We’ll have orientation meetings in June to review the Junior Academy program, registration, uniforms and other related topics. Who should attend? Either or both parents, along with players. (We’ll include players in the early part of the meeting to deal with uniform number requests, but most of the meeting is intended for parents. We’ll check on reserving a field so the girls can scrimmage while the adults meet.)

Dates

Tuesday, June 14, 2016, 6:00 – 7:00 PM at the Metro North Park clubhouse meeting room. This room is on the right side of the breezeway.
Wednesday, June 15, 2016, 6:00 – 7:00 PM at the United Quest Park clubhouse meeting room. Enter the front door and take an immediate right into the conference room.

Schedule conflict?

If you have a conflict with your home park’s schedule, you’re welcome to attend the meeting at the other park. If you have a schedule conflict with both sessions, please check the agenda below on June 16th or later for any updates.

Agenda

Welcome / introductions
Names:
1. NASA Tophat Junior Academy Girls
  1. Birth year vs. U-age terminology
2. Metro North Park, aka MNP, owned by our club
3. United Quest Park, aka UQP or Canterbury, owned by our club
4. Noonday Park, next door to UQP, part of Cobb County Parks and Rec
5. Other locations: Terrell Mill Park / Cherokee: JJ Biello Park / Buckhead: Tophat
  1. Other NASA Tophat Junior Academy groups
6. NASA Tophat programs: Little Kickers / Smidgets / rec / Junior Academy / Academy / Select / TOP Soccer; we’re just one part of NASA Tophat
7. NASA Tophat staff: Dave Smith (Exec. Director) / Ted Colburn (Academy Director) Jane Jarrett (Registrar) / Debi Royer (Business Manager) / Randy Bowman (Facilities Manager)
8. NASA Tophat Board of Directors
9. Georgia State Soccer Association (GSSA)
10. U. S. Soccer
Review registration process:
1. On-line registration system: opens Thursday, June 9th; access via an e-mail from NASA Tophat Registrar Jane Jarrett
2. Payments: $1150 if paid in full at registration; $1210 if paid via four installments: $305 due at registration, $305 in August, $300 in October, $300 in December. Link: fees
3. Parents agreement & code of conduct
4. Academy player agreement & code of conduct
5. Registration questions? Contact NASA Tophat registrar Jane Jarrett
6. Collect paperwork for our Academy records binder:
  1. A notarized medical consent form (all players)
  2. A copy of the player’s birth certificate (new players only)
  3. Late submissions: submit to coach (not to the NASA Tophat office) on the first morning of Academy Team Camp, or scan into a PDF file and e-mail it to coach
Uniforms: 1st year of a 2-year / 4-season cycle – Fall 2016 through Spring 2018
1. Uniform package: home & away shirts, shorts and socks, two practice jerseys, warm-up jacket & pants. You can skip warm-ups if cost is an issue. Price range for the package is $160-$280.
2. Uniform number selection: priority goes to returning players then new players, oldest to youngest.
3. Sizing: via size charts from the supplier. There won’t be an in-person fitting session.
4. Ordering / payment: done on-line through our supplier Eurosport (soccer.com); e-mail from custserv@sportsendeavors.com. The process will be live mid or late June.
5. Package will be delivered to your home.
6. Questions? See uniforms link
7. Customize generic items; the 5-hour request
Other fees: “in house” Academy fees (vs. NASA Tophat fees), collected on an as-needed basis:
1. Tournament entry fees ($50-$60 per tournament, covers entry fees and coaching per diems, 1-2 tournaments per year)
2. Communal goalie gloves ($1-2 per family)
3. Overhead for our Academy web site and phone hot-line ($5 per family per season)
4. Indoor rental
5. Link: fees
Equipment needs:
1. Turf shoes (and maybe cleats); link: soccer shoes
2. Size 3 ball (smaller is OK); link: soccer balls
3. Shin guards
4. Optional home equipment: rebound net / kick-back wall / links: play at home / training equipment
5. Link: equipment
Schedule:
1. Summer break until Academy Team Camp
2. Academy Team Camp: July 18-21 @ MNP, 5:30 – 8:30 PM
  1. Cost is covered by Academy fees; no separate registration required
  2. Advance prep: get some outdoor time during the daytime heat; break in any new shoes
  3. Hydration: start the Friday before camp
  4. Foot care: we recommend turf shoes (link: soccer shoes). No brand new shoes. Bring slides or sandals for after camp.
  5. We occasionally have a family who ignores our advice on foot care and/or hydration. Please don’t be that family!
3. Fall training schedule:
  1. Training starts in August, exact date TBD by NASA Tophat in late July
  2. UQP: Mon / Wed
  3. MNP: Tue / Thu
  4. Bad weather
  5. “Open door” policy between the MNP & UQP locations
  6. Goalkeeper training?
4. Tournaments
  1. No August pre-season tournament for our Junior Academy group
  2. Possible post-season tournament the weekend before and/or after Thanksgiving weekend
  3. Link: about tournaments
5. Fall game day schedules:
  1. Start in September the weekend after Labor Day weekend
  2. Typical game-day setup: game-days
  3. The new 4v4 format
  4. Team assignments and levels of play / U8 , U7
  5. Game-day goals (varies based on each player’s ball control)
  6. “DH” opportunities
  7. Bad weather
6. NASA Tophat Golf / tennis tournament: date TBD
7. NASA Tophat Casino Night event: date TBD
8. Halloween Soccer Shocker costume party / practice?
Players:
1. Thank your previous coach(es) for helping you get to where you are now.
2. We still have some open spots. If you or your daughter know of any good candidates (cool kids who love to play and compete, current skill level isn’t important), please ask their parents to contact Ward.
3. The big 3:
  1. Give your best effort
  2. Be enthusiastic
  3. Treat teammates and yourself with respect
4. Love the ball, make it purr, keep the ball or share it with your teammates. The ball is your friend, not toxic waste. In soccer terms, keep the ball moving, get your head up, look to attack open space, or go to goal, or pass to an open teammate.
5. Mistakes are OK. Coaches will help you understand and learn from them. “Can you fix it?”
6. Playing positions: everyone will rotate through every position (including goalkeeper if we play with a goalkeeper).
7. The smaller stuff:
  1. Ball: always bring one, get it pumped if needed when you arrive
  2. Hair: keep out of your face and eyes
  3. Shoelaces: keep them tied; link: www.locklaces.com
  4. Jewelry: leave earrings and necklaces at home (safety issue)
  5. Game day procedures: proper uniform (with other in your backpack), know your team, field, warm-up captain
  6. Links: training guidelines / game day guidelines
Parents:
1. Arrange to get your daughter to training sessions and games on time
2. Communication: stay informed (check our Junior Academy web site regularly), keep coaches informed, respond to polls
  1. Bad weather notices
3. When fees are due, pay promptly
4. Be your daughter’s biggest fan, every other player’s 2nd biggest fan
  1. We discourage “pay for play” incentives
5. Coaching is done by the coaches
6. Schedule conflicts and priorities: family / school / soccer
7. The 5-hour request. I can manage the whole group if each family manages their own responsibilities.
8. Links: training guidelines / game day guidelines / coaching from the parents’ sideline
Coaches: Ward Swain, tbd, Hailey Johnson?
1. Create a high energy, educational environment: we’ll strive to mix learning with fun at every event
2. Focus on individual skill development before team tactics
3. Encourage healthy competition with yourself and others
4. Keep it fun! (While keeping it focused.)
5. Every player belongs
Communication channels:
1. Web sites:
  1. Junior Academy Girls. This is our primary communication channel. Applies just to our Metro North Park and United Quest Park Junior Academy Girls groups. We recommend you check it once a week during the off-season and twice weekly during the season.
  2. NASA Tophat. This is the club’s web site. It covers all NASA Tophat programs and special events. It includes general info about the Academy program, but doesn’t include day-to-day Junior Academy details.
2. Occasional group e-mails (blind carbon copy, we can handle multiple addresses per player)
  1. Gmail often redirects our group messages to spam or suspect e-mail folders; link: work-around.
  2. Hotmail and Yahoo often block our messages altogether.
  3. You can stay current by checking our Junior Academy web site.
3. Hot-lines:
  1. Junior Academy Girls: 1-866-206-9066, ext. 8870 (takes priority over NASA Tophat field status hot-line)
  2. NASA Tophat field status: 770-220-4089 or RainedOut system
  3. Used for exceptions only, not “business as usual”
4. Twitter: https://twitter.com/nasajracadg
  1. Used for exceptions only, not “business as usual”
5. E-mail: ward(dot)swain(at)nasa-ga(dot)org
6. In person: best time is after a training session, not before or during training, and not on game days
7. More info: communication channels
Volunteers requested: if someone served in a role last year and would like to do so again, that person gets first priority
1. Manager: creates team binder, assembles player passes, handles NASA Tophat club communication to Academy members, prepares game cards
2. Treasurer: collects for tournaments, which is twice per year (PayPal or other on-line account would be great!)
3. Social directors: 2-3 events per season
4. Tournament coordinators: make sure applications are submitted on time, get signatures on release forms, handle on-site registration
5. Photo coordinators: group photos, game photos or videos
6. Link: volunteer positions
New parent information:
1. It’s a new soccer environment; we expect questions!
2. Potential adjustment period for your daughter (more fish, bigger pond)
3. Mix of ages: U8, U7
4. Differences between Junior Academy and rec:
  1. Players tend to be more aggressive (no “force field” defense).
  2. Players move as a team (no “stay back” defenders).
  3. Every position has attacking and defending roles.
  4. We expect players to think as they play. “Keep the ball” is our mantra. “Kick it” isn’t a real plan.
  5. Goalies are soccer players, not statues.
5. Playing style: soccer vs. kickball; ball possession vs. field position
6. The ball: your friend or toxic waste?
Q & A:
1. How many teams, how many players per team, playing time?
  1. Regular season games
  2. Tournament play
2. Will my daughter play with player x?
3. Link: frequently asked questions