Eligible Participants

Boys and Girls in Kindergarten through 12th Grades

Program Description

Teams coached by volunteer coaches play against other teams within leagues based on gender and school grade. Based on the number of registered players in each grade we may combined certain grades to form leagues, we however expect to have the following leagues:

• Boys Kindergarten, 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5-6th (Junior), 7-8th (Intermediate) and 9-12th (Senior)
• Girls Kindergarten, 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5-6th (Junior), and 7-12th (Senior)

Players, except in the case of injury, will play at least 50% of any game they attend.

All players in Kindergarten through 4th grade will receive participation medals.

Grade 5 and above leagues have playoffs the last few weeks of the season. Players must participate in at least 3 non-playoff games to participate in the playoff games. Trophies will be awarded to teams placing 1st and 2nd in the playoffs.

All players attending picture day will receive a team photograph at no additional cost. Picture day will probably be in early October. The exact date still needs to be determined.

Game Dates and Location

Games are played every Saturday starting on September 15, 2012, running for 10 weeks and ending on November 17, 2012. Teams typcially will have some games starting around 9 am and some starting around 11 am i.e. on one Saturday you may be at 9 am, the next Saturday you might be at 11 am.

Games are played at various fields located in West Windsor and Plainsboro Townships. We try schedule each league so that all of the games for the league are at the same field location for the entire season. Please click here for directions to the various fields that are used.

Team Practices

Volunteer coaches run the team practices.

• K through 2nd grade team practices are held on Saturday just before the games at the same location as the games.
• 3rd grade team practices are held, at the option of the coach, either on a weeknight between 4:30 pm and 9 pm or on Saturdays just before the games.
• 4th grade and above team practices are held on weeknights between 4:30 pm and 9 pm depending on the volunteer coaches availability.

Optional Group Practices

Optional group training sessions run by professional trainers are on Monday and Wednesday evenings. The sessions will start on Monday, September 17, 2012, and end on Wednesday, November 7, 2012. Note: There will be no group training sessions on Wednesday, October 31, 2012.

Monday sessions are at Plainsboro Community Park and the Wednesday sessions are at Conover Park. Practices times (certain grades have a choice of times) are:

• 5 to 6 pm for Kindergarten through 3rd grade
• 6 to 7 pm for 1st through 5th grade
• 7 to 8 pm for 4th through 12th grade

Driving and Parking

Please DRIVE SLOWLY at the parks, and watch out for children. To avoid creating a hazard and danger, please only drop off, pick up and park in designated areas so you do not obstruct the view of players crossing the road and other drivers.

Cancellations

If weather or other reasons require a program wide cancellation or field closures, the cancellation will be posted on http://www.wwpsa.org and/or emailed as follows:

• Saturdays: Cancellations will be posted on the website and/or emailed by 8:00 am
• Weeknights: Cancellations and field closures will be posted on the website and/or emailed by 3:00 pm on the day of the session
• Individual Team Practices: Cancellations by the team coach will be communicated directly by the coach to players on the team.

Volunteering and Volunteer Bond

WWPSA is a volunteer organization that relies on volunteers to run its programs and maintain fields. To encourage volunteering, WWPSA charges a $75 per family per seasonal year (July through June) volunteer bond that is refunded after the family fulfills a volunteer shift. Refunds are given by crediting the credit card used to pay for the registration or by check in December (for the Fall session) or June (for the Spring session).  Typical volunteer needs are:

• Coaches - to manage and run teams, the games and practices
• Big Brothers/Sisters - 12 to 18 year old players who help coaches of younger teams run games and practices
• Equipment Distribution - to help sort and distribute equipment to coaches
• Uniform Distribution - to help distribute uniforms to players
• Picture Day - to help run picture day
• Trophy Distribution - to help distribute trophies to coaches
• Administration - to help administer the programs
• Special Events - to help run special events such as Sunburst, Goalfest and clinics
• Traffic - to help direct traffic
• Facilities - to help set up, monitor and maintain fields

Players Uniforms and Equipment

Players are encouraged to re-use WWPSA uniforms from prior seasons and to trade with neighbors. New uniform kits (includes 1 green and 1 white jersey, shorts, and 1 set of socks) can be purchased for $36 as part of the registration process. Note: the $36 uniform cost is NOT included in the registration fee.

All players are required to provide their own (these items can be purchased at local sports stores):

• Shin guards are required and must be worn inside socks.
• Soccer cleats are required. Baseball, metal cleats, or cleats with a toe cleat are not allowed.
• Soccer ball - Pre-K through 2nd grade use size 3 balls, 3rd through 6th grade use size 4 balls and 7th grade and above use size 5 balls. Please write your name and phone number on the ball using a permanent marker to avoid it getting lost.
• Eyeglass straps are recommended for players who wear glasses.
• Mouthpieces, cups, and sports bras are optional.

Jewelry and Hard Casts Not Allowed

Jewelry of any kind (including small stud earrings and religious emblems) and hard casts may not be worn during practices or games. Players with recently pierced ears cannot participate until the earrings can be removed, so please plan accordingly so they are able to remove the earrings before the first practices and games in September.

Donations and Sponsors

Please consider donating or sponsoring WWPSA. We are responsible for maintaining the fields, including installing and paying for lights and sprinklers. We appreciate the generosity of people and businesses that donate to WWPSA. If you are interested in sponsoring WWPSA, please click here.

Registration and Fees

Registration fee and multi-player discount - $100 per player early registration fee if registered by July 31, 2012. The fee will be $130 if registering after August 1, 2012 and $160 if registering after August 31, 2012. Please register early to receive the registration discount. There is a $10 discount for the second and subsequent youth players from the same family.

Volunteer Bond - $75 per family per seasonal year. The volunteer bond is automatically added to your registration and will be refunded after the family fulfills a volunteer shift.

Uniforms - $36 for a new uniform kit, if desired. If possible, please re-use uniforms from prior seasons.

When registering please pay by credit card to secure your space and makes it easier for the volunteers to manage the registration process. For payment by check, the registration is only finalized when the check is received and processed. Checks must be made payable to WWPSA and mailed to WWPSA PO Box 757 West Windsor NJ 08550.

If you need financial assistance, please contact the Director of Youth Recreational Soccer.

Register early, before July 31, to get the discounted rate.

Refunds

A $10 service fee is charged for all refunds. No refunds are granted after September 15, 2012.

Questions

Read the frequently Asked Questions or email the Director of Youth Recreational Soccer at rec@wwpsa.org.