OVERVIEW
1. A board member (Age Group Coordinator, or AGC) chairs a committee for each age group. The AGC is responsible for instructing the committee on the team formation process. AGC are to enforce both team selection procedures and team roster parameters.
2. Only coaches who coached the season just finished are allowed to attend the team formation meeting. No future season coaches are allowed to attend. AGC’s are expected to enforce this rule.
3. Team selection is to be skill-based following the procedures defined herein.
4. AGC’s will use the player ratings as a starting point for forming teams for the next season (players that are not likely to be moved based on their ratings). They will also use the ratings to make a list of the players who warrant discussion. Players that need to be discussed are those on the bubble as well as those with wildly varying ratings.
5. Children are to play with their appropriate age group. No playing up.
6. AGCs are to seek approval from the President and Commissioners for all exceptions. All final decisions are the responsibility of the Board of Directors which has the authority to waive procedures and team size parameters when circumstances dictate.
7. After team formation meetings rosters are to be kept confidential until they are posted and announced prior to the ensuing season. ALL meeting deliberations are to be kept completely confidential. Violation of this policy may result in removal from coaching.
8. Roster changes after team formation meetings are limited to accommodating late registrations only. Once rosters are announced and posted there will be no roster changes. Only in exceptional circumstances will any changes be considered by the President and Commissioners.
TEAM FORMATION GOALS & GUIDELINES
1. WAYS’ goal is to ensure that our kids are playing at a level where they can succeed and have fun so that they want to keep playing and enjoying the game of soccer.
2. Check your adult competitive instincts. These are young kids, especially our elementary school players. Our priorities are fun and development NOT wins and losses.
3. Player movement is an integral part of our team formation procedures. We recognize that player movement is not always easy. It is up to all adults involved to help get our kids through any disappointment they may feel and help them to get back to having fun playing soccer regardless of the team level they are assigned to. Kids are resilient and will follow the lead of their parents. Please read (4b) below.
4. We look to our coaches to respect these procedures.
a) Do not use the team formation meetings to try to manipulate your child’s placement or that of a child’s friend. Let the other coaches
assess the skill level for your own child.
b) Respect and support the player movement procedures. Player movement allows kids the chance to play at different skill levels. Playing at different skill levels provides important growth opportunities.
c) Players can move up or down 2 seasons in a row. If a player just moved up or down, and then is an obvious candidate to move again, then that player can be moved.
d) In towns like Wayland a common view is that only playing at higher skill levels will improve a child’s skills. Nothing could be further from the truth. Every year we have continuing examples of kids who gain confidence and skills from the extra time and space playing at lower skill levels provides as well as from the larger role kids get to play. Player movement needs to be broad and inclusive. Coaches must understand that WAYS is about development, not wins and losses.
