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What is Competitive Soccer and how is it different from Recreational Soccer?
Competitive soccer is designed for the players who want to continue their soccer experience at a more challenging level. Competitive soccer differs from recreational soccer in that players are placed on teams based, in part, on their playing ability. Where and who do we play and compete with? The Broomfield Blast Soccer Club is a member of Colorado Youth Soccer (CYS). CYS is a not-for-profit entity whose responsibility is to organize games between its member clubs. Member clubs in CYS are predominately in the Denver metro area but also include Colorado Springs, Pueblo, Cheyenne, Laramie, Grand Junction, and other cities throughout the state. Depending on the division a particular team is playing in there may be travel to these areas. What are the different divisions of play? In the age groups of U12 through U14 CYS groups teams into divisions from highest level of play to lower level of play of Premier 1, Premier 2, Classic Silver, Classic Blue, Challenge 1, and Challenge 2. There is no difference between Classic Silver and Classic Blue. At the age level of U15 and above the divisions of Elite 1 and Elite 2 are added above the Premier 1 level. U11 teams are placed in groupings of Premier, Classic, and Challenge. There is no difference in the subgroups of these divisions. i.e., Premier A, Premier B, Premier C are all the same. What are the ages for kids to play in the competitive soccer program? The competitive soccer program is designed for kids from age groups U11 through U18. For the upcoming Fall 2008/Spring 2009 season this would include kids with birthdates from August 1, 1997 to July 31, 1998 for the U11 teams. Children younger than this age may not play in the competitive program but may play in the Broomfield Rec Soccer Program. The only exception made to the age rule is for a child who is entering the 5th grade in the Fall of 2007. This is a CYS rule and the individual clubs may not make exceptions to this. How is it determined what division a team plays in? For the ages of U11 through U14 CYS uses a system of automatic promotion/relegation for placement of the various teams. Teams accumulate points based on league play. 3 points for a win, 1 point for a tie, 0 points for a loss. At the end of league play the teams with the most points move up to the next division and the teams with the least points move down to the next division. This movement is done at the end of each fall and spring league season.  What is the Club's philosophy?
The Club mission statement contains the following; "To encourage excellence and high standards of conduct in all aspects of life through the instruction and application of competitive soccer." What this means for the Club member is that the Club is aware of the affect our representatives have on the lives of the children you have entrusted to us. The Club strives to find coaches for our teams that have not only the soccer skills and background necessary to train our players but those who also have demonstrated a high level of standard in all aspects of life. We are not only looking for coaches but also ROLE MODELS for our players. How many players are on a team? CYS rules state that a team must have at least 11 players and may not have more than 18. Aside from this minimum and maximum there are no set rules regarding team size. The Club attempts to have an adequate number of players on each roster to allow the team to have a successful year. This is balanced with the recognition that the individual player's primary purpose for joining the Club is to play soccer and therefore receive an adequate amount of playing time in games. While there is no set rule and individual team size will vary, the Club's guidelines provide for approximately 15 players on each roster. Are siblings permitted to play on the same team? The primary means of placing players on teams is through the tryout/player placement process. Players are first placed on teams based on the coaches' impression of their level of ability and chemistry with the team. There is no rule that either forces or prevents siblings from playing on the same team. While the primary basis for player placement is their apparent abilities, the Club does understand the time commitments and attempts to discuss these issues with the individuals involved. Where and when are the practices? The Broomfield Soccer Club rents field time from the City and County of Broomfield. Practice fields are located throughout the City and County. Most teams practice 2 to 3 nights per week. Most practice sessions are 90 minutes and begin between 4:30pm and 5:30pm. Practice locations and nights of practice are allocated by the Club through coordination with the coaches. Individual players are not placed on teams based on the nights they can practice. What is the cost to play soccer? What is included? The total cost to play soccer depends in part on the team the player is on. Overall, the Blast Soccer Club is widely considered a very reasonable, great quality alternative to other clubs. Total costs include fees paid to the Club as well as fees related to the activities of the individual teams. Club fees for the Fall 2007/Spring 2008 season are not yet determined. This fee includes costs of the Club for fields, training, etc. as well as costs paid to CYS for administration and referees. In addition to this fee, individual teams will have costs for equipment, tournaments, indoor soccer, etc. The new player to the Club will also have the cost of a uniform. The current uniform cost is $260 and includes 2 game jerseys, game shorts, 2 pair of game socks, warmups, and 2 practice jerseys. If the coach of the team is paid, that cost is also allocated to the individuals of the team. How are costs paid? The costs associated with playing competitive soccer are the responsibility of the individual player. Each team coordinates fundraising activities to help defer the costs to the individual player. The extent of the individual's participation in these fundraising activities directly affects their net cost. Scholarships are available to those players that demonstrate commitment to the Club and are in financial need of such support. What is my individual commitment to the Team/Club? The soccer season officially begins August 1 and continues through July 31 of the following year. Teams are formed as a result of tryouts held in May/June of each year. When you accept a position on a team, the team is formed based on your acceptance. You have made a commitment to the team and the Club for the entire soccer season. Unless prior arrangements have been made with the Club you are responsible for fees associated with the team for the entire year. A waiver of these fees must be received from the Board of Directors and may be granted in such instances as injury, illness, relocation, etc. When will schedules be posted? The Club maintains a calendar on the website. Specific information is posted as soon as it is available. Coaches meetings are the 1st Wednesday of each month and Board of Directors meetings are the 3rd Wednesday of each month. The fall season usually starts the 3rd week of August and continues into November. The spring season usually begins the 1st weekend in March and continues into May. Individual game schedules are prepared by CYS and are usually available 1 or 2 weeks prior to the start of each season. What are your plans and goals for the U11 age group coming in this fall? We have big plans for the U11 age group coming in this fall again. This is the second tryout where we've had a chance to spread the the vision we have for this club and as anticipated we saw a bigger turnout than ever for this age group. We had three teams in the U11 Girls age group and two teams in the U11 Boys age group. This is something we plan on contiuning for this fall. Both the boys' and the girls' teams will be put into our training program and we already have several high quality coaches lined up to take these teams to the next level starting fall 2008. What can Blast offer players in the high school ages? Blast is developing into becoming one of the best programs in Colorado when it comes to the high school age groups. We have opportunities for players ranging from Classic to Elite, and have some of the best coaches in the area working with all these players. Over the last couple of years, many of our players have made the starting lineups of their varsity high school teams as freshman, which is not very common. We also are developing the relationships with the local high school soccer coaches in the area, and incorporating them into our program by having them run training sessions and coming to our games. This gives our players a great advantage in that they get to know their high school coaches before they even attend their first high school tryout. It also helps our players keep in touch with their high school coach during the long months of being off season in high school. If you are about to go into high school or if you are already in high school, please make sure to check out our U15-U18 girls' tryouts in June and our U15-U18 tryouts in November for boys. I am planning to play soccer in college. What opportunities do you have for me? As mentioned above, our program for the high school age groups is developing into one of the top programs in the state. There are many success stories from our program, and many current players are working very hard to earn scholarships to play college in the next couple of years. Our top teams travel all over the nation attending College Showcase Tournaments, and our coaches use their extensive college network resources to find good matches for our players. Most of our high school age group coaches have played college and/or professional soccer themselves, and know how much commitment it takes from the player, their parents, and the club to earn a college scholarship. If you are a current Blast player, or are looking to move to the Blast, we can promise you we will do anything we can to put you in a position to show that you have what it takes to play college soccer.  How do I become a Blast Player?
The club will also be hosting two Mock Tryout informational sessions, one on Monday, May 19th and the other on Wednesday, May 21st at the Commons from 5:00 to 6:30 PM. If you are going to be a new U11 player just coming into competitive soccer, or a new player of any age then these Mock Tryout sessions are for you. Bring your friends and families as these sessions will be extremely informational for all. You will be able to meet Blast coaches, the Club Directors, along with the new coaches that will be supporting the new U11's. You will also have the opportunity to ask questions and learn more about the Blast and competitive soccer in the north metro area. All the coaches in the Blast look forward to seeing you there. My age group is scheduled for two nights of tryouts. Do we have to show up for both nights? What if my child cannot make both nights of tryouts? All age groups are scheduled for two nights of tryouts. This is to give the coaches as much time as possible to evaluate the players and therefore give the players as much opportunity to be successful as possible. We highly recommend that the players attend both nights of tryouts to take advantage of this opportunity. However, not being able to attend one night of tryouts does not preclude the player from playing on a team. Be sure to notify the coach if you will not be able to make one of the nights for your scheduled tryout What do we need to bring for tryouts? Players should come to the tryouts dressed to play soccer. This would include soccer attire relevant to the weather. (Shorts, t-shirt, sweats, etc.) Shin guards are required to participate in the tryout process. Players should not wear current Club uniforms. All players should bring water and a soccer ball. Please be sure the ball is clearly marked with the players' name. Does everyone make a team? The Club makes every effort to place as many players on teams as possible. However, not all candidates may be placed on teams. For players who are not selected for a competitive team the Club provides an inter-league program. When will we know if we made the team? Regardless of all attempts made the tryout process can be very stressful for the players. The Club and the individual coaches are very much aware of this stress. Therefore, every effort will be made to contact the individual players within 48 hours of the last tryout date for your age group. All players will be contacted regardless of their team placement. |
