Our Mission - SYSA's program goals for Spring Soccer build on the league's founder and visionary, Neil Callahan. Our goal is to give kids a chance to play soccer each spring, learning the game, getting as many touches on the ball as they can, improving their skills and ultimately their enjoyment. Spring Soccer is intentionally structured to be less competitive, and focuses on letting the kids learn from the game. We don't keep score or list standings. We don't have official referees. Much like an old-fashioned pickup game, we want the kids to enjoy the essence of the game. We encourage kids to be creative, have fun, and not worry so much about winning and losing. Please join us in promoting the spirit of Spring Soccer as Neil originally envisioned it. Let them play!

Balancing Competition in Leagues - Some of the feedback we received in the past few years asked us to do a better job of balancing leagues and competition. In order to provide better balance, we are asking coaches to declare the relative strength and experience of their players and teams during registration. You'll be asked if your team is Rec Level 1 (least competitive), Rec Level 2 (more competitive), or Super Rec/Select (highly competitive). Be prepared BEFORE starting registration to choose one of these levels.

Playing Up - In 2012, we are giving U9, U10, and U11 teams the option to play up one age group (for example, a U9 team could play with U10 teams). This age difference is one way to create more challenge and competition for stronger teams and players. Please indicate on the registration form if you would be willing to play up an additional year. Keep in mind that your spring age group is based on the coming fall, not the previous fall. If you played U10 in fall 2011, you'll play at U11 in 2012. Playing up would then mean moving from U10 in the fall to U12 in the spring, still only one age up from the team's peer group.

Assigning Individual Players to Teams - Our system for matching individual players with teams relied on the families of the players contacting the coaches of teams with open roster spots. We've found this to be more and more unworkable as the size of the league has grown. This year, SYSA will be assigning players without a team to teams that have openings on their roster. While we expect this to make is easier for players and teams to get matched up, we cannot guarantee that every player who wants to play in spring will be placed on a team. We'll do our best this year to see how this new approach works. It is still best if players can find an existing team in their neighborhood to join.

Rule Changes in Older Age Groups - Teams in Spring Soccer play in the age group of the upcoming fall. For example, a team that was U10 in fall 2011 will play in a U11 league in spring. For our mod teams in the U7 through U11 ages, this move up to a year older league often includes a number of rule changes. Here are a few examples of these rule changes:

  • Offside: The offside rule goes into effect beginning at U10. If your team played U9 in the fall, they will need to be aware of the offside rule in the spring. (Keep in mind that the even at U9 and younger, the intent of the offside rule should be followed; for example, coaches should not be positioning a player in front of the goal.)
  • Goal keeping: Teams begin using goal keepers at U8.Free kicks: At U10 and above, direct kicks at the goals are allowed. Only indirect kicks are allowed at U9 and below.
  • Slide tackling: Slide tacking is not allowed at U10 and below, but is allowed beginning at U11.
  • Ball sizes: Use a size 3 ball for U7 and U8; size 4 for U9 through U12; size 5 for U13 and older.
  • All the small sided rules are available with full details on the SYSA web site at this link.

Deadlines and Dates - Here are the key dates for the Spring Soccer 2012 season:

  • Registration Opens: Wednesday, January 25
  • Registration Closes: February 22
  • Late Fee Registration: Between February 22 and 28, teams will pay an extra $100 late fee to register. Late registrations cause SYSA staff a great deal more work in scheduling. REGISTER ON TIME!
  • Coaches Meeting: March 14; all first and second year coaches MUST attend
  • Games Begin: April 1
  • Games End: June 17
  • No Games: Easter and Memorial Day weekends, April 8 and May 27. All other weekends will have games scheduled.

Finally, we have posted all the information and the answers to nearly all questions on the Spring Soccer web site www.sysa.org . Please review the site before contacting us. If you cannot find what you need, a list of contact information is also on the site.

Once you are ready to register your team, go to the Registration page on the SYSA web site.

Thanks and enjoy SYSA Spring Soccer 2012!

The SYSA Spring Soccer Committee

 
Jim Locke

We received news that we've lost another Queen Anne Community champion. Jim Locke recently passed away after a tough battle with cancer.

Jim coached youth soccer teams almost continuously since 1973, and had been a soccer referee since 1978. Over the last 38 years he coached nearly every age group, both boys and girls. He was very well respected for both his coaching and referee skills.

An example of Jim's skill and dedication is from a few years ago. Jim's boys' team had just won the City of Seattle U-19 Championship. The players all graduated and moved on. He was looking for another team to work with. He volunteered to coach for a BU13 team that was in desperate need of redirection. In earlier years, this group of boys had been able to win a number games simply through the athletic abilities of a few of the players. As the team moved in into older age brackets, it was clear there was a lack of true soccer skill. Simply kicking the ball in the direction of the other team's goal didn't work anymore. They didn't know how to play as a team.

Jim embarked upon a strong development mission to bring this group together as team - and to learn the basic fundamentals of positioning and awareness of where they needed to be on the field. One of the parents commented that their son's interest in soccer had starting to wane, but that he was now finally understanding the fine points of how to play the game - and was really enjoying playing that year. This experience was likely the same for hundreds of other kids Jim coached throughout his long coaching career.

A typical weekend for Jim would include coaching his team's game, stopping by another coach's game (at the coach's request) to help with suggestions on how to get the team to play better in transition, and then refereeing for 4 or 5 youth soccer games.

He was a very modest man who simply enjoyed teaching the game. He was a valuable resource to the Queen Anne Community who will be dearly missed.

http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/seattletimes/obituary.aspx?n=james-han-locke&pid=153775034

 
Volunteers

We are all volunteers with full-time jobs. Please consider volunteering to help us.

 
Neil Callahan Fund

Neil Callahan past away in December of 2007. He dedicated more than 10 years of his life to developing and enhancing programs for the Seattle Youth Soccer Association. He was passionate about recreational players having the same opportunities as select teams. Through much perseverance, his vision of creating a spring league for recreational players came to fruition. He was steadfast in his dedication to assuring that children were guaranteed an excellent experience in youth sports. More information about Neil and his tireless contribution to youth soccer is postedhere. Contributions to the Scholarship Fund created in Neil's honor can be made here.

Contact Information:
Queen Anne Soccer Club
2212 Queen Anne Avenue North, PMB 606
Seattle, WA 98109
 
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