Dear Parents,
Welcome to AYSO 14U-Boys Soccer! My name is Jeetil Patel - I will be the head coach for this team this Fall and this is my 9th year coaching my kids at the U6-U14 levels. I played club soccer for several years growing up in New Mexico, enjoy the game and lessons learned from it. I am a member of the Hillsborough AYSO Board. Joining me in coaching this year is Krishna Pillai who coached with me last year in U12 and has coached his son in AYSO for many years. This year, all of AYSO has transitioned to BlueSombrero, and you should have received e-mails and updates from this site/service.
... Now on to soccer. Our goal is to create an environment that is fun and teaches proper soccer fundamentals and skills. AYSO emphasizes fun, sportsmanship, and player development, and our objective is to help each player develop their skills relative to their own capabilities. My hope is that through trial and error on the soccer pitch, our players will be able to improve their decision-making process, play as a team, learn from mistakes and overall improve their soccer IQ and skills (hopefully without any barking from the sidelines from us coaches and parents alike).
Games/Practices:
Please mark your calendars for our weekly games at the fields at West and North Schools. Our practice schedule is as follows:
Mondays -- 5:00pm - 6:15pm @ West School
Thursdays -- 3:45pm - 5:00pm @ North School
Our (tentative) first practice will be held on Monday, August 28th from 5:00pm to 6:15pm. We will have a short parent meeting following practice at 6:15pm when you pick up your players.
Most importantly, for the first three weeks of the season (through the end of September), North School field will be closed due to construction of the fields. As such, we will be back to you with an alternative practice date/time/field for Thursdays through late September. Additionally, we will not play our first three games at North, but likely at Crystal Springs Uplands School. Keep this in mind as you plan your family's schedules.
From October onward, our games will be played at the North School Field (there is a chance we may play a game or two outside of Hillsborough), with our first games on September 9th (post Labor Day). We will have a double header weekend on 10/14-10/15. Game schedules are now available on the HillsboroughAYSO website at http://www.hillsboroughayso.org or Blue Sombrero. Our team number is U14B-01. Schedules are near complete, but I will let you know our final schedule once it becomes available. Photo Day will be held on Saturday, September 16th at the fields at Crocker School. I will follow up with additional details on specific times.
Important policy update for Upper Division Players:
Players are required to demonstrate good sporting behavior at all AYSO events. This includes practices as well as games. In recent years we have seen a growing incidence of unacceptable conduct in the upper divisions, for example: use of profanity or epithets, taunting another team when Hillsborough is far ahead in score, and persistent disruption at practices. To address this issue, the Hillsborough AYSO Board has approved the following measures which will begin for the Fall 2017 season. These measures are intended to ensure that all AYSO participants have the chance to enjoy soccer in a positive sporting environment.
For all 14U, 16U and 19U divisions, the following sanctions for unacceptable conduct will be implemented:
- Coaches should remind players that participation in AYSO is a privilege, not an entitlement.
- Any player who receives a yellow card related to unacceptable conduct will be required to sit a game before being allowed to play again. To satisfy this requirement the player must attend one game and remain on the bench for the entire game. Attendance must be noted by the referee on the game card.
- Any player who receives a red card related to unacceptable conduct will be suspended immediately and not permitted to play unless approved by the Regional Commissioner.
- Coaches are required to report persistently disruptive behavior or unacceptable conduct at practices to the Regional Commissioner.
- The Regional Commissioner may suspend offending players.
Please come prepared:
Most players in 14UB are in middle school, where players are able to manage their own gear and be ready to play soccer. As a reminder, players should be ready at practices and games with:
· a re-useable water bottle (no disposable bottles) clearly labeled with name
· appropriate soccer attire – shorts, short sleeved shirt, possibly a sweatshirt
· cleats on, double knotted
· shin guardsSeason
Logistics:
Please try to make it to all games and practices. We know families are busy and there are conflicts, but please make a dedicated effort to attend - the team depends on your player being there (especially with 14 players on the team and the games being 11v11). We would like to start our practices on time, so please arrive 5-10 minutes early. For games, please arrive 30 minutes prior to the game to effectively warm up.
Please let us know ahead of time if your son cannot make practice and especially a game. We do plan out our game positions and substitutes, so it would be really helpful if you indicated your son’s availability. Please arrive on time for practice pickup – we will end practices promptly.
We can be reached via e-mail or mobile phone (text preferable, but do not hesitate to call if urgent). See you all soon, and thank you for supporting our effort to make this a positive season of soccer for your son.
See you out on the soccer field!
Thank you,
Jeetil Patel Krishna Pillai
Head Coach Assistant Coach
415-971-6013 415-722-6737
[email protected] [email protected]