Special note to Volunteer Coaches:

We thank you and recognize your crucial role in this return to play process.  This may be the year you can coach for the first time.  Without volunteer coaches, it will be impossible for us to form a program.  We will be unable to make bigger teams than is recommended, it may cause us to limit registration, but we will respect your decisions.

LSC's Intown program is all about sportsmanship, making friends, getting some exercise and learning a bit about soccer along the way.

 Eligible Players

• · Any boy or girl who will be in 1st grade thru 12th grade this Fall can play. We welcome children of any skill level.  Livingston residents only.
• · If your child will play travel soccer (LSC or any other program) in the Fall, they are not eligible to play Intown soccer.

Parent Responsibilities:

 Responsibilities of Parents to keep children Safe and healthy during the season:

o Ensure that your child is healthy and check your child’s temperature before activities with others. No known exposure to a person with COVID-19 in 14 days.

o Ensure that your child arrives to practice with own equipment (ball, water bottle, shin guards, and goalie gloves – these can no longer be shared by players)

o Adhere to proper social distance requirements on the sidelines during practices and games.

o Ensure washing (e.g. Hands) takes place after every training.

o Ensure that clothes and equipment (clothes, cleats, ball, shin guards) are sanitized before and after every training.

o Notify the club immediately if your child becomes ill for any reason.

o Be sure that your child has necessary sanitizing products at every practice and game.  

Format

Format:          

o 1st and 2nd Grade will play in a festival-style 4v4 or 5v5 format to encourage more meaningful touches on the ball and a better understanding of soccer fundamentals at a young age.  This mimics our Travel program.  More details will be sent in the weeks to come.  Contact andy.feigenberg@citi.com or treasurer@lsclub.com  with questions.  We are currently planning for nine games weather and circumstances permitting. 

o 3rd Grade and older will play an eight-game season.  Weather and circumstances permitting, we are planning for the teams to also participate in our season-ending Carpini Cup tournament.  Historically, every team has played two games on Friday night/Saturday and our top finishers return on Sunday to compete for the championship.  Depending on the situation, with safety as our main priority, the structure of the tournament may be altered.               

 Team Formation

• · We form teams of as even strength as possible at each grade level.
• · Each year, we will determine if any age groups need to be combined based on numbers.
• · For HS Co-Ed, we combine boys and girls together from 10th thru 12th grade.  9th grade girls have the option to play in the 7/9th Grade division or in the HS Co-Ed program.

Coaches

• Teams are coached by volunteer parents.  Coaches usually hold practice one day per week after school.
• If you are interested in coaching, please note that in your registration.  You may join as groups of up to three coaches.
• Responsibilities of Coaches to help maintain the safety of our athletes:  
• o Inquire how a player is feeling and send home anyone that does not look well.  
• o Make sure athletes space their bags and do not share equipment.  
• o Follow the current state rules of social distancing and exercise care to ensure players practice appropriate social distance (no high fives, etc.)
• o Coach is the only one to handle team equipment.
• o All training occurs outdoors and complies with social distance guidelines.
• o Wear a face mask during coaching.
• o Have fun, stay positive- players and parents are looking for you to set the tone of the team. 

Cost

• The program costs $83 per child plus a $12 field usage fee charged by the Township of Livingston
•  We charge a late fee of $50 per family for those who register after July 4th.
•  If you register late we cannot guarantee there will be a spot available for your child.

                       

Friend Requests

This year we are allowing all players to make one reciprocal friend request to increase the comfort of coaching and playing during this unprecedented season.  Please make only one as we will only be able to honor the first if you make a list.  We are emphasizing fun first and competition second.  Please take note that a coaching request equals a friend request!

Siblings

·We automatically put siblings in the same age group together, unless you ask us not to do so.  

Equipment

• We provide each child with a full uniform (shirt, shorts, and socks) to keep.
•  We suggest you get your child soccer shoes - although sneakers are allowed. No baseball or lacrosse cleats.  
• This year, we are also suggesting goalie gloves as these will not be provided and cannot be shared.       
•  Shin guards are mandatory.
•  Hand-sanitizer should travel with your child to games and practices.
•  Masks are to be worn to the field but are not currently required during play.  You may choose to have your child wear one if you wish.
•  Each child must bring their own ball to practice.  Balls cannot be shared between players according to recommendations set forth by New Jersey Youth Soccer. 

Jewelry

 No Jewelry Allowed!  For safety reasons, no jewelry can be worn during practice or games.  Taping over earrings is not permitted.

 

 

 Please, meet our Coaches of the year:   Evan Burns and Scott Culver

Evan Burns:

I love volunteering because it allows me to share my love of sports, in this case soccer, with my son and many of the other kids. Coaching gives me another opportunity to spend time and bond with my son. I understand that not all kids share the same love of soccer, but I like to see them feel good about competing and hopefully winning. There is nothing better to me than seeing the smile the kids have after a goal, a win or a big save or play. I like to instill in the kids who I coach that winning is very important, but giving their all is most important. If they are going to be there, they have a responsibility to try their best for their teammates, their parents and their coaches. Soccer played a huge role in my childhood, and coaching allows me to continue to be involved in a sport that I love. 

 

Scott Culver:

I first volunteered to coach after watching my oldest daughter sleepwalk through first-grade soccer, and wondered if I could better motivate her by being involved in the practices and the team’s sideline during games. While that did work, the experience turned out to be much more rewarding than I expected.

While there’s an organizational head-ache to all the practice scheduling, making sure families know where games are, and getting them to show up a little early, the on-field time at practices and games is the highlight of the fall for me.

I was not a youth soccer player for long, so skills and knowledge of playing the game is something I’ve relearned for coaching. I focus a lot on helping kids improve their understanding of the game, and their personal soccer skills. But youth soccer is about much more than that. Teaching that you can be goofy, while still respecting the game. Seeing how your kids interact with their friends in a competitive environment. Showing them a positive role model in my interactions with other coaches, referees and parents.  Instilling the notion that you either win or lose as a team, with every member given a chance to play and contribute, and that the win (or loss) is not the contribution or fault of just one or two players. Helping celebrate their victories, but also lifting them up and offering encouragement on their effort or skill when they lose.

I enjoy the lasting relationships I’ve built with the kids and their parents. When a player from years ago sees me and asks, “Do you remember me?” and we can remember fun times on the field, it lifts my heart. Very few players will be super stars, some discover they don’t have the athleticism or inclination to continue, and knowing that I can have a positive impact on all kids, and that they enjoyed our team soccer experience to remember it years later - that’s why I keep volunteering.

Click here to see more pictures 

of our Coaches and their teams