2007 Far Post U14 Boys Development Team with Coach Bill Durkin at Suffield, CT	2007 Far Post U10 Girls Team enjoy some "silly time" with Coach Bo Finnegan	2007 Far Post U11 Girls Orange and Blue Teams with Coach Wendy Elles	2007 Far Post U13 Boys Development Team with Coach Dave Martin at Needham, MA
2007 Far Post U14 Boys First Team with Team Manager Tom Boland at the Soccer Hall of Fame in Oneonta, NY	2007 Far Post U14 Girls First Team with Coach David Eddy at Needham, MA	2007 Far Post U14 Girls Development Team with Coach Meghan McGrath at Suffield, CT	2007 Far Post U16 Boys First Team will their first State Cup Championship

Travel Team Q’s & A’s

2008-09 Information to be posted soon!

 In an effort to respond quickly to many of the 'frequently asked questions' about Far Post's Travel Team Program, here’s a compilation of the details that we have finalized to date.  Additional information is contained in the Parent-Player manual.  Topics addressed here are listed below.  Several areas are still in progress and there is no further information available at this time.  Items are posted as soon as they are finalized, so if the data you are seeking is not here, then it’s not yet available.  We strongly encourage regular monitoring of our club website and reading each issue of our electronic newsletter "ePost" to stay current on club activities.  

Tryout Details

 Far Post likes to see players in scoring or defending situations as much as possible to see how they react and respond on the field. We want to observe players in situations where they have to use their skill and make quick decisions. Small-sided games are the best format to do this.

 The following criteria are considered when evaluating players for the travel team program:   

• Passion for the game

• Technical ability ~ skills and technique

• Tactical ability ~ field and space awareness, knowledge of the game, sense of the game, vision

• Physical ability ~ speed, quickness, athleticism, size, coordination, fitness

• Communication ~ visual and verbal, talks with fellow players constructively

• Attitude ~ ‘coachability,’ work ethic, having fun, wants to be there, wants to learn, listens, encourages, focus, sportsmanship, teamwork

• Decision-making ability, speed of play, composure under pressure, anticipation and soccer savvy movements (attacking and defending)

Player Notification

 Notification will be sent out to every player by e-mail, unless parents request otherwise. Players and/or parents with questions regarding tryout results may contact us during the week following notification:

• By phone:  872-8860

• By email:  todd@farpostsoccerclub.com; with a copy to:  admin@farpostsoccerclub.com

 We expect an increase in the volume of phone and email messages during this period but we will make every effort to respond within one business day.  Kindly assist us by providing your name, your player’s name, tryout age and contact information.

Player Acceptance Process

 Once players have been offered a position on a Far Post travel team, there are three steps to the acceptance process. 

1. Review and acknowledgement of the club’s Parent-Player Manual which outlines expectations, financial commitment, policies and other pertinent information.   Families acknowledge their acceptance of the manual and player's rostered position through a brief online procedure.  (You can also go to:  www.farpostsoccerclub.com, click on Travel Teams, click on Parent-Player Manual.)

2. Payment of initial deposit.  To secure the rostered position, each family must complete the step above and remit the $300 deposit.  The deposit may be paid online, by check mailed to our postal address (P O Box 5575, Essex Junction, VT 05453) or in person at the Far Post office.

3. Player registration.  This year we'll have new administrative software to track our travel team, education and indoor league programs.  Each family will establish their own ‘account’ containing all pertinent contact information.  You’ll officially register your player into our club database with this new program and be able to track your payments and registrations in Educational programs as well.  More details will follow once the program is live and connected into our website.

Development Teams and First Teams

 During the past few years, we've been pleased and flattered to see so many young players eager to join the ranks of our club at tryouts.  At the same time, this is also challenging for Far Post as we know there are more players at tryouts than we have positions available on our "First" (premier) teams.   It’s always very difficult to say “no” to so many quality, committed players.  Our desire to work with players who have a passion for the game led to the inception of our “Development Team” program. 

 Development Team players pursue the same soccer curriculum through our winter indoor training program as their First Team counterparts and have the opportunity for indoor play in the indoor leagues at The Soccer Center.  They, like ALL Far Post players, have the option to attend Far Post's Camps & Clinics to further advance their training.  The following year’s tryouts offers them the opportunity to showcase all that they’ve learned during the prior year.  In general, Development Teams travel to the same tournaments with the rest of the club, and compete in the competitive Vermont Soccer League, Division I with their fellow Far Post travel teams.  The main difference between the Development and First Team Program, is that First Teams compete in the Vermont State Cup and Development Teams do not.  The primary reason for this is to avoid two Far Post teams competing against each other for a state championship.  The competitive environment of playing in State Cup is much different than in league or tournament play.  Two club teams in state cup competition tend to create animosity rather than the club camaraderie that we encourage.

 Far Post offered seven Development Teams for the 2006-07 season.  Some of these were combined ages (U11/12 Boys and U13/14 Girls) and some were single-aged (U12 Girls, U13 Boys, U14 Boys, U15 Boys and U15 Girls); a true testament to the increasing number of tryout participants and Far Post’s commitment to providing club-level training and competition to as many qualified players as possible.  We’ve kept the name “Development Team” because it fits the philosophy of the concept.  Some players need an extra year or two of “development” to advance toward the “First Team” – be it physical, technical, or emotional.  A Far Post Development Team serves a player’s passion and commitment to the game by enabling play at the “Club” level and by including that player as far of the Far Post family. 

 For the 2006-2007 season, in addition to our development teams, Far Post had 13 “First Teams,” from ages U12 through U18 Boys and Girls; one U11 Boys Team; two U11 Girls teams; a very large U10 Girls team which was split into two smaller squads for league and tournament play; and two squads of U10 Boys.

 “We are very pleased with the increased interest in Far Post and are excited about the prospects for the upcoming season," says Executive Director Todd Kingsbury.  "We welcome the many new players to our Far Post family and look forward to working with them and our seasoned veterans."   

Coaching Rosters

 We are in the process of finalizing our coaching staff for the upcoming season.  In the meantime, feel free to check the Personnel page of the website for our coaching roster and links to their biographical information.  These pages will be updated over the next several weeks so we recommend that you check back periodically for more details. 

Paperwork Sessions

 The acceptance procedures (noted above) register players with their respective teams.  A variety of paperwork is required for each player to participate in league matches and tournaments.  Each season we schedule Paperwork Sessions for families to handle all the administrative tasks needed for the upcoming season.  It is very important that you attend one of these sessions to take care of paperwork and try on and order uniforms.  Please review the paperwork requirements list so you’ll be sure to bring the proper documents with you. 

• Watch for the dates during the second week of October in an upcoming issue of ePost! 

 Paperwork Requirements

• Birth Certificates:  Only NEW players need to bring a copy with them; we have last year’s players’ on file.
   

• State Player Registration: 
  All players must be registered with the Vermont Soccer Association (VSA) to be rostered on a Far Post Travel Team.  State affiliation provides secondary medical and general liability insurance coverage during the indoor and outdoor season.  This is included in the Player Travel Team Fee and the club staff handles the official registration process with VSA.
   

• Photos: 
  All players are required to have a player pass as proof of their registration with VSA.  Players should accompany their parents so they can have a digital picture taken for this purpose.  If the players are unable to attend, parents should bring a 1 x 1 inch photo with them.
   

• Medical forms:
  All players must have a signed Vermont Soccer Association (VSA) medical form on file.  The forms will be pre-filled with family contact data but you’ll need your medical insurance information with you to complete the form.  As in the past, most tournaments require completion of their own medical forms.  Please be prepared to complete as many as 3 other medical forms.  Where possible, we'll pre-fill the forms for you with data from our files. 
   

• The Soccer Center Waiver:  all players must complete a waiver form specific to indoor play at The Soccer Center.  
   

• Uniforms:  we will have a new style Adidas uniform jersey and shorts for 2007-08. 
  ALL returning players will need to order - at a minimum - an orange jersey, a navy jersey and navy shorts.  The training t-shirts and socks will be the same as last year.  New players must order the entire kit.  See detailed information regarding uniforms in the Parent-Player Manual. 
  
  Samples will be available for players to try on at the Paperwork Sessions.
   

• Spirit Gear:  we’ll once again offer a variety of items containing the Far Post logo with samples available to try on. 

 *** NOTE:  It’s very important to note that paperwork session prices for uniforms and spirit gear are a one time offering.  Late orders may be subject to higher pricing due to lower order quantities and any applicable rush fees. 

 If you can’t attend a paperwork session, please notify us at admin@farpostsoccerclub.com so alternate arrangements can be made to take care of these important tasks.

Indoor Training Schedule

 All teams train approximately once per week from November through April, at The Soccer Center.  The final winter training schedule is expected to be posted the first week of October (as soon as we've confirmed the number of teams for the new season).  Below is a general schedule so that you may begin planning. 

• U10’s Mondays ~ either 5-6:15 p.m. or 6:15-7:30 p.m.

• U11 and U12 Boys ~ Mondays, 5-6:30 p.m.

• U11 and U12 Girls ~ Wednesdays, 5-6:30 p.m.

• U13’s and older ~ Generally Sundays, on a rotating schedule between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m.; some Saturday mornings.

Outdoor Training Schedule

 We submit our requests for Spring/Summer outdoor field space to the area recreational departments as early as possible.  These requests take several months to process so we generally do not have outdoor training schedules available before the end of March at the earliest.  We must wait for the towns (generally South Burlington and Williston) to schedule their own programs before putting Far Post events on their calendars.  We'll post the outdoor schedule as soon as we have confirmed field times.  

• U10s ~ generally train at Williston Central School; Tuesdays & Fridays, either 5-6:15 p.m. or 6:15-7:30 p.m.

• U11s through U14s ~ twice per week; 5-6:30 p.m.; location and day TBA

• U15s through U18s ~ twice per week; 6:30-8 p.m.; location and day TBA

League Play

• U10s ~ Jamborees, first 3 Saturdays in May

• U11s, U12s, U13s, as well as all Development teams ~ Vermont Soccer League, Division 1

• First Teams - U14s and older ~ Region I Northeast Regional League

Tournaments

 At this time, we anticipate sending applications to the tournaments listed below as soon as they are available.  We will send notification via ePost as soon as our applications are approved by each tournament.   In the meantime, please hold these dates on your calendars:

 Memorial Day Weekend ~ May 24-26, 2008

• Wellesley (MA) Memorial Day Weekend Tournament ~ U10 Teams

• Needham (MA) Invitational Soccer Tournament ~ U11 through U18 Teams

 Father’s Day Weekend ~ June 14-15, 2008

• Nordic Cup (VT) ~ U10 through U18 Teams

 "Third Tournament Option"

• TBA, by team; generally the last weekend in June

State Cup & Regionals

• For First Teams, U12 and older

• Preliminary Matches ~ May 17 & 18, 2008

• Finals Matches ~ Generally the first weekend of June

• Regionals ~ for State Cup Champions ~ June 26 through July 1, 2008; Portland, Maine

Philosophy, Code of Ethics, Fees, Policies

• Further details are available in the Travel Team Parent-Player Manual.