Palo Alto AYSO Winter/Spring Select Teams: Under-19 Girls


Tryouts for the 2011 team are scheduled for Nov. 6 and 13, 2010.

See the schedule below for times and locations.

Coaches
Lee Berg
AYSO Advanced Coach
Rob Nicholls
AYSO Advanced Coach

For general information about the Select program, visit the Spring Teams page of the Palo Alto AYSO website. Direct all questions regarding the U19G Select team to Lee Berg.

Team Objective
The objective of the 2011 U19G Select Team is for players to have fun playing soccer at a higher level of competition than the fall season and to further develop each player's individual skills and understanding of team tactics and strategy.

Eligibility
To be eligible to play on the 2011 Palo Alto AYSO U19G Select Team, you must meet all three of these criteria:
(1) Your birth date must be after July 31, 1991.
(2) You must have been on the roster of an AYSO team during the Fall 2010 season.
(3) You must have played in at least 50% of the games that your AYSO team played during the Fall 2010 season (unless you were unable to play due to health reasons).
Team Formation
We will have one U19G Select team, consisting of 16 to 18 players.

The goal of the team formation process is to select players for each field position who, individually, have the requisite skills and competitive attitude to enjoy the stronger competition of the Spring season and have a strong interest in improving their soccer skills, and who, as a group, will enjoy practicing and playing together. Players will be chosen for the team based on (1) their practice attendance and game performance during the Fall 2010 season and (2) their performance at the Select tryouts. Factors that play a part in player selection include skill, speed, effort, understanding of the game, sportsmanship, commitment to improving soccer skills and physical conditioning, practice habits, commitment to participating in two practices and one game per week and the tournaments, the team's positional needs, team chemistry, family volunteer commitment, and the recommendations of Fall season coaches.

While the ability to attend every spring practice and game is not an absolute requirement for selection to the team, because space in the program is limited, all other things being equal, players who want to gain the full benefit of participating in the available practices and games of the Select season will be preferred over players who give higher priority to another after-school activity. If you will be concurrently participating in another sport (e.g., track & field, softball, basketball, volleyball, swimming, lacrosse) or will be playing concurrently on another soccer team, your parents must contact the Select Team Head Coach prior to team selection to discuss your ability to fulfill the commitment requirements of the Select Team. Players who, without prior approval or a valid excuse, fail to their fulfill their commitments to attend the team's practices and games, may receive reduced playing time at games and may be subject to dismissal from the team.
Participating in another sport or playing on another soccer team during the Select season does not automatically disqualify a player from being a member of the U19G Select Team. Players who have a strong desire to play Select soccer but are unsure what impact their other activites will have on their participation with the Select Team, should (1) fill out the Player/Parent Declaration (see bottom of this page) as accurately as possible and (2) attend as many tryouts as possible. After the tryouts have been completed, we will weigh all the factors, including each player's skill level and other commitments, and will select the group of players that will allow us to field a competitive team during Spring League and at the tournaments.

Unlike the Fall season, the Spring program is selective and not every player who is interested in playing is guaranteed a place on a team. Player selection is solely the responsibility of the coaches of each team. Selection decisions cannot be appealed. While some players who played on a Select team in a previous season may be chosen for a 2011 team, participation on an AYSO Select team in a previous year is no guarantee of selection to a 2011 Select team.

Tryouts

Players who are serious about being selected for the team are strongly encouraged to attend as many tryouts as possible.

All players will be notified of their selection status by email approximately one week after the final tryout.

2011 U19G Select Team Tryouts
Checklist:
  • Email Lee Berg to tell us you plan to try out. (Not required but aids us in planning each tryout.)
  • Wear shinguards, soccer socks, and cleats or turf shoes.
  • If you are trying out for Goalkeeper, bring your gloves.
  • Bring enough drinking water -- marked with your name -- for the entire tryout.
  • Bring your completed Player/Parent Declaration.
  • If you are not on the Fall 2010 Palo Alto AYSO U19G team, bring two (2) copies of your AYSO Player Registration Form (printed from WebYouthSoccer), signed by a parent.
Date
 Arrive By
 Tryout Time
 		Location
 Status
Saturday, Nov. 6, 2010
 		11:15 AM
 		11:30 AM - 1:15 PM
 		Greer Park Field #4
 		Scheduled
Saturday, Nov. 13, 2010 1:00 PM
 		1:15 - 3:00 PM
 		Mayfield South (turf)
 		Scheduled

Team Practices
The team will have two practices per week that will continue through May. Last season, we had one weekday afternoon practice and one Saturday morning practice each week.

To play competitively against CYSA teams and other AYSO Select teams, physical conditioning must be higher than in the fall season. Team practices will be more rigorous than Fall season practices and players should expect some form of running to be a regular part of practices.

Select Team practices are expected to take precedence over team members' other non-academic activities. Except for brief periods and exceptional circumstances agreed upon ahead of time with the Head Coach, a player must be able to attend both weekly practices on a regular basis.

Winter League
We are exploring the creation of a Winter League, from mid-January through February. This would consist of games with Select teams of nearby cities, much like the Spring League.

Spring League
The team will play in the Pacific Coast Spring Soccer League, one Sunday game per week, early March through early May. Games postponed due to weather or field conditions will be rescheduled, possibly to Saturdays. About half the games will be played in Palo Alto and the remainder will be played at other fields on the Peninsula (South San Jose to Daly City).

Tournaments
The team will participate in at least two (probably, three) out-of-town, weekend tournaments: the Concord Cup (May 14-15) and the Davis World Cup (May 28-30). The Davis World Cup will require staying overnight in the Davis/Sacramento area over the Memorial Day weekend (2 to 3 nights, depending on game times) for all players. If feasible, the team will also play in a third tournament, likely to be either the Pacifica Fog Classic (first weekend in May) or the Pleasant Hill-Martinez Soccer Association SoccerFest (late March/early April). These tournaments feature multiple games per day against top-flight competition in a fun, exciting environment. Most players and parents remember the tournaments as major highlights of the Spring season.

Cost
The cost for each player (which covers the cost of purchasing home and away uniforms, player registration fees for Spring League and the tournaments, and city field use fees) is expected to be about $350 plus the cost of transportation, meals, and accommodations for the tournaments. (If we are able to use the same uniforms as last spring, fees will be lower for returning players who do not need to purchase new uniforms.) For players for whom this level of expense would be a hardship, scholarships that defray a portion of these fees may be available.

Parent Volunteers
Because Select teams are self-supporting, providing a parent volunteer is a significant factor in player selection. A parent from each team member's family will be expected to perform some significant team support activity during the season. Descriptions of the volunteer positions can be read here. Although each family will usually be asked to perform only one volunteer function, when filling out the Player/Parent Declaration, please indicate all the positions for which a parent would be prepared to volunteer. Indicate any previous experience if you have a strong preference for a function that you have performed in the past.

Read this entire document. Print and complete the Player/Parent Declaration (click on the link below).

To the first tryout you attend, bring:
Revised: 10/30/10