August 6, 2021
Happy August Everyone!
It is that time of year again when we begin planning for our youth soccer program. As a board we got together and have gone through all of the registrations and coach sign ups. This email is being sent to all of the coach volunteers we received on the registration forms. There were some groups that were low on head coach volunteers so we went ahead and tried to group some assistant coach volunteers together. That way you have a partner to work with if your schedule doesn't always work to be able to attend practices/games for any reason. We really appreciate all of our coach volunteers and we could not make this program the success that it is without you. We are working on ordering special coach shirts this year to thank all of you for your time you give to the players and this community! If this assignment is not going to work for you please respond back and let us know.
Practice Night
We are asking that each team put in a request for practice nights. We do try to leave Wednesday nights open as this is when most travel soccer teams practice. We would ask that you coordinate with your fellow coaches on your teams to pick a night that works best for all of you. Please use this web form to tell us when your team will be practicing: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfGtGjQDAG7y3JMeGDYmyxFOhYCI9peV7EbMnS8rB-pE1P7aw/viewform?usp=sf_link
Please try to respond to the practice night survey by Sunday, August 15th
A list of the coaches and emails has been sent out by email.
Coaches Meeting and Equipment Pick Up
We are planning on having a coach's meeting on Monday, August 16th at 6:00 p.m. at or near the Hall-Dale High School Soccer Field Entrance. This is a meeting where you can meet some of the board members, get together with the other coaches for your team and division, receive equipment for the season and ask any questions that you may have. You will also receive a roster for your team and will then go ahead and contact them regarding when practices will start for your team. You can begin practice that week or start the week after.
First Game and Changes to HDYS Team Organization
The first game will be scheduled for Saturday, August 28. We have decided to do a couple of things differently this year to make the age groups and numbers work and to provide the players with the best experience possible.
1. First we decided to keep grade 1 in Division 1 this year. For this group we will do one night a week of skills and drills and fun games similar to Kindergarten and then we will assign them a time each Saturday to come and play games against their peers. The mix up of players may be different each week and we really want to make sure they all learn the concept of game play by the end of the year.
2. Next, we grouped 2nd and 3rd grade together for Division 2. This group will be assigned a team with 2-3 coaches and they will practice 1 night/week and play games against the other teams on Saturdays. There are 5 teams in this division and they will play 6v6.
3. Finally, we grouped 4th, 5th and 6th graders together for Division 3. This is different than in the past as we are seeing fewer 5th and 6th graders playing as they now have the opportunity to also play at the middle school level. These teams will also get 1 practice night per week and will play games against the other teams on Saturdays. There are 5 teams in this division and right now we are planning on them playing 7v7.
Here are the team names/sponsors as well as coaches for the group.
Kindergarten: (Saturday mornings only) CB Mattson and Gosline Insurance
Hillary Roberts and Jason Rauch will lead group sessions along with:
Michael Johnson
Adam Benedict
Ethan Bessey
Patrick Wynne
Brian Castonguay
Matthew Buczkowski
Division 1 (first grade) Kennebec Savings Bank and KV Animal Clinic
Amy Abbott==>she will lead the group practice nights
Kristy McLaughlin
Mark Lutte
Erin Cary
Stacia Duncklee
Caroline Karnes
Josh Cichowski
Division 2 (2nd and 3rd grade)
Cappza's Pizza: Adam Benedict, Stephanie McArthur and Erin Fogg
Duncklee and Nott: Dave O'Donohoe and Matt Cary
Cook Orthodontics: Jason Rauch, Peter Spiegel and Kristy McLaughlin
EOP: Sarah Dunckel, Emily Kalafarski and Siobhan Murtiff
United Insurance: Nick Hanson and Carolyn Falank
Division 3 (4th, 5th and 6th grade)
Gosline Retirement Planning: Chris Asch, Nate Nichols and Eric and Megan Proctor
Granite Athletic Club: Aaron Mattson and Joe Bolduc
KV Humane Society: Michael Johnson, Rainger Layden and Nate Sylvester
BH Builders: Jay Reith, Mark Lutte and Erin Cary
McKee Law: Jeff Murch and Jason Rauch
Thank you all again for being willing to donate your time to help our program be a success.
Take care and have a great weekend!
The Hall-Dale Youth Soccer board