Do to the weather all grass fields are closed at this time & the U12 Evaluations for tonight are canceled. Please watch your email for alternative evaluation dates.

Sorry for the inconvenience we will try to get a make up date out soon.

Joseph McMahon

League Webmaster and

BU10-7 Coach

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All Somerville grass fields are closed today and Saturday per order of the Somerville Recreation Department. The SYSL Board of Directors certainly recognizes that this is a difficult way to end the Spring 2013 Season. We all wanted to end the season (and the week of torrential rain) with a Saturday full of youth soccer games.

As many of you know, SYSL is a non-profit, all volunteer organization that neither owns nor maintains the soccer fields on which our children practice and play. Triangle Field is owned and maintained by Tufts University. Nunziato Field and Argenziano Field are both owned and maintained by the City of Somerville Recreation Department and Department of Public Works.

It’s important to note that field cancellations are decided by Tufts University and the City of Somerville not SYSL and the Board of Directors.

The SYSL Board of Directors are discussing potential alternative plans to better end the Spring 2013 season for parents and players alike. In the meantime, we encourage families to take advantage of the great weather and make your own fun with your teams this weekend.

Please stay tuned for more information as we determine our options and coordinate additional field times and space with Tufts and the City of Somerville.

Regards,

SYSL Board of Directors

This is a reminder of the Field Evaluations taking place next week for the groups below.

Players who will be inthe U14 group do not have field evaluations; we use coaches’ evaluations for them.

This is an important part of our team placement process. This allows us to assess the kids against the whole range of their peers while they are having fun. If your child does not attend, or turns up late, it is quite possible he or she may not be placed on the appropriate team, which could affect their enjoyment next year.

Evaluations will take place at the Argenziano Field on Washington Street, behind the school. Evaluations are difficult to coordinate, and being an all volunteer organization it is even harder. PLEASE ASSIST by getting to the field on time for “Check In”. Come prepared with the usual water, cleats & shin guards.

Regrettably, per request by MYSL, our governing body, all games on all fields are canceled for Saturday, June 8th.

Best regards,

Scott

Following discussions with the Executive Committee, a decision has been made to cancel all of tomorrow’s MYSL games and base the Spring season on the first 9 games of the season

Although this is less than desirable, it is the right thing to do. The weather forecast is not good. We’ve already had significant rain all day Friday throughout the league’s member towns, and the worst part of the storm is expected overnight. Rain will continue through noon tomorrow.

Our real issue here is time and available fields to play makeups. There are 221 games scheduled for tomorrow (note that only 17 are scheduled on turf). Towns have been closing fields since this afternoon. We are limited next weekend by the makeups from week 1 (at least 65 games). And throughout this week, many towns have make up games to complete as well as tryouts for next fall’s teams. Compounding that is that the season officially ends at 11:59pm Saturday because the following week is the beginning of play-in games for Commissioners’ Cup and Championship Playoffs.

We don’t have the time to reschedule all of the games that will be postponed due to poor field conditions. So the most equitable decision is to cancel all of tomorrow’s games.

Bob Fryer
MYSL Secretary
06/07/13, 10:15pm

When is the registration deadline?
Registrations are due by July 1st; players should plan to participate in league tryouts which will be conducted in the evenings during that week.

What if we miss tryouts?
Coach evaluations are the most important aspect, so your child can likely still be placed on the most appropriate team, but tryouts are helpful to baseline players and ensure the best decisions.

How are teams formed?
Teams are formed by the U10 coordinator in consultation with the board and the coaches. The primary goal is to create competitively balanced teams that maximize the fun, development and participation of as many players in the league as possible. League experience and youth soccer expertise and research both suggest that teams with relatively equal playing ability are the optimal conditions for both fun and development. Nobody wants to lose all the time. Also, it does the kids no good to win easily all the time. Balance is the goal.

How many players on a side?
Like U8, U9/10 teams play 6 a side, with goalies, though on a larger field than what players are used to at Nunziato. Teams will be 10-12 players each, depending on league registration numbers and available coaches.

What’s with ALL the TRAVEL!?
There actually is not that much travel. Half the games of a 8 or 10 week season are played in Somerville, and the other half are played in nearby towns. After 4+ years of U8/7/6/5 soccer, it is exciting for most kids to have a chance to play other towns.

Is it hypercompetitive?
Somerville Youth Soccer is a recreational league with goals of teaching and having fun. Typically, playing on a successful teams is more fun than playing on an unsuccessful one, so from that standpoint competition is encouraged. On the other hand, the place for competition is on the field where the children are trying their hardest. Parents obviously get involved in rooting for outcomes, but should remember that the real goal is to have fun. Parents need this reminder occasionally; children, rarely if ever.

Why are there player evaluations?
Everyone who registers can play. The goal is to create balanced teams that are appropriate for the divisions we play in. Coaches are the most informed about their players’ abilities, and they make the primary evaluations. “Tryouts” are to baseline the coaches evaluations in order to make better comparisons across teams, as well as to ensure fairness.

What are the evaluation criteria?
The key criteria are soccer skills, effort, teamwork, receptivity to coaching and player trajectory (seasonal improvement). Overall, the players ability to positively impact a game situation is the fairest and most important criterion. Again, evaluators and coaches have been watching games all season, this will weigh much more heavily than “tryout” performance in June.

How many teams and divisions are there?
Somerville Youth Soccer plays in the Middlesex Youth Soccer League, which requires Somerville to field teams in each of 4 divisions for U10 (combined U9 and U10). Typically, there is a “top” team for each age group. The top U10 team plays Division 1, the top U9 team plays Division 2. The second team for each age group would typically play in Divisions 2&3, while other teams would play in Divisions 3&4. The intent is to sort the players by Division, but then balance the teams as equally as possible in the Division. For Fall ‘12 season, SYL expects to field 10-11 U9/10 boys teams.

Why can’t my child be on the same team as X?
The first priority is fair and balanced teams that will be fun for all kids involved. Other requests will be considered. Exceptional circumstances such as siblings or certain kinds of travel hardships will get a high priority; normal requests for friends/neighbors/carpool buddies/past teammates are also important, but by no means guaranteed. Evaluations are also hard; there is no guarantee that the league will be 100% correct in assessing ability, but we will try to run the fairest process we can run.

Will teams stay the same as our U8 teams?
No, with caveats. The priority is creating balanced teams and some remixing of long-standing teams is healthy at this point. At the same time, coaches generally prefer to keep working with the same kids, and families have built relationships over years of in-town soccer. Preserving these connections is valuable as long as it fits in with the overall priorities.

Do they stay the same season-to-season and year-to-year?
Typically teams are reassessed each year to measure improvement of kids and make sure that they are correctly leveled.

When will teams be announced?
In mid-late July.

This free clinic is available to Somerville Youth Soccer League (SYSL) players – both girls and boys – ages U9 to U15.

Please join us of a night of fun soccer activities next Thursday. Soccer clinic details/logistics are listed below:

WHERE? CAPUANO FIELD (150 Glen Street in East Somerville)

WHEN? THURSDAY JUNE 6th – 6PM-7PM (AGES U9, U10, U11)

- 7PM-8PM (AGES U12, U13, U14, U15)

WHO? ALL SYSL SOCCER PLAYERS – GIRLS AND BOYS – ARE WELCOME!

Questions about this program should be addressed to vicepresident.

SYSL Board

There is less than one month left until the close of the fall registration deadline (July 1st), the SYSL Board would like to remind everyone to register early. This fall the league is projecting over 900 participants. Please remember to register early to get our fall season off on the right (or left) foot.

If you are planning on having your child play, please sign up as soon as possible.

Please know that SYSL is an all-volunteer league and relies on interested parents to get involved. Please consider coaching or volunteering in some way to support this league. It is a great way for kids to meet other kids, play a team sport and for parents to forge friendships with other Somerville parents.

Thanks for your attention and consideration,

SYSL Board

This free clinic is available to Somerville Youth Soccer League (SYSL) players – both girls and boys – ages U9 to U15.

Please join us of a night of fun soccer activities next Thursday. Soccer clinic details/logistics are listed below:

WHERE? CAPUANO FIELD (150 Glen Street in East Somerville)

WHEN? THURSDAY JUNE 6th – 6PM-7PM (AGES U9, U10, U11)

- 7PM-8PM (AGES U12, U13, U14, U15)

WHO? ALL SYSL SOCCER PLAYERS – GIRLS AND BOYS – ARE WELCOME!

SYSL Board

Below are the Photo Day team photo schedules and times available for optional individual player photos. We are asking all parents to make an effort to be part of the team photos and assist the coaches in organizing the team photo so we can stay on schedule.

Sportography has a secure on-line registration option simplifies the photo day process and we strongly urge all parents to take advantage of this service, though paper order forms will be made available via coaches in the coming days. See blog.somervillesoccer.us for the online link.

Travel teams players are welcome to use the registration service and then arrive at the one of the fields during the open time slots to be photographed while the in-town games are being played.

Please read the information below from Sportography regarding the packages available and online registration. Enjoy the weekend.

Sincerely,

SYSL Board

P.S. Fall 2013 registration is open!

Triangle June 1 Photo Day Schedule.pdf

Nunziato June 1 Photo Day Schedule.pdf