Norwin Soccer Club News
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED to work the concession stands at both Turner Valley and Nike Site. If you can give an hour or two, please contact Kristi Maywood or Maggie Mannerberg. Their contact info can be found on our Auxiliary page.
Oak Hollow Fields Scheduled to be Off-Line for Upcoming Playing Year
Norwin Soccer Club has recently been informed by North Huntingdon Township that Oak Hollow will not be available for our use for the Fall 2007 - Spring 2008 playing seasons. The township has decided to take the upper portion, which we all refer to as "the hill", off-line for reseeding and allow the the areas that have been more abused to replenish themselves. The township has also stated that they will be doing this on a rotational basis, so in the Fall 2008 - Spring 2009 playing seasons we will lose the use of the fields near the basketball courts.It is very important that coaches, players and family members stay off these areas even though there might be a temptation to use them for practice. There will need to be a lot of cooperation these next few seasons when it comes to practice field usage, so please be aware of this situation and inform as many people as possible so that we can limit the amount of frustration that it might present.
The club is exploring other options and possibilities include use of other fields throughout the township, as well as moving more teams down to Turner Valley. One other option we are exploring is to do combined practices with 2 or more teams with the respective coaches getting together and mapping out a practice that can benefit all the players from each team in a camp/training like environment. Details are to follow...
Zero Tolerance Youth Player/Referee Abuse Policy
Purpose of the Policy
- Youth development is the central focus of the NSC program. This includes development of youth whether they are soccer players or soccer referees. Only "Positive, Instructive, and Encouraging" comments are allowed to be directed at youth players or youth referees. The purpose of this policy is to make clear that verbal abuse or negative criticism of youth referees is as unacceptable as verbal abuse or negative criticism of youth players and to adopt basic standard sanctions for improper conduct.
- This policy is not intended to imply that youth referees are always "right" and the adult spectator or coach is always "wrong". Just as youth players will make mistakes during play, youth referees will make mistakes in officiating, particularly in the younger divisions where they are learning how to referee. In addition, sometimes youth referees are "in over their head" because of a particularly challenging game, an assignment beyond their experience or comfort level, etc.
- This policy is not meant to imply that criticism/abuse of adult referees is permitted. However, in this case the adult referee is expected to handle such behavior at the field and report such incidents to the Referee Coordinator or other Board Member for appropriate action.
Policy on Youth Referee Abuse
- It is never acceptable to abuse or criticize youth referees, verbally or otherwise, in any situation. NSC will not tolerate any verbal or other abuse or criticism of a youth referee by any coach or spectator.
- A Coach or spectator may only communicate in a positive way with a youth referee. The coach is responsible for ensuring all spectators associated with his/her team follow these guidelines relating to communication with a youth referee. A coach/ spectator may not express any disagreement or dissatisfaction with the officiating to the youth referee. A coach/spectator may not, before, during or after a game, discuss with a youth referee their critique of the referee's performance, other than to thank and compliment the referee.
- Any Board Member or Certified adult referee present at the game shall, if necessary, intervene if any coach, spectator, or other adult is criticizing or abusing a youth referee, verbally or otherwise and may take immediate appropriate action. This may include directing the offender to leave the site, and/or suspending or terminating the game.
- Any NSC volunteer (any coaches, Board Member, other referees, Age Group Coordinators, etc.) observing behavior not following these guidelines shall report the incident to the Referee Coordinator or Norwin Soccer Board as soon as possible after the incident so that an appropriate review can take place.
- There are appropriate avenues for coaches or spectators to share concerns about the quality of officiating. The Referee Coordinator welcomes constructive comments about referees. However, any criticism or critique of a youth referee's performance may only be communicated to the youth by the Referee Coordinator.
Policy for Punishment
- The First Offense by a Parent or Fan will result in a warning given by the Coach. The First Offense by a Coach will result in a warning given by the Referee.
- The Second Offense by a Parent, Fan or Coach will result in removal from the soccer fields and a report will be sent to the Executive Committee of the Norwin Soccer Club for review of severity of incident and any further penalty considerations.
- Any subsequent Offenses will result in removal from the soccer fields and a report will be sent to the Executive Committee of the Norwin Soccer Club for review of severity of incident and any further penalty considerations.
Penalties may be, but are not limited to, banishment from fields for the next game, week, season, year or even permanently depending on severity of the offense.
IF A PERSON REFUSES TO LEAVE THE SOCCER FIELD OR COMPLEX WHEN ASKED, THE LOCAL POLICE WILL BE NOTIFIED FOR ENFORCEMENT.
Sent out as reminder from the board on 10/23/2006.