Competitive Soccer 101
How much does it cost to play competitive soccer?
- The competitive registration fee is $720 for U11-U14 players. The season runs
August – June.
- The competitive registration fee is $565 for U15-U18 players. The season runs
November – June.
What do the competitive registration fees cover?
- Professional coach
- Use of the Harrisburg Training Facility
- Use of the Sanford Fieldhouse Training Facility
- Administrative costs
- Parent education programs
- College recruitment seminars
- Access to sport psychologist
What does ‘professional coach’ mean?
- All of our competitive head coaches are licensed. This means they went
through an extensive coach education course to receive a specific license. We
pride ourselves on continuing education for our coaches to be up to date with
how U.S. Soccer and the NSCAA coaching development philosophy is
structured and what their expectations are.
Where are practices held?
- From August – October :: April - June U11-U18 age players practice at the
Harrisburg Training Grounds.
o 47331 273 Street
Harrisburg, SD 57032
- From November – April U11-U18 age players practice at the Sanford
Fieldhouse.
o W. Pentagon Pl.
Sioux Falls, SD 57101
How many tournaments would my age group go to?
- We recommend that our age groups attend on average, a event per month.
- We also recommend specific “Club Events” that a majority of teams will
attend to represent our club and cater to families that have multiple players in
the club.
Where would we travel for tournaments?
- We work to offer tournaments that enhance the player experience finding
appropriate competition, but also work to offer more local events to save on
cost.
- A majority of our teams travel to Des Moines, Omaha, Kansas City, Mpls/St.
Paul, Fargo, Rapid City, Yankton, Brookings, Spencer, IA.
How often would my age group/team practice?
- We recommend 2-3 practices per week to be held by each age group/team.
What if I can’t afford it, are their scholarship opportunities or a program to help?
- We offer a payment plan option, please contact
janv@dakotaalliancesoccer.com
- We also offer scholarship opportunities for players, learn about the process
here…You can also contact Jan VandenBos, janv@dakotalliancesoccer.com
http://dakotaalliancesoccer.com/Upload/Competitive/DASC_Financial_Assist
ance_Plan_06232011.pdf
How do tryouts work?
- We are unique in the sense that a majority of the competitive players here in
Sioux Falls play for DASC. This means we know practically all of the players who
participate or come to tryouts. Therefore, we hold “Placement Clinics” in place of
“Tryouts”. The placement clinics occur at the tail end of the competitive season (MayJuly). The placement clinic is run very similar to a tryout, where evaluations occur for
each player, they are offered a spot in the age group and they accept or decline the spot.
There are always NEW players who are interested in playing competitive soccer and the
placement clinics offer that opportunity to determine if competitive soccer is
developmentally appropriate for them.
What if I miss the placement clinic/tryout date for my age group?
- If you can’t attend your assigned placement clinic date, please contact
dalew@dakotaalliancesoccer.com
What is a team manager?
- Please look at the managers link to find out more about the team managers role.
How many years will we have the same coach?
- All of our head coaches understand they will be with their age group/team no
less than 2 years, and no more than 3 years.
How can I learn about the college recruiting process?
- DASC holds college recruiting seminars throughout the year. Be on the
lookout for this information throughout the year.
Are there A teams and B teams?
- DASC does not separate into A teams (Black) and B teams (Silver) at U11U14. The reason behind this rests with the concept of player development. We
feel that separating into higher level and lower level teams at these age groups
is not the most developmentally appropriate for the kids. At these younger age
groups, group training and having the ability to focus on individual player
development is key.
- When we transition into U15-U18 soccer, ability levels begin to change. This
is the point in time where we consider making Black (A) and Silver (B) teams
based on the numbers in the age group and what we determine to be the most
effective for the development.
What is state cup and regionals?
- State Cup: Determines a state champion for the state of South Dakota. This
event is generally held in June. If your group is crowned State Cup
Champions, they will move on to the USYSA Regional Championships.
- Regionals: Regionals is during the last week of June generally. All State Cup
winners from our Region (Region II) meet at the regional event to face off.