Policies

Child and Volunteer Protection Guidelines are designed to facilitate:

Protection of minors' identities and privacy Northwoods United Soccer Club recommends the follow supervision protocols

Team Coaches are responsible for all players until they are picked up or leave the area as authorized by parents.

Parent supervision is required at all practices and games for the following divisions:

Late Pick Up:

Fair play

Player safety

Respect

Professionalism

Education

Compliance

Concerns

It is Northwoods United Soccer Club policy that safety is our #1 priority of the players, coaches, referees and spectators.

Parent & Spectator Code of Conduct:

In order for your child to get the most out of the Northwoods United Soccer Club, it is important for you to show support and offer encouragement while maintaining a genuine interest in the team, the club and the sport. With a supportive attitude and a fundamental understanding of the game, everyone will come away from their soccer experience with a positive feeling.

Support Your Child

Children derive many benefits from playing youth soccer such as good sportsmanship and self-discipline. They learn how to work together, to sacrifice for the good of the team, to enjoy winning humbly and handle defeat gracefully. In the process, they also learn important lessons about physical fitness and personal goals. Remember that your children are PLAYING the game of soccer. While they should be challenged to perform their personal best at the highest possible level, be careful not to impose your own standards or objectives. As a parent, it is your responsibility to see that your child is on time and prepared for every practice and game. If extenuating circumstances exist or a player has a physical limitation or injury, you should immediately inform the coach about the problem.

Games and Practices

Parents and spectators can take the fun out of soccer by continually yelling or coaching from the sidelines. Parents and spectators should enjoy the game, cheer for good plays and be supportive and encouraging. A team’s performance improves by practicing together. Players, even good ones, cannot improve without practice. Practice stresses the importance of teamwork, establishing goals, discipline and learning emotional control, all of which are important lessons children can use both on and off the field. A player not attending practice regularly may see reduced playing time in games, since it is not fair to the other players who have put forth the time and effort to practice with the team.

Good Sportsmanship

Parents and spectators serve as role models for their children, who often look to adults for advice, direction, and approval. One of the most important things you can do is show good sportsmanship at all times to coaches, referees, opponents and teammates. Cheer them on as a team and individually as well. Negative remarks from you reflect poorly, not only on the team and the club, but on you and your child personally and can result in offense violations and or removal from the practice, game or club.

Let the Coach, Coach!

Your coach will be responsible for instructing your child during games and at practices. Coaches receive training and dedicate countless hours on and off the field to make your child's soccer experience rewarding. Some parents not only spoil the fun for their kids on the field trying to coach from the sideline, but also in the car or at home, believing this is the perfect place for instruction. Parents should not contradict the coach’s instructions. It is unfair to put children in a position of having to decide who to listen to their parents or their coach. If a parent has a question or feels it is necessary to discuss an issue with the coach, it must be done privately, at least 24 hours after the occurrence of the issue to be discussed, and held at a mutually convenient time OUTSIDE of practice and game times. Please remember that the Northwoods United Soccer Club is a program for our children to learn the game of soccer from their coaches and trainers. Parents and spectators are expected to conduct themselves as positive role models for good sportsmanship, discipline, and fair play. Interference or inappropriate conduct by any players, coaches, parents, or spectators reflects poorly upon this organization and thus will not be tolerated.

Spectators Will

Player Code of Conduct

As a member and representative of the Northwoods United Soccer Club, each player recognizes that it is a privilege to play on a team and agrees to abide by the following player’s code of conduct.

Players Will

Violations of Conduct

Any violations can fall into one of the three categories outlined below based on the degree of a violation. Interpretations of the severity of any conduct policy violations is at the sole discretion of the Executive Board.

Northwoods United Soccer Club believes that playing time during games is a critical factor in players’ development. Lack of playing time limits a player’s ability to improve technically and tactically and to implement skills learned at practice. However the club also understands the play leveling and skill levels can be different and must be considered as well. Below are the standards the coaches will be using for general management of playing time for regular club games.

RECREATIONAL TEAMS

RECREATIONAL TEAMS TOURNAMENT PLAY

COMPETITIVE & TRAVEL TEAMS

RECREATIONAL, COMPETITIVE, & TRAVEL TEAMS

Coaches may reduce playing time above the noted amounts at their discretion for individual players due to any of the following:

Northwoods United Soccer Club expects its coaches to consider what is best for individual players and what is best for the team as a whole in determining how much playing time individual players receive, within reason. Northwoods United Soccer Club expects its coaches to communicate decisions to limit/reduce playing time to the players who are affected by those decisions as well as the parents of those players. Coaches should communicate the factors in their decisions, as well as any steps that the player(s) can take to receive more playing time in the future. Coaches can have this communication in person with the players and parents, but a text string or email string should also be used for league reference. Players with questions or concerns about playing time may approach their coach directly in a manner prescribed by the coach.

Parents with questions or concerns about playing time should first communicate directly with the coach (but not until a 24-hour cooling down time following a game in which a concern over playing time is considered an issue). If a parent does not follow the 24 hour cool down they could be subject to a Level 2 Offense Violation. In the event that parents and coach are unable to resolve the issue, the chain of command to be used to resolve the problem is as follows: to Coach Coordinator, to Club President and finally the issue may be brought up before the Board of Directors.

Northwoods United Soccer Club understands that sometimes things come up between registration and the

start of play, such as scheduling conflicts, a child changes his mind, or situations change with the family.

Our refund policy is as follows:

COMPETITIVE LEAGUE REFUNDS AND DEADLINES:

On or Before January 15th: FULL REFUND

January 16th to January 31st: A $75.00 fee will be withheld from your refund per player.

February 1 st – February 28 th : A 50% refund of total registration fee will be given.

June 1 st to June 30th : A $75.00 fee will be withheld from your refund per player.

July 1st to July 30th: A 50% refund of total registration fee will be given.

Anything after these dates will be at the Board’s discretion.

FALL SEASON REFUNDS AND DEADLINES:

On or Before June 1st: FULL REFUND

June 1 st to June 30 th : A 50% refund of total registration per player will be given.

Any refund request after June 30th will be at the Board’s discretion.

Please email northwoodsunitedsoccerclub@gmail.com ASAP, to notify the Club of your player’s desire to drop.

You must receive a confirmation email from the Club.

MEDICAL AND RELOCATION REFUND REQUESTS:

In the event that a player is injured during the season and cannot play or practice for the remainder of the season, the Board may consider providing a partial refund. Families must submit a written request with a physician note

to the safety coordinator. In the event that a family relocates out of the area during the season the Board may consider a partial refund on a case-by-case basis. Families must submit a written request to northwoodsunitedsoccerclub@gmail.com

Please note that refundable amounts are time-sensitive as costs accrue to the Club for services provided from insurance, registration fees and Playmetric fees. Consequently, the refundable amount will be affected by the date

you request the refund, not the date of the event.

Questions about the refund policy can be emailed to: northwoodsunitedsoccerclub@gmail.com

Refunds are normally processed within 4 to 6 weeks. Refund requests are subject to review by the Registrar, Treasurer and or the Board, before being approved.

Please Note:

● Once a player has participated in practices or games, a refund will not be issued.

● Once team practices have begun, a refund will not be issued.

● Once uniforms have been ordered your refund amount will be reduced by the cost of the uniform.

● Any equipment (i.e. player uniform) must be returned prior to being issued a refund.

● In cases where a Player is unable to be placed on a team by the Club (i.e. not enough coaches) the player will

receive a full refund– regardless of date.

● If a player is suspended from the club, a refund will not be issued.

HOT WEATHER:

When temperatures and humidity rise above normal levels, the potential for risk rises. Be aware of these dangers and be prepared to stop or delay games to ensure proper hydration. Allow for frequent water stoppages in addition to substitution stoppages. Incidents of dehydration, heat exhaustion, heatstroke and sunburn are avoidable. Sunscreen of appropriate strength should be used by participants. Scheduling of games outside of the hottest part of the day, whenever possible, is preferred. When scheduling multiple games in a day or over several days when conducting tournaments, it is recommended that there are at least two hours between games and only two games per day for players is strongly recommended, unless the playing time is reduced.

COLD WEATHER:

Risk of hypothermia, frostbite and injury from numbness are avoidable. Consider canceling games/practices when the weather is cold enough. Be aware of the dangers associated with cold weather and be prepared to delay or even terminate games to ensure proper protection of the players. Freezing rain, hail, snow, sleet or heavy rain can cause field conditions to deteriorate rapidly. . Players should be permitted to wear appropriate and safe clothing (extra garments under the jersey and shorts, knit hats and gloves, etc.) to protect against cold and windy weather conditions.

THUNDER/LIGHTNING:

When thunder is heard or lightning is seen, seek shelter immediately. Do not wait for the rain to start before seeking shelter, and do not leave shelter just because the rain has ended. Restart games/practices after no thunder has been heard and no lightning has been seen for 30 minutes, or until the ALL CLEAR SIREN has been sounded. Parents you should watch for any possible weather concerns. If possible bad weather will be present all parents should stay and wait in the parking lot in the case bad weather hits and games/practices are called and players need to be picked up immediately. There is limited cover at the field locations and players are not allowed inside coaches vehicles, so parents please be prepared.

Coaches use your best judgement on severe weather and be prepared to cancel games/practices. Please try and give all parents adequate amount of time for cancelling of games/practices as many travel from great distances. All participants should be prepared to play in rain, snow and windy conditions as long as there are not severe weather concerns and the playing surfaces are safe, so dress accordingly. Coaches/Parents also need to understand that weather may be bad where they live but fine at the fields.

Northwoods United Soccer Club has a zero tolerance for several items listed below.

Definition of Bullying; Bullying is defined as conduct, gestures, or comments which are insulting, intimidating, humiliating, hurtful, malicious, degrading, or otherwise offensive to a player, group of players, and/or teammates, and which create a hostile or intimidating environment, or which negatively affects a player’s physical and/or emotional well-being. Bullying is any written, verbal or physical act, or any electronic communication, whether it is a single incident or a series of incidents that results in intentional pain and distress to the victim.

Any and all of the above conditions will result in a meeting with the Coach, Board of Directors and then with the player or parent. If the Board of Directors finds any of these offenses sever any and all coaches, players, parents and spectators may be immediately removed from the Club. Any of the above cases should be brought up to the coach, coach coordinator, referee coordinator and or a member of the board immediately. The board should investigate the matter in a timely manner and make appropriate decisions as they feel are needed.