The purpose of the UMNSC Intramural Program is to provide players at all skill levels with a high quality opportunity to learn, enjoy and develop an appreciation for soccer and sports in general. We provide these opportunities in a fun, constructive, and family oriented atmosphere.
Program philosophy. The values our Program is intended to foster are teamwork, good sportsmanship, and an appreciation for a physically active life-style. We have adopted separate Codes of Conduct for coaches, for players and for parents. You can find our Codes of Conduct as well as our Intramural Program Handbook at the “Rules” page of our website, which you can access by following this link: http://umnsc.org/rules/index_E.html .
As a parent, we encourage you to read the pamphlet “Positive Parenting for Youth Soccer” published by US Youth Soccer. It is posted at the following link: http://www.usyouthsoccer.org/doc_lib/parent_ed_presentationFINAL_II.pdf
The core to the UMNSC Intramural Program is the fall intramural league. However, beginning in 2011 under the direction of Gavin Flannigan, Director of Coaching and Player Development, the UMNSC has started to offer year-round programming. In Winter 2011 we offered two indoor clinics for our youngest players, 4-7 year olds, as well as one for the 8-10 age group. Beginning April 4th, we have a Spring Intramural Clinic being held after school in Washington Crossing Historic Park. Finally to lead our players into the Fall league, we are offering two summer camp sessions in July. Please see the programs and registration page for more details about all these programs.
For the Fall league,
Divisions/ Age Groups. Our teams play in divisions that are organized by age groups: 4 and 5 year olds (Under-6, or U-6); 6 and 7 year olds (Under-8, or U-8); 8 and 9 year olds (Under-10, or U-10); 10 and 11 year olds (Under-12, or U-12); 12 and 13 year olds (Under-14, or U-14); and, 14 through 18 year olds (Under-19, or U-19). Occasionally adjustments are made to the above age groupings to accommodate our player registrations and to ensure competitive groupings. Boys and girls play on separate teams and in separate divisions. At the end of every season our coaches complete a comprehensive evaluation of all of the players on his or her team. We use these evaluations as the basis for creating balanced teams the following year.
Short-sided games. Last year we implemented a new program in our 4-5, 6-7 and 8-9 year old divisions. In those three divisions we play short-sided games. In these games, we play with fewer players on the field (3 v 3 for the 4-5 year olds, 5 v 5 for the 6-7 year olds, and 7 v 7 for the 8-9 year olds) and on slightly smaller fields. The purpose of this approach is to increase the number of times each player touches the ball and to provide greater skills development opportunities – with fewer players on the field at any given time, each player has no option but to be more actively and constructively involved in the game.
For more information on short-sided games, and the philosophy behind this approach, please check out the AYSO website at the following link: http://www.ayso.org/resources/short_sided_games
Training. The first two weeks of the seasons, we will provide professional trainers at each team’s practice. The training will be designed to provide skills training to the players and also to provide coaches with ideas for how to run practices and an opportunity to have questions answered by experienced soccer professionals.
Season schedule/playoffs. The first games of the 2011 season will be held the weekend after Labor Day. Our teams will play at least 10 regular season games over an 8 or 9 week season. Playoffs are held in the 8-9, 10-11, 12-13, and 14-18 year old divisions.
Inter-Club play. Last season, we paired up with CRUSA (Council Rock United Soccer Association, based in Richboro) to provide our teams in the 12-13 (U-14) and 14-18 (U-19) year old divisions (for both our boys and girls) with a combined schedule. Our games were played at our home fields, and also at the CRUSA’s fields in Holland and Richboro. We also worked games with teams from the Valley Athletic Association in Bensalem into the schedules of some of our older divisions. This combined schedule and opportunities to different area clubs provided a more diverse and exciting season for the players in our two older divisions.
Game and practice locations. We expect to begin using the fields at Brownsburg Park along River Road in Upper Makefield Township for some of our games this coming season. We will continue to use the fields at both Sol Feinstone Elementary School and Washington Crossing Park (depending upon age group) for practices and games, as we have in the past.
Tournament Teams. All of our divisions beginning with the 6-7 year old division field an All-Star team that plays in a local intramural tournament at the end of the season. We generally send one team from each division to either the John Hess Memorial Tournament in Hulmeville, Bucks County or the Roger Erb Select Tournament in Montgomery Township, Montgomery County.
