by posted 05/17/2013
 
To: All Participants in U10, U11, U12, U13, & U14 Travel Soccer Tryouts
 
Welcome to NCSA Travel Soccer Tryouts to be held on Monday, May 20th through Thursday, May 23rd.  There are some important logistics for you to be aware of to ensure that this CHECK IN process is a smooth one. 
 
**In case of inclement weather, please check the field hotline (203-594-3610) or the homepage of the NCSA website (www.newcanaansoccer.org).  If the fields are open, we will hold tryouts.

1.  Players are required to attend both days of the tryouts. CHECK IN for Tryouts at NCHS Fields (Farm Road 1) on the FIRST DAY will start 1 hour prior to the commencement of each respective age group's start times.  During CHECK IN, you will need to:
 

• Check in at the designated area for your respective age group at the Farm Road 1 field.
• Receive your numbered pinnie which is to be returned at the end of the evaluation sessions
• Turn in a COPY of your BIRTH CERTIFICATE or PASSPORT if your child HAS NOT been rostered on a NCSA TRAVEL (Red or Black) team in any past or current seasons.  If in doubt, please just bring us a copy of either document.  Our Registrar will destroy these copies after the travel teams are announced on June 17.  
• Have your PHOTOGRAPH taken for your CJSA player pass.  It is a requirement that new photographs be taken at the beginning of every season.

Check In will CLOSE 10 minutes before the start of Tryouts so please do not be late. 

You will notice that having your photograph taken is a new step in the registration process. Please allow extra time to register and be warmed up and ready to be on the field at the start of your child's designated evaluation session.

U12 Boys, U12 Girls and U13 Girls:

***Please note that your tryouts will be held at Conner Field.  You must report to the NCHS field (Farm Road 1) prior to your evaluation on the first day to register, to be photographed, and to get your pinnie.  Your parent must stay with you during this time and transport you to Conner Field.  You will leave your pinnie at Conner Field after your evaluation and do not need to return it to NCHS.  On your second day of tryouts, you will report directly to Connor Field and your pinnie will be available there.  We appreciate you taking the extra time to ensure our registration process runs smoothly, especially on the first day.

KEY REMINDERS:
 

• NCSA Coaches who evaluate at the tryouts are not the current team coaches
• Players are NOT allowed to wear any NCSA clothing/gear/uniforms at tryouts (this includes NCSA practice pinney, NCSA uniforms & any premier club uniforms)
• All players should have appropriate soccer gear which includes cleats, shin guards, soccer ball, and water bottle.

For the safety of your children, parents are required to remain with their children from the time they check in until the start of the tryouts.  Parents MAY NOT stay on the sidelines during the tryouts and it is requested that you leave the area until it is time to return for pickup.

2. Try out Times and Locations are below:
 

CURRENT AGE GROUP (refers to 2013 Spring team or grade)	TRYOUT DATES & TIMES	LOCATION	RAIN DATE
Current U9 Boys	May 20th 4:30-6:00pm	Farm Road 1	May 29th 6:00-7:30pm
	May 22nd 6:00-7:30pm	Farm Road 1
Current U9 Girls	May 21st 4:30-6:00pm	Farm Road 1	May 28th 4:30-6:00pm
	May 23rd 6:00-7:30pm	Farm Road 1
Current U10 Boys	May 20th 6:00-7:30pm	Farm Road 1	May 29th 4:30-6:00pm
	May 22nd 4:30-6:00pm	Farm Road 1
Current U10 Girls	May 21st 6:00-7:30pm	Farm Road 1	May 28th 6:00-7:30pm
	May 23rd 4:30-6:00pm	Farm Road 1
Current U11 Boys	May 20th 4:30-6:00pm	Farm Road 2	May 29th 6:00-7:30pm
	May 22nd 6:00-7:30pm	Farm Road 2
Current U11 Girls	May 20th 6:00-7:30pm	Farm Road 2	May 29th 4:30-6:00pm
	May 22nd 4:30-6:00pm	Farm Road 2
Current U12 Boys	May 20th 4:00-5:30pm	Conner Field	May 29th 6:10-7:40pm
	May 22nd 6:10-7:40pm	Conner Field
Current U12 Girls	May 20th 6:10-7:40pm	Conner Field	May 29th 5:30-7:00pm
	May 22nd 4:00-5:30pm	Conner Field
Current U13 Boys	May 21st 5:00-6:30pm	HS Track Field	May 28th 5:00-6:30pm
	May 23rd 5:00-6:30pm	HS Track Field
Current U13 Girls	May 21st 5:30-7:00pm ----------------------------- May 23rd 6:00-7:30pm	Conner Field -------------------- Conner Field	May 28th 5:30-7:00pm

             
                                
3.  Your child will be given a pinnie at Check In.  Your child will return the pinnie after each session of tryouts and pick it up again on the second day.  You will need to remember your pinnie number since teams will be posted by number and not by name.
 
All travel rosters will be posted by 5pm on Monday, June 17.  To view the roster and to see if you have been selected for a travel team, please check the homepage of the NCSA website.  Teams will be posted by pinnie numbers.  Please remember your child’s pinnie number.
 
In order to guarantee your spot, payment must be made by 5PM on Wednesday, June 19.  You will receive an email with payment instructions on Monday, June 17. 
 
As a participant in NCSA travel soccer you are expected to be able to attend all practices and games (which are on Sunday). The practice schedule is not known until August when the Town notifies our organization of field availability. We will not know practice times until we receive this information from the Town. You must be able to fit practices into your schedule, despite not knowing the days or times until August.  If you have other commitments that would interfere with you playing soccer, then it is requested that you register your child for our Academy program.
 
If your child is not placed on a travel team, we highly recommend that you register her/him for our Academy program, which will continue to develop your soccer skills and prepare them for future soccer opportunities within NCSA.  Registration for our Academy program will begin on Wednesday, June 19. 
 
If you have any questions about the Travel Program, please contact our Registrar at .

We look forward to seeing you on the soccer field.  NC Pride!!!

NCSA Board
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by posted 05/17/2013
 
NCSA Families:

Welcome and thank you for your interest in the NCSA 2013 Fall Travel program. We would like to take the opportunity to provide some information regarding our upcoming tryouts for the NCSA’s U10-14 Fall Travel teams.

First, the tryouts are an important element of our Travel Program’s philosophy, which is to develop players and to form teams to compete at the highest levels in the Connecticut Junior Soccer Association (CJSA) within the development guidelines of the NCSA. More information on these guidelines can be found on our website.

The tryouts NEXT WEEK will consist of two, 1.5 hour workouts in which all the participants are evaluated by our professional NOGA coaches on their athleticism, soccer skills, and attitude. The workouts will consist of various drills, small sided and larger games that will allow the NOGA coaches to evaluate the kids in a variety of playing environments. Understanding that tryouts can cause some anxiety in certain children, the NOGA coaches will attempt to keep the atmosphere fun and casual but focused, so please ask your child to pay attention to the direction of the coaches. Each child will be receiving evaluations from multiple coaches. A lead evaluator will review the scores at the conclusion of Day One to check for any scoring anomalies and there will be additional attention paid to these children on Day Two so that each child is properly scored.

Ultimately, these evaluations, alongside information compiled from our Travel and Academy programs, will be reviewed and discussed jointly by our NOGA Coaching liaison, Coaching Director, Assistant Coaching Director and Executive Committee in order to form the travel teams.  It is our current expectation that we will form two ranked teams (“A” or Red and “B” or Black) for play next fall for both the boys and girls, each with rosters of 12-14 players depending on the results of the evaluations.

The tryout schedule, including locations, dates and times as well as some helpful reminders are on the front page of our website. The 2013 Fall U10-14 Travel team rosters will be posted on the NCSA website on Monday, June 17 before 5PM.

Thank you again for your interest in our Travel program and good luck to your child in all their future soccer endeavors.
 
Kirk Bamford, NCSA Coaching Director
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by posted 05/15/2013
 
NCSA Families:
 
Thank you to the parents who attended our meeting last night on the Landscape of Youth Soccer Today.  We had a good discussion about the opportunities that are available for your player.  Additionally, we were pleased to have Shaun Bailey, Coaching Director for the CT Junior Soccer Association, in attendance to answer all our parent’s questions.
 
For those of you who were unable to attend, we have posted the presentation to our website (link to presentation).  Please take some time to view the presentation and if you have any questions, please feel free to contact me or any of the references listed below.
 

• Scott McBride, NOGA Liaison to NCSA [NOGA, our coaching partner]
• Jay Radecki, NCSA Assistant Coaching Director
• Kevin Bryne, NCSA Assistant Coaching Director
• Kim Persky, Advisor to NCSA

 
NC PRIDE!
 
Kirk Bamford
NCSA Coaching Director
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by posted 05/14/2013
 
NCSA Families:
 
The Town of New Canaan needs our help.  There are on-going debates about energy, conservation, the use of pesticides, recycling and more.  Let’s help them prioritize.

Please spend a few moments to take the New Canaan Town Green Survey of Community Practices by clicking this link to the survey.
 
Thank you in advance for your efforts to continue to make a healthier, cleaner and more energy efficient New Canaan.
 
NC Pride!
 
 
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by posted 05/14/2013
 
NCSA Families:
Please join us in supporting the New Canaan High School's Free the Children Club who is hosting their Annual Water Walk on Sunday, May 19th at 1pm at Waveny Park. 
 
Imagine walking 3 miles just to reach water for your everyday needs. Now, imagine collecting 50 pounds of polluted water in a container and carrying it on your back, in the hot sun, up the hill to your village. Imagine doing that 5 times a day!  Last Summer, some of the Free the Children Club members joined women and girls of a rural Kenyan village on one of their water walks.

JOIN US as we recreate this task, and get a taste of what it's like for these villagers. Bring your own container (size is up to you) to be filled with water from the sledding hill pond at Waveny. You will carry it on a one-mile course through the park. You choose the container. You choose how to carry it. Challenge yourself! Be Creative!

This is a fundraiser and awareness-raiser. Proceeds go to the club's clean water project in its adopted village of Mwangaza, Kenya.

Participation Fee: $10/person
T-shirts Available: $10
T-shirt & Registration: $15
 

Check-in at the top of the sledding hill or stop by our table outside Dunkin Donuts on May 18th; no pre-registration required. Come and walk with us!!!!!

 
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by posted 05/13/2013
 

The last games for the EPL this weekend. With Arsenal and Tottenham fighting for the last spot in the Champions League.

SUNDAY, May 19

ESPN2
England NEWCASTLE-ARSENAL (live) 10:30 am.
MLS NEW YORK-LOS ANGELES (live) 1 pm.

FOX SOCCER
England TOTTENHAM-SUNDERLAND (live) 10:30 am.
 
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by posted 04/23/2013
 
NCSA Parents,

As a reminder, here are some key dates to mark on your calendars:

KEY DATES
 

• May 18-19 – Silent Sidelines
• May 25-26 – Memorial Day Weekend – No Travel Games
• June 15-16 – Closing Weekend for Travel Games
• June 17 – 2013 Fall Travel Teams posted on homepage by pinnie number before 5PM

NCSA Board
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