Players and Parents

Players and Parents,

A few of you have inquired into the status of the U12 and U13 age groups for the Fall 2010 season. To try and help provide some clarity I wanted to try and answer some of the questions that we have received:

Question: Why is Arsenal providing teams for these age groups in the fall when you have not in the past? Does this not go against the programs policy about competing against school sponsored program?

Arsenal’s Response: The simple answer is “Because our players and parents have requested it”. The junior high teams revised their status last fall to indicate that they are not school sponsored sports but rather “club programs”. Some programs have gone to the point of changing uniform colors and names to support this determination. We have been advised by the league’s board of directors that one reason for the change was to eliminate the need for compliance with the Ohio High School Athletic Association (OHSAA) rules and to provide them a little more flexibility with scheduling and player eligibility. By changing their status to a “club sport” this puts them in the same category as Arsenal or other club programs. We maintain our policy that we will not compete directly against the school sanctioned programs and as such do not offer teams in the fall that would compete with the High School programs.

Question: Are their plans to field a U13 or U14 boys and/or girls team in the Fall season?

Arsenal’s response: If there is sufficient demand to field a team, then we will pursue this option. We will have a better understanding of this desire after the June tryout period. If players are interested in playing for Arsenal in the fall season, then we encourage them to participate in the June tryout period. It is important to remember, that by participating in the tryout period, you are not committing yourself to play for us in the fall. A player can always elect to decline an offer to play with another club or junior high club program.

Question: Can I play for another select club in the fall and then transfer into Arsenal’s program in the spring?

Arsenal’s response: The answer is “yes” but it’s not necessarily a simple process…and is not always approved by the league. In order for a player to leave one club and transfer to the another, there are some very strict requirements. If this is something you are considering, we STRONGLY suggest you discuss the situation with our club DOCs and advise your fall team of this desire PRIOR to accepting a position. It is important to note, that not all transfers are approved by the league and we have seen situations where these requests have been denied.

Question: If I elect to participate with my junior high team and then return to Arsenal in the spring will there be a spot available for me?

Arsenal’s response: This is a difficult question to answer. All players who participate in the fall season are guaranteed a spot for the Spring 2011 season (provided the team still exists for the spring season). In October, Arsenal will hold a “Spring tryout” session that will provide opportunities for our older High School age groups, as well as provide a supplemental tryout for any remaining spots on our fall 2010 teams. If there is an opening on any of our fall teams, then we will considering placing additional players on those teams. If there is sufficient interest to field a second team, or combination thereof (e.g. an U13/14 boys or girls team) then we will make every effort to accommodate this situation. However, it is important to note, that no player is guaranteed a position based on previous participation in the program. All players have equal opportunity to make an Arsenal Team.

Question: Can I play both junior high club soccer and Arsenal?

Arsenal’s response: At this time we do not know the answer to this question. We have presented this question to the league’s (MOSSL) board of directors and they are reviewing the question for applicability. We will provide a response to this answer as soon as it becomes available. We do suspect that this situation will create some conflicts in scheduling between the two programs, but if the league will permit it, and there are no scheduling conflicts, then we do not have a problem with this choice.

This are merely a few of the main questions that have been asked of Arsenal. Should you have any others, please contact the club’s Director of Coaching Bill Glaze at wglaze@columbus.rr.com. To summarize the responses to questions into one simple statement, if you are interested in playing fall soccer with Arsenal SC then you need to attend the June tryouts. As noted above, a player is not committed to any Arsenal team by participating in tryouts. However, no player will be considered for a fall team that does not attend the June sessions.

Yours Truly in Soccer

Bill Glaze

Director of Coaching

Arsenal SC

740-819-8844