1.     Question: Can I request to play with my friend on the same team?

Reply: In the registration process we provide a box for you to input requests (friends, cousins, and sibling) please use it. For our U5 micros, U6 & U7 we will work as many requests as possible. For the U8 and U10 we review requests and we work to honor as many as we can BUT our priority is balancing the teams. We appreciate that part of the fun is playing on a team with a friend already made. Sometimes the formation process takes care of this, sometimes it does not. Once teams are formed, moving players for any reason is next to impossible. Consider that new friends are always waiting to be made, including on new teams. We all have busy lives, jobs, several children to accommodate, and other things to juggle. Transportation is a challenge for everyone. It is highly unlikely that we can help that many people and keep the integrity of the team formation process in tact.

2.     Question: Can I change teams to one that has the previous coach we are comfortable with?

Reply: We are pleased that you and your player had a good experience in the past; that is a major reason we work hard to find coaches for the teams. Intentional or not, requests for teams can constitute team stacking. Change always puts us out of our comfort zone as it introduces unknowns. Remember that the odds are very high that you did not know that other coach before you had a good experience with him/her. There are lots of other good people volunteering to be coaches also. We are working hard to provide more training for all of our coaches. We have conducted two PA West training sessions this past fall and we are planning two in the spring. You and your player will continue to have memorable experiences with new team members and team mates. In the end, we're all here to have fun playing soccer together.  

3.     Question: Who can coach?

Reply: Kiski Soccer’s coaching staff (Head Coach and Assistant Coach) members must be at least 21 years of age, a responsible person and have completed the E-Kids Safe or ACT 33/34 background checks. This is for legal reasons and it’s a matter or maturity and responsibility. Anyone in charge of minors (as coaches are) must legally be able to take care of the players. Desire to coach is most important; willingness to try is appreciated. This does not preclude high school students from volunteering their time and knowledge of the game to the youth they must be with an adult coach (21).       

4.     Question: I can't coach because I don't have the skill/time/desire (pick one), why can't someone else volunteer?

Reply: You are being asked to consider coaching because we need volunteers to step up.  We understand that each of us has a variety of things going on that make it a challenge to raise your hand up and volunteer to take a team. Here are some things to consider as you contemplate coaching:

• Skill: This is not World Cup soccer so let's not put pressure on ourselves before we even begin. The skill set of many of the coaches in the same age group are likely to be quite similar. Also, the league pays for an “In house training program” each year to coach coaches in the recreation program. These coaching courses cover all age groups in the league. The clinics are free and open for all the coaches, assistant coaches and parents if they wish to attend as they can. Ask a coach that has attended before and you will get good feedback about the clinics.
• Time: The benefit of being a coach is that the time/date of practices are on your time. As the one signing up to take the team, obviously, your time to have practice is largely your decision. If practices are once or twice a week, that is up to you. Consider some practices on Saturdays before the season begins or reducing practices once the season begins. There are all kinds of possibilities, just double check that the options you pick also work for a majority of the team.

Desire: Too many people without desire to coach will result in teams disbanding and players that will not get to play soccer in the league that season. This is not a threat, but a fact. The league will support its coaches as much as possible. If issues are the concern, be assured that the league will help when asked. We all want the kids to play. What we need are enough volunteers to make that goal a reality

5.     Question: What do you do to find coaches for a team?

Reply: The In-House Coordinator works very hard to try to find a coach for every team we can form. While our goal is to create the opportunity to play for every player that signs up for soccer, there are limitations. Every team must have a coach to participate in the league. Initially, coaches are identified when they turn in an application during the child registration process and/or mark "Coach" on their player's registration form. However, there are never enough volunteers for number of players that sign up. In that case, the Coordinator will call the parents of the players and let them know we are looking for a coach. Often one parent will volunteer or two will "co-coach" as a team. Either way is great! Even after that, we are often still short of coaches in some age groups. Coaches are volunteers that can not be force to participate, nor do we wish to force anyone to do anything they are uncomfortable with. Sometimes we have to give a second call out to the parent or have a parent meeting to discuss the options. 

6.     Question: What do you do if you can not find a coach for a team?

Reply: Unfortunately, there are times when no coach can be identified for a team. In that case, the team is disbanded and players are distributed amongst the remaining teams. Thus increasing the number of players per team and limiting the amount of playing time involved for each child. 

7.     Question: What is the process for players after they age out of the In-House program (U10 is the last age group for the In-House program)?

Reply: The Kiski Program offers two levels of soccer, In-house which is recreation play and travel soccer which is competitive play. Once a player ages out of the In-house program they are participating in a try-out process conducted in late June or early July. The teams are made by coach’s selection from this tryout process.

The travel program works different than that of in-house. Coaches notify the Kiski Board that they want to take on a team; they conduct a try-out and based on the level of skill they are able to choose the division they are going to play in (Division 1, 2 or 3 boys, Division A, B or C girls).  Division 1 or A is the most challenging. Game schedules are created by district volunteers not by Kiski Soccer. Where you play your 4 away games is based on who and how many teams register in that age division.

8.     Question: What happens if I do not make a travel team?

Reply: While we would like to have every player placed on a team that is not always possible. If enough coaches volunteer to take a team for the year this increases the number of players that can play. Because this is a transition year for many members (moving from in-house to travel) we get many questions like why we don’t want the players to play after U10. We would love to have more children playing the game of soccer and we are working to encourage and train our coaches so when the time comes for Travel we have more coaches taking teams. Unlike In-House where we are able to convince a parent to take a team travel requires several things (E -License, more time for training, higher level of coaching).

 If you are interested in becoming a travel coach please contact either our travel director or our coaching director for more information.