Volunteer Information
Information for Revolutionaries volunteers including club-wide volunteers, coaches and team parents.
- ASA Policy
- Game Schedules
- New ASA Online System
- Team Rosters
- Game Reporting
- Club and Team Expenses
- Team ID and Names
- Volunteers
- How do I volunteer to coach my child?
- How many coaches should a team have?
- What if coaches cannot work together?
- How do I volunteer to be a team manager?
- How do I volunteer if I don't have a child playing soccer?
- What if I cannot volunteer for the desired team?
- What is the "Kidsafe background check"?
- Coaching Basics
- Coaching Logistics
- Club-wide Volunteers
ASA Policy
ASA has two important documents to frame its philosophy on youth soccer. The ASA Admin Handbook describes logistics for a season. The ASA Player Safety Document describes best practices for maintaining the health and safety for players while at an ASA event (including practices.)
However, there are some significant procedural changes that we will outline here. These changes are, in large part, a response to continuing significant violation of ASA rules.
All players must submit registration information and payment before being assigned to a team roster. See How do I register?
All teams must have a coach and a minimum number of rostered players to be scheduled. The minimum players are based on AG but generally is the number to field a complete team with no substitutes. See the the ASA Admin Handbook under Team Formation for the specific criteria.
All teams must carry a hardcopy ASA roster to all games. For U12 and below, coaches should exchange rosters before the game begins.
U13/14 and teen teams must present the ASA roster to the game official. If a team does not have a roster, or is using unrostered players, the game official will submit that information to the ASA Rules Committee for a ruling, possibly resulting in forfeiture.
See the ASA Admin Handbook under Team Rosters for more information.
All parents and coaches must abide by the respective ASA rules of conduct. These can be found at Parent Resources and Rec Coach Resources
Youths are allowed to play "up" one year. A request to play "down" or play up two years or more must be approved by the ASA Technical Director. It is still unclear how this will take place.
Once the schedule is generated, games will be rescheduled only for 1) weather cancellations and 2) school events. As I understand it, ASA will no longer allow reschedules due to personal reasons.
Game Schedules
Game Schedule Updates
Occasionally through the season there will be schedule updates. When a game is reschedule, the involved volunteers REGISTERED IN THE ASA VOLUNTEER DATABASE will receive an email update.
Game Rescheduling
If a game is cancelled, ASA may reschedule it. Involved coaches will receive an email notice about the game reschedule. This is generally caused by a game being cancelled due to inclement weather.
Schedules are generated usually a week before the first game. If you know of dates that your team cannot play on BEFORE the schedule is generated, please email me. In this case, ASA can "block-out" the day/weekend for your team so the scheduling software can work around it.
Once the schedule is generated, the coach needs to follow these steps.
Contact the opposing coach and select several (at least two) alternate times and days to play.
Fill-out the reschedule form with your team info, the opposing team info (including coach contact) and the preferred reschedule date/times.
ASA will not be able to reschedule the game without this information
Send the populated form to me with a CC to the opposing coach.
I will check the form for completeness and then forward to ASA (Mary Bevis.) If the form is incomplete I will send it back to you for completion.
You will get an email update with the schedule change. If you do not get it by mid-week of the resceduled request, contact me for follow-up.
New ASA Online System
Starting in Spring 2010 ASA changed their online system from Demosphere to Youth Leagues (YL). The new system is a lot more "user-friendly" but has a different approach to information organization.
All coaches/volunteers have received an email with information on how to log-in to the YL system. The email looks like this:
Once you are assigned to a team and have been given access, you will be able to access your team's Roster. Use the following ID/PW when logging onto the club's database at: https://www.youthleaguesusa.com/arlingtonsoccer/09-10/Database.htm Coach Name: Revs Coach Coach E-mail & System ID: youremail@gmail.com System Password: BogusPass Note that the User ID and Password are case sensitive and can contain no leading or following spaces.
Use the hyperlink in the email to access the YL system. The first screen will request login access using your email/userid and password to gain access.
Retrieve Player Information
- select "Player Data" from option list
- click on "Sort" at left of screen to retrieve all players assigned to your team
- select a player and click on "View Application"
Retrieve Team Roster
To retrieve a printable roster to bring to the field
- select "team management" from option list
- select "age group". This will show all age groups for which you are a coach
- select team and click on "view rosters"
- select roster type and click on "view roster"
There are three roster formats:
| Regular: | shows player contact information |
|---|---|
| Game: | shows player age, grade and travel status |
| Medical: | shows player medical information |
YOU ARE REQUIRED TO HAVE A HARDCOPY GAME ROSTER AT ALL GAMES
Email to Team Families
- select "team management" from option list
- select team and click on "view team"
- at the bottom of the team page is "Email Team" button
Team Rosters
Roster Assignment Procedure
Each season, I create teams/coaches and then assign registered players to them. About a week before the first game I need to submit a team/division list to ASA for scheduling. This results in several logistical problems:
Low Roster Count
If the roster count is below the minimum number according to the ASA Admin Handbook, the team will not be scheduled.
There are several possible directions to follow if this seems possible:
- Find more players within the club, even ones who can play "up" or "down" a year.
- Merge with a team from another club. Depending on the numbers, the newly formed team would practice/play as a Revs team or under ther banner of another club. The practice field location and coaches are the two big factors that need to be negotiated for a merged team. This happens fairly frequently.
- Cancel the Revs team and give the players an option to play for another club or receive a refund.
Unoffical Players
The ASA software allows me to assign a player only after he/she has paid. If a player has registered but not paid, I cannot officially assign him/her to a team.
The player can practice with the team but cannot play in a game.
ASA is concerned that unregistered players are 1) an insurance liability and 2) could foster unfair play with over-age players or players on multiple teams. This has been a significant issue in previous seasons.
Mid-season Registration
Many players register AFTER I submit the team list to ASA. This means two things: 1) coaches must continue to check their roster for new players and 2) some teams grow too large.
This season I am going to try to give coaches an option to accept or decline new players after registration has closed (Sept 11.) Once a team declines to accept new players, I will decline all subsequent registrations for that team.
Please continue to check the ASA Generated Roster for several weeks after the season start to see if new players have been added to your team.
Team Roster Documentation
ASA requires that coaches carry a current team roster to every game.
Please carry a copy of the ASA Generated Roster and be prepared to submit it to the game official upon request.
ASA Generated Roster
See Retrieve Team Roster for instructions. Please bring a paper copy of your roster to all games.
ASA Division Assignment
Every team is assigned to one of several divisions for a particular age group. The following is the ASA response on placing each team in a division:
U9 and above teams are put in divisions based on the results of the fall season. Div. 1 is the highest, div.2, next, etc. The top two and bottom two teams move up/down based on the fall results. This is not set in concrete because, for instance, if a few teams drop out for the spring, divisions might have to merge if there are too few teams to schedule each one. Four is the minimum number of teams in a division but we try to stay away from that because the teams just play each other twice and people often complain about that scenario. U6-U8 teams are placed randomly in divisions. We do ask that U8 coaches record scores in the spring, though they are not shown on the website. This information is used to create the U9 divisions next fall as the age moves up.
Game Reporting
Game Score Reporting
For U9+, ASA requires that both teams report game scores. This season scores must be reported online using the instructions at:
To get to this from the ASA home page, click on
- Schedule & Scores
- Enter Scores
The score reporting system is different than the New ASA Online System, and requires a different username and password. The username and password can be received by entering your coaches email (the email address you entered when registering to coach) at the Login prompt and clicking on Forgot your password? / Need your login info?.
Game Issues and Complaints
Mary Bevis accepts emails about game issues including:
- poor refereeing
- unsportsman-like coaching or fan participation
- poor field conditions
This should be done by only one team representative per game. Parents should be strongly dissuaded from doing this.
Game Issues - No Referee
Occasionally the referee does not appear for a game. This can be for a variety of reasons but, with over 1000 games per season, this is bound to happen.
The ASA rules state, for every age group where refs are assigned,:
If the assigned referee fails to appear within ten minutes after scheduled game time, the teams may appoint a substitute referee by mutual agreement. Such appointment of a substitute referee shall be binding for the game. Should the assigned referee appear after a substitute has been assigned, the teams may allow the referee to officiate the game.
If the referee does not appear for your game, please indicate this in the Game Score Reporting process. Charles Corry, the ASA Referee Commissioner, is highly aware of this issue and states:
The evaluation system is critical to knowing when referees who have accepted an assignment do not show, so please post your scores and the referee evaluation as soon as possible.
Club and Team Expenses
All expenditures, even for the club-wide expenses, must be submitted to ASA with receipts for approval and disbursement. This is awkward but the most reliable way to prove IRS 501c3 compliance. ASA has guidelines for valid club expenses, including:
- Special equipment for the Club as a whole, such as permanent goals or other equipment that is not ordered by ASA i.e. balls, pinnies, med kits, cones, etc.
- Central storage for a club's equipment, uniforms, etc. (unless ASA takes on this responsibility)
- Practice field rentals if a large number of the Club's teams benefit from such
- Coaches meeting incidentals (should be less than $100/meeting)
- Banquet tix - max 4 per club
- Other items that Rec Committee, Teen Committee, Finance Committee and Board approve and are budgeted for going forward.
In order to make the mechanism more manageable, the Treasurer will process all expenditures. The procedure is:
If the expenditure is over $50 and not pre-approved, email the Treasurer for approval. If the expenditure is over $100, ASA will need to approve it.
Collect receipts for any expenditure from which you desire a reimbursement.
Print and fill out an ASA Check Request
To do this you will need to install Adobe Acrobat Reader.
If you cannot print the form, email the Treasurer and he will provide a hardcopy.
The important fields to populate are:
- "Date Submitted"
- "Submitted By"
- "Make Check Payable To"
- "Remittance Address"
- "Description of Expense(s)"
Leave all other fields empty. Most importantly DO NOT SIGN THE FORM.
The Treasurer will populate the other fields and sign it.
Send, or drop off, the completed form AND RECEIPT to our Treasurer at his home: 720 N. Irving St. Arlington VA 22201
The Treasurer will mark the expenditure, sign and forward to ASA. Expect a reimbursement check from ASA in 7-10 days.
Team ID and Names
ASA has standardized on a team identification code to uniquely identify teams in their systems (rosters, volunteers, field assignment, schedules.) This code is permanent and unique across all systems. It has the following components:
CCCYYGNA
where
| CCC: | club abbreviation, we are REV for The Revolutionaries |
|---|---|
| YY: | The age group year This is the team the year-of-play. The age group changes each year but the year-of-play is constant, set to the age range for a team. For example '99' means players are expected to be between the ages Aug 1, 1999 and July 31, 2000. |
| G: | Gender, 'B' for boys, 'G' for girls and 'C' for co-ed |
| N: | Unique digit when multiple teams exist for the club, year and gender |
| A: | Optional Alphanumeric for further refinement |
Additionally, each club can assign an internal name to a team - which is a free-form text string. Lisa Turcios used "Team Id - Coach" for this, which is what we will continue to do.
To add confusion, the ASA online system has an additional search ID called the YLUSA ID (Youth Leagues USA Id), beginning with an S (for soccer.) You may see this on some rosters and reports.
Volunteers
The club would not exist without volunteers. To put it more bluntly, if a volunteer does not fill a function then that function will not be carried out. The most dramatic impact in prior seasons has been lack of coaching volunteers. If no coaches were found for a team, it was disbanded and the players were distributed to other teams or refunded registration money.
We welcome anyone who wants to help the club. However, all volunteers must submit to a Kidsafe background check.
How do I volunteer to coach my child?
As part of the registration process, one or both of the parents can volunteer to coach or act as a team parent. While registering your children, you must go to ASA Volunteer Registration and fill out all required information. Most importantly, you must specify the club: Revolutionaries and the desired age group(s) you want to coach.
The ASA online system allows one coach, one assistant coach and one team manager. These people can access the Team Rosters and will receive schedule changes by email.
If you know that you will be coaching with one or more others, please enter yourself as coach (CO), assistant coach (AC), team manager (TM) so that I can assign all coaches to the team.
I prefer that the head coach have some experience coaching so if it comes down to selecting a volunteer as head coach versus assistant coach, I will choose the more experienced. Coaches who have worked together for a couple seasons tend to prefer "co-coach".
But a team coached by someone with no experience is better than no team at all.
How many coaches should a team have?
In my experience two coaches is optimal for a team, more tend to get in each others way. However, kids appreciate the company and attention of their parents in almost everything and I appreciate any parent who commits to helping his/her child grow. I will assign all volunteers to a team and leave it to the team coaches to decide how best to work together.
What if coaches cannot work together?
I will have to review, on a case-by-case basis, the rare situation where volunteers cannot work together.
How do I volunteer to be a team manager?
There is an entry in the online registration for this, but this is an informal position and at the discretion of the coaches. However, if you use the ASA Volunteer Registration process to register yourself as a team volunteer, you will be able see the rosters and get schedule updates and legally be able to assist in coaching.
The primary responsibility of a team volunteer is assisting the coaches in practice or games.
There can be more than one team manager but only a single "official" team manager due to how the ASA system works.
How do I volunteer if I don't have a child playing soccer?
We are actively looking for coaching volunteers, and welcome anyone with an interest and time commitment.
Please use ASA Volunteer Registration to register your desire to coach.
Additional, we have posted an ad on Volunteer Arlington for youth soccer coaches, of which I have already received several responses. For those people responding on this site, I ask they additionally enter information at ASA Volunteer Registration
What if I cannot volunteer for the desired team?
The new online system seems to have an occasional problem with forcing a volunteer to chose from a list of teams, none of which are the desired team (i.e. the team on which your child plays). If this happens, contact me and I'll get ASA to change the information in the database.
What is the "Kidsafe background check"?
The Kidsafe background check is a simple background check to verify that the volunteer has no history of being a potential risk to children.
The Virginia Youth Soccer Association VYSA requires all volunteers to submit information for KidSafe Registration. More information on this can be found at VYSA Insurance and Risk Management.
For parents, the necessary information is submitted when you register yourself as a volunteer while registering your child. This information is passed to the VYSA and to no other organization.
There has been concern about entering your Social Security Number on a third-party system. The system provider for ASA is Youth Leagues USA. According to a rep, all personal data is placed in an encrypted software vault and not accessible by anyone but the background checking company. Once the checking is completed, the data is discarded. Thus each season, you must re-enter this information.
Coaching Basics
ASA Support
See the ASA Coaches for good information on coaching tips and resources.
All volunteers have ASA online access to team management. See the following email from Mary Bevis:
With the new scheduling system, each coach (contact that was entered for the team in Team Management) has a login to perform functions for the team. These include score reporting, creation of a team page, team contact maintenance and team roster maintenance. As much or as little can be done with these as the coach desires - except for score reporting! This area is accessed through the individual schedule by clicking on the team name. From that point, the coach should click on the Team Log In. The coach should put in his/her email to receive the password. Once logged in, the coach can report the score, manage the team page, add logos, team roster, etc. To learn the options, click on the "?bubble" on the far right corner. The contact and email address are important for reschedule notification as an automatic email goes to the two teams affected by a game change. If you have a team missing a contact name and email, please send them to me by Friday, April 10 and I will input them. Teams without a contact will have the Club Manager's name and email added.
Also see ASA Generated Roster for an additional procedure to retrieve your current team roster.
What do I need to do before first practice?
You should contact all the players and familiarize them the season.
What do I need to know for coaching?
You should be familiar with the documents under ASA Coaches including
- ASA Admin Handbook
- ASA Player Safety Document
- ASA Coach Code of Conduct
- Coaches Handbooks
- ASA Rules for your age group
It is a lot of reading but almost every question that has been asked is in one of these manuals.
The VYSA Recreation Coaches Handbook is an excellent framework for coaching kids soccer.
The ASA Parent/Guardian Code of Conduct is another document to read and understand.
Are there coaching classes?
Yes, see ASA Coaching Clinics for more information about VYSA and ASA clinics.
The ASA clinics are informal but very well run. They are free to all participants.
The VYSA coaching clinics are more structured and contain course work. The license is certification that you have successfully passed a course administered by the VYSA to improve your knowledge and skills on how to teach kids to play organized soccer. There are a number of levels starting with the F (2 3-hour classes) and becoming more intense. For instance D certification requires 36 hours of course work.
ASA will reimburse you for course fees after successful completion.
For more information on the local VYSA license programs see Virginia Metro-DC Coaching Education Program
Coaching Logistics
How do I request a practice field?
See the Practice Fields page.
How do I order team equipment?
All equipment queries should be sent to the Equipment Manager.
How do I pay for team items?
All purchasing queries should be sent to the Treasurer.
Coach Introduction
Once you get your roster, it is your responsibility to contact the families of all players on your team with the following information:
- Practice times
- Practice rules including
- All kids must have a parent or monitoring adult at practice
- Bring water, a ball, shinguards, running shoes
- Team Philosophy
- AC Inclement weather hotline for practice cancellation
- if wearing eyeglasses, should be shatterproof
- Game uniform and where to purchase
- Game times
- Game rules
- AC Inclement weather hotline for game cancellation
Also, for younger teams you will want to ask for a parent volunteer to organize half-time and end-of-game snacks, along with a possible end-of-season party.
Player Injuries
All registered/paid players are covered by an ASA umbrella insurance policy for games and practices. For minor injuries, you order a first-aid kit and ice packs from the Equipment Manager or buy one yourself and have the Treasurer re-imburse you.
Club-wide Volunteers
Treasurer
Doug Williams is the Treasurer.
The Treasurer is the main interface to ASA for submitting purchase request forms. All club funds are retained by ASA in a club sub-account and managed by the ASA registrar.
Equipment Manager
John Adair is the Equipment Manager. Here is his contact information.
The Equipment Manager (EM) is responsible to collect, store and distribute team-wide equipment.
- Before the season starts, the EM will collect requests for team equipment and submit a bulk equipment purchase. The Equipment Manager will be responsible for sorting and storing the equipment for coaches to claim.
- The EM collects all used personal equipment (cleats, shinguards, etc.) for redistribution to Revs players in need of equipment. Contact him if you need personal equipment and don't want to buy it at a store.
Future Volunteers
In the future, I anticipate the need for several Age-group coordinators in order to distribute the seasonal workload. Each coordinator would be assigned a set of age groups (e.g. U6/U7) for which he/she would organize the teams and rosters via online access to the team and roster building software provided by the ASA. Other clubs have done this with great success.
