Starting New Team Checklist

1.       Find out if there is already a team in your age group in San Carlos United (SCU)

2.       If there is already a team in your age group you will need to coordinate with that team prior calling the President of SCU

3.       Call the President of San Carlos United to discuss your team age group, philosophy and how you will work with the current team, if there is one in your age group. Note, there will be one person who oversees each age group to ensure a free flow of players between teams when necessary

4.       As a new team, you’ll need to start as a class-3 team in Redwood Junior League

5.       Find out the Redwood League Spring/Fall registration deadline and determine the first season in which you intend to play

6.       Make sure you have a list of committed players and that there is enough talent in San Carlos to support a competitive team, particularly if this is the second team in an age group. You should expect to have 100% San Carlos residents initially unless you are older than U12

7.       Approach and present your team and plan to the San Carlos United club board. Expect to present the following:

  • Introduce the coaching and management team
  • The team philosophy. In discussing this issue you should answer the question “why am I forming this new team”
  • Coaching qualifications of the coaching team
  • Where you expect most of the players to come from, e.g., previous team, AYSO, etc.
  • Will you play in the Spring?
  • How many players do you expect to carry?
  • Expected budget

8.       The club must approve any new team, the Director of Coaching (DOC) needs to approve the coaches and any subsequent coaching change

9.       You will need to work with the Director of Coaching (DOC) to schedule a tryout as soon as possible and certainly well before a registration deadline. The DOC will be running the tryout and selecting the team with your help and the help of your coaching staff

10.    Your team will be responsible for the tryout logistics such as:

  • Getting field space by working with the Manager of Fields. A minimum of 2 hours is required. You may also want to schedule a second tryout session if: (1) There is a rainout, (2) Some players cannot make the first date, and (3) More time is needed to choose between players
  • Advertising - Make a tryout flyer with contact information, date, time, and field and distribute through all known communication methods (schools, boards, emails...etc)
  • Getting players to register ahead of time and having them sign the tryout/waiver form
  • Providing a check in desk and large numbers for players to wear during the tryout, so players can easily be identified by number rather than name
  • Show up early to help set-up and coordinate with the DOC
  • Ask Parents to stay for at least the first five minutes of the tryout when the President and DOC will explain more about SCU and the tryout process
  • Once the team is chosen you will be responsible for informing all the players/parents who came to the tryout of their particular status

11.    Please be aware that there is a $250 new team fee to cover the cost of the tryout, which most teams collect together with their first team fees

12.   The uniform order will be due by the end of January, so it is important to get the tryout scheduled quickly. Coordinate with the Manager of Equipment and make sure you know how and exactly when uniform orders are submitted

13.    Each parent should sign up for a team or club volunteer work (have a checklist)

14.    Get an online Redwood League login and password to register the team and players

15.    Find out available CYSA Coaching Courses to sign up for

16.    Sign up for the online or in person Positive Coaching Alliance certification

17.    Figure out the membership fees. Coordinate with the SCU Registrar and the Treasurer to ensure you know what fees are due and by when

18.    Have a team meeting to:

  • Allow the President to discuss the club’s mission and philosophy and generally explain how the club functions
  • Get players and families to meet
  • Fill out paper work
  • Determine uniform sizes
  • Collect fees
  • Select a team name Consider a team logo
  • Register the team and players online

19.    Submit your registration packet to the SCU club registrar

20.    Lookup CYSA tournaments and note REGISTRATION DEADLINE

21.    Register for CYSA tournaments of interest before their registration deadlines

22.    Submit your practice fields request to the Manager of Fields

23.    Inform parents of the practice schedule

24.    Consider using an online service to communicate with your team (i.e. evites). Coordinate with the SCU Webmaster to get your team’s information up on the club website. It is strongly advised that you set-up a team website that can be linked to the club website – see SCU Webmaster for advice

25.    Schedule friendly scrimmages before season start to get a few games under the team’s belt