RAC Soccer Information

PLEASE READ THE NEXT PAGES CAREFULLY!

ALCA OR CCA COMMUNITY MEMBERSHIP REQUIRED!

A valid Arbour Lake or Citadel Community Association membership is required and will be charged at time of registration.  If you already have a valid community membership, you will receive a refund for the amount from your ALCA or CCA at a later point.  CA Memberships are non-refundable.

REGISTRATION INFORMATION

STEP 1

If needed, FIRST apply for financial assistance at KidSport/Jumpstart online and note your application file number as you will be asked for this in the PowerUp registration. (CLICK HERE FOR THE FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE INSTRUCTIONS)

STEP 2

Register online through SoccerTech’s PowerUp software. For registration assistance, please contact info@soccertech.ca.

PROGRAM INFORMATION

PLAY-TRAIN-PLAY MODEL

Every session, our SoccerTech Coaches will invite all players in a Practice Group to the inner squares on our field grid. Players will be randomly assigned teams for that session only; friends will still be on the same field and play together. We will use pinnies to separate the players. Each session will consist of free play as well as instructional skill training from our coaching staff with the goal of ensuring development for all players. Game time in our model is over 66%. Kids deserve to play.

SoccerTech retains the right to combine, alter, change age group cohorts to allow for the best development of all players.

GROWTH STAGES

SoccerTech and Calgary Rockies have introduced several different Growth Stages in the program.

DISCOVER STAGE – this stage is for players U4, U5 and U6. Here the program focuses on the discovery of the ball and early body coordination with a focus on some very basic soccer skill. Gives the youngest players the opportunity to develop basic movement skills like running, jumping, landing, kicking, throwing, and catching in a fun setting built around informal play and positive reinforcement.

EXPLORE STAGE – This stage of is for players U8 and U10. The development priority is to establishes the necessary skills to solve soccer-related challenges. Players will be comfortable to use turns and fakes in order to avoid the opposition their game. Here, we coach on when to keep the ball and when to share, with a strong emphasis on individual development. Players will be challenged to play all positions, including goal keeping. There are two options:

  • Community – all games and practices will be in the community and run by SoccerTech.
  • City – this is a more advanced program featuring a higher level of training in centralized NW locations with games and festival against other clubs in the NW. It is run through Calgary Rockies FC. If you are looking for advanced soccer placements, CLICK HERE.

CHALLENGE STAGE – This stage is for players in U11 and U12. This “golden age of learning” (when children become less self-centered and are more able to reflect on their actions and learn from mistakes) provides an optimal window for further development of skills. The focus is on learning by doing, building a larger repertoire of soccer movements, and teaching the basic principles of play in a fun and challenging environment. There are two options:

  • Community – practices will be in the community; games will vary between in the community and in neighboring communities. Registration is available through Calgary Rockies FC. If you are interested in this program, please CLICK HERE.
  • City – this is a more advanced program featuring a higher level of training in centralized NW locations with games against other clubs primarily in the NW. It is run through Calgary Rockies FC. If you are looking for advanced soccer placements, CLICK HERE.

PERFORMANCE STAGE – This stage is for players U13 to U16. The onset of the adolescent growth spurt for most kids during this stage is an ideal time for enhanced training. Players are also introduced to concepts like mental preparation and coping with winning and losing, while learning more advanced soccer skills. Players are now working to develop their soccer skills under a variety of competitive conditions in a 9v9 or 11v11 game format. Along with the continued refinement of advanced techniques, players work to develop their tactical awareness. There are two options:

  • Community – practices will be in the community; games will vary between in the community and in regional communities. Registration will be through Calgary Rockies FC. If you are interested in this program, please CLICK HERE.
  • City – this is a more advanced program featuring a higher level of training in centralized NW locations with games against other clubs throughout Calgary. It is run through Calgary Rockies FC. If you are looking for advanced soccer placements, CLICK HERE.

PROGRAM DELIVERABLES

With the cost of registration, each player is entitled to

  • A jersey kit to keep (this includes the jersey, shorts and socks – please read the information on the next page carefully!) Jersey sizing will be as close as possible. We can no longer guarantee sizing.
  • Medals (for U4 to U8)
  • A soccer ball to keep (for U4 to U8)
  • All events of the season coached by our SoccerTech Coaching Staff in our Play-Train-Play model.
  • Individual picture stations will be set up for parents to take their personal picture of their child.

SoccerTech reserves the right to alter, change, delay, pause, or suspend the program design to allow the program to reflect any current adjustments by the Alberta Health Services, ASA and the Government of Alberta.

Our program also supplies the line-marking, goals, and additional coaching equipment needed to run this program.

MANDATORY ITEMS

Parent(s), or a designated caregiver, is required to be at the soccer field while a child is participating in soccer, socially distanced (Fields will have marked parameters from where parents can watch).
  • a name-tagged water bottle
  • suitable footwear (running shoes/cleats not mandatory but advised, particularly for players U8 and older)
  • a set of shin guards worn underneath the sock.

These are mandatory and can be purchased at stores like Kicks Sports in Varsity.

GENDER-SPECIFIC PROGRAMMING

Gender-specific programming is no longer available at registration – SoccerTech will make these adjustments at the pitch to reflect the needs of the players, at our discretion.

VOLUNTEERING

There is no longer a volunteer component in the RAC Soccer program. To curb the spread of Covid-19, we have worked closely with AHS, ASA, and CMSA to develop a program which will solely be executed by our SoccerTech Coaching Staff. Pricing reflects the lack of a volunteer requirements. All staff has been trained by the Technical Director of Calgary Rockies FC and his technical staff.

If you would like to volunteer as coach, you will have to fulfill the same requirements of our coaches, including Calgary Police ePic certification, Respect in Sport and technical training. Should you still be interested, please contact coaching@rockiessoccer.ca.

PLACEMENT AND FRIEND REQUEST

Children must play in the Age Group Practice Groups assigned to their year of birth. By parental request, a child can be moved up to an older age group, but NOT down.  By default, for friend requests, as long as your child is playing in the same age group as their friend, they will be in the same program together. Thus, we have eliminated friend requests as this became redundant.

IMPORTANT DATES

First day of the 2023 season is scheduled to be May 1, 2023; the last day of the program will be on June 29, 2023.

SoccerTech reserves the right to delay, pause or suspend the season as per AHS, ASA, and Government of Alberta instructions.

SCHEDULING AND APP USE

For the 2023, season we are fully utilizing the PowerUp App, found in your Android and iOS app stores. Once you have registered in our program, please download the app and log in using the same credentials as at registration. Your schedule will be fully available for your child and for your family. The PowerUp app does allow for schedule export into other calendar options.

WEATHER CANCELLATIONS

Weather updates and cancellations: home page of our website in the Twitter feed by 4 pm on the day. Please also consider following our Twitter account (@SoccerTechYYC) to get up to date information.

COVID-19 PROTOCOL

The health and safety of our players, our staff and that of our families are the utmost concern for SoccerTech. We have worked closely with AHS, Canada Soccer, Alberta Soccer and CMSA to develop Best Practices to try to prevent the spread of Covid-19. For the 2023 Outdoor season, we will enforce any required Covid-19 Protocol by AHS.

SoccerTech reserves the right to alter or change the Covid-19 protocols or the program design to allow the program to reflect any current adjustments by the Alberta Health Services, ASA, and the Government of Alberta.

FINANCIAL INFORMATION

FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE

We believe that every child should have access to soccer in our community. There are a couple of programs to help those in financial hardship:

Please follow our instructions below as this is our best way to help you!

  1. Please register your child at KidSport or JumpStart FIRST BEFORE registering with SoccerTech!
  2. When registering, use “SoccerTech” in the “Sport Organization” field.  Please do NOT use “Arbour Lake Community Association” or “Citadel Community Association”.
  3. Please record the file number that KidSport or JumpStart has associated with our registration.
  4. Please return to our portal: https://soccertech.powerupsports.com/ to register your child in our association.
  5. Once you get to the payment section, please insert the KidSport or JumpStart registration number in the payment field.
  6. Please update us via email to info@soccertech.ca once you receive the confirmation of your grant.
  7. KidSport will direct deposit to us and JumpStart will send us a cheque. We will send you a receipt, once we receive payment. Unless you receive a receipt, you can assume that we have not received any funds from your grant.
  8. Should you be declined, please contact us and we will work with you. We want all children to have a chance to play.

Please note: if you should choose to register your child first in our program and fully pay for the child, we will not be able to apply KidSport or JumpStart funding against this purchase. We will only accept the financial assistance, if this process has been

1PAY vs. 3PAY PLAN

We do realize that times are not easy for parents and that many will not have access to financial assistance. For this situation, we have developed a SoccerTech 3PAY PLAN, which divides the fees into a monthly payment schedule – we want everyone to be able to play. Additional fees through our merchants are reflected in this option. Payment dates are set for original day of registration, March 2nd and April 2nd. Should you register after one of the before mentioned dates, the second and/or third payment will be automatically due.

1PAY Plans will automatically have a $20 discount applied to reflect the posted Program price.

REFUNDS AND/OR CREDITS

For 2023, our refund policy has been posted. Please review HERE: REFUND POLICY.

ABUSE POLICY

ABUSE OF ANY SORT IS UNACCEPTABLE AND WILL RESULT IN THE ALCA, CCA AND SOCCERTECH REFUSING ENTRY INTO THE SOCCER PROGRAM OR TO ALLOW CONTINUED PARTICIPATION IN THE SOCCER PROGRAM. ANY PAID FEES WILL NOT BE ELIGIBLE FOR REFUND OR CREDIT BUT WILL BE FORFEITED.

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