Who will the coaches be? We received very positive feedback on the coaches from the Fall season (Keith, Allan). We are pleased to report that both coaches plan to return. Given that we may have four teams this year, we are interviewing other coaching candidates, all of whom are very experienced coaches. Depending on the outcome of those interviews, Mike Mey might help coach one of the boys’ teams.

Will there be adequate playing time for my child? To ensure appropriate playing time, we will decrease team size this season. All U10 teams will carry a maximum of 10 players, and U12 will carry a maximum of 12 players. The U10's will play either 6V6 or 8V8 games depending on the competition. The U12's will play 8V8 or 9V9.

Do we really want to play 6V6, given that it does not really teach positions that will be relevant in future years? Mike and the coaches have discussed that 6V6 is not our preference. However, the reality is that this is the standard for U10 with most of the major soccer leagues/organizations in the area. We can’t change their policy, but we can adjust our team size to ensure appropriate playing time (see above).

How many roster spots will be open? In order to have some team continuity, we currently plan to keep boys/girls on the team for Fall and Spring seasons. We will have totally open tryouts each Fall. Given that we are adding another team for boys and girls, we have a number of spots available for new participants.

What teams will we play? Will the level of competition be satisfactory? Improving the level of competition is one of our highest priorities, and we are very confident there will be improvements. We plan to avoid playing regular rec league teams, except maybe as a practice game and/or against a park known for high quality soccer. We believe we have commitments from Dunwoody Baptist, YMCA Ashford Dunwoody, Chamblee Parks and Rec, and MJCC’s Academy level team (except for U10 girls). We are also having discussions with 3-4 other high quality soccer programs. Please realize that some of this could change, as it’s not totally in our control.

What will be the time commitment? Last year, we had a stretch where it seemed as though we had 4-5 games per week. The Fall season was abnormal in terms of rainfall. Soccer leagues around Atlanta experienced similar problems. We plan to have three events per week during the season, most likely Monday, Thursday, and Saturday. Saturday would almost surely be a game day. If we have a game during the week, we will only have one practice. Tryouts are 2/20 and 2/27. We hope to have draft a draft game schedule by the end of February and start games on or around 3/27.

Will we play and practice on fields that are the appropriate size and quality? We can’t totally control the field sizes for our competitors, but Mike plans to discuss that topic with potential competitors. It appears as though we will have access to Dunwoody High School field for U12 practices. Dunwoody Baptist has indicated that we can use their larger field for most of our “home” games.

Will my child be able to play all positions? There are different opinions on this issue. It is our belief that Academy soccer is different than rec league, in that ‘forced’ rotations are not necessarily the best approach. Our coaches believe that the best approach is to let each player learn a couple of positions, but not necessarily play all of them regularly. As the kids get older, progress in skill, and begin to think about ongoing involvement in soccer, they tend to gravitate to a few positions. More knowledgeable coaches begin to teach more position specific skills.

Will there be improved communication before and during the season? The Leisure Staff and Committee are committed to improving communication across all sports and leagues. This memo is one example of being more proactive in communicating information. We want to make sure that you are in the loop regarding our plans for the season so that there are no surprises. We will also increase the role of other paid staff and volunteers in the communication process, including:

• The Leisure Staff has been given more access to an administrative resource at DunwoodyUMC. This person’s role will primarily be related to communication and administration.
• It is important that we formally designate team parent(s) for each team this year.
• We will have one volunteer “league liaison” for the girls’ Academy teams and one for the boys’ teams. Tom Wright, whose daughter Ashley participated in U10 girls in the Fall, is now serving on the Leisure Committee. He has played an active role in our planning process, and will serve as the girls’ liaison. We will be seeking someone to serve in that role for the boys.
• With respect to any day-to-day communications on schedules, fields, weather, etc. the above referenced administrative assistant or someone else representing the Leisure staff will communicate as soon as possible to the team parent(s) so that they can efficiently and effectively get the word out to all parents on the team.

We look forward to a great season.

Mike Mey and Tom Wright