Program Handbook
Head Coach: Jason Barnhouse jmbarnhouse@hotmail.com
Our Mission:
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The mission of the Park Center Boys Soccer Program is to train young men in the beautiful game of soccer. Along with soccer training we will work to develop individual character, integrity, responsibility, sportsmanship and the importance of working as a team. Soccer can only take you so far in life, but personal growth and mental development can last a lifetime.
Expectations:
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These are expectations your coaches and teammates will have of you as a Pirate Soccer Player. Each Player Will:
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Conduct herself in a manner that is always a positive representation of the Park Center Boys Soccer Program, Park Center Senior High School and your family.
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Strive for excellence in his academic studies and attend all classes on time.
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Give his best effort in all trainings, practices, and games.
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Treat teammates, coaches, opponents, referees, and parents with the utmost respect, class, and consideration.
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Be on time for school, training, bus trips and games.
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Abide by the MSHSL & Park Center athletic training rules—no use of mood-altering chemicals (non-prescription drugs, illegal drugs, alcohol) or tobacco.
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Be responsible for letting his coach know in advance when he is unable to be at training or a game.
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Put the best interests of the team ahead of his own. Budget his time to allow for appropriate attention to all areas of his life, including family, school, church, soccer.
Expectations of Coaching Staff:
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These are expectations Park Center Boys Soccer players can have of their coaches. Coaches Will:
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Be a positive adult role model on and off the soccer field.
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Show genuine interest and concern for each player as an individual.
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Be fair and consistent when dealing with players and various situations that arise.
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Run an organized, fundamentally sound soccer team.
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The coach will assist players in improving as individuals and bring the team to perform at its highest level.
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Work hard, always striving towards excellence, and to be available to talk with players that have questions on how to improve themselves.
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Set season goals for each player. These goals will be measured 1-2 times per season.
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Give the player an end of season evaluation – either verbal or written.
Program Policies
Practice Philosophy:
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Training is essential. It is crucial for making you a better soccer player, your teammates better soccer players, and your team a stronger team. Training is really just a rehearsal for a performance, the game. One of the fun parts about being on a soccer team is being able to play soccer, which is what training is all about.
As a high school athlete, part of your responsibilities include budgeting your time to allow you to give adequate attention to each area of your life. This means taking care of schoolwork at appropriate times and honoring the commitments you’ve made.
It is a team and school policy that an athlete must attend all classes.
Practice Attire:
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All Boys need to show up to every training with a proper workout attire, including: a T-shirt, shorts, soccer socks, shin guards, soccer cleats, water and anything else that you might need to fully participate in training. It is also the player's responsibility to bring necessary attire to accomodate for the weather conditions. We practice in all weather conditions, except for lightning, so be sure that you are prepared with warmer clothes as we get deeper into the season. If you have any issues providing your own, please inform your coach and we will provide them for you.
Practice Times:
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Please make sure that you are on time for training. (For example if training starts at 3:15 you are ready to go at 3:15 and not getting ready at 3:15.) If you have some academic work or need to make up some school assignments please notify your individual coach. All cell phones will be placed in each individual soccer bag and kept there for the duration of training and not to be looked at. Training during the school week will be determined by the Athletic Director cause of field usage by many athletic teams. Your coaches will let you know what time and field training will be held. Each training session will be about two hours long. Those who wish to stay after practice for extra help can make arrangements with your coach.
Absence Policy:
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Players are expected to be at all training sessions, strength training sessions, and games. Try to schedule doctor and dentist appointments on evenings or weekends if possible.
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Shuttle Bus: Junior High students will ride the shuttle bus over from their respective junior highs and will make all attempts to get out to practice as soon as they arrive.
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If for any reason you are not able to be at a training session, strength training session, or game, you MUST notify your coach before the event. Coaches may be called on their cell phones. If a coach in not notified before the training session, strength training session, or game, it is considered an unexcused absence
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Note---Each case, including excessive excused absences, will be reviewed individually and the decisions made by the coaching staff are final.
Being late for an event: If a player is late for any game, training, bus departure, etc. the player will not start for that game; the coach will decide if the situation warrants further action.
Note---A student may not participate in training or game if she has an unexcused absence of any class during the day. You must also be in school for all classes unless the absence is pre-arranged with the school.
Grades:
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Academics are essential to your success on and off the field. By MSHSL rules, athletes must maintain a minimum C grade level to participate in a sport. In addition, there may be periodic grade checks by coaches to ensure that student-athletes are staying committed to schoolwork. Playing time may be adjusted to allow students to “catch-up” on missing work. However, student-athletes are expected to honor their commitment to Park Center Soccer and budget their time wisely to allow time for both classwork and soccer.
Jobs:
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Some players attempt to keep part-time jobs during the soccer season. This is strongly discouraged. With schoolwork, the intensity of the season, the need to spend time with your family and the necessity for some unstructured time to maintain “healthy” living, it becomes almost impossible to fit a job in to your life. If, however, a player does have a job, it may NOT interfere with training, games or team functions. Players have made a commitment to the program and their teammates and are expected to hold that commitment.
Drug and Alcohol Policy:
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Eligibility rules are set up by the Minnesota State High School League, the Osseo Area School District and are supported by the soccer program. Each of you, by signing the rules form, have made a commitment to refrain from smoking, drinking alcoholic beverages, or taking, buying, or selling unprescribed drugs. This is a serious commitment you have made to yourself, teammates, parents, and coaches and should not be taken lightly.
As an athlete, this is a year-round commitment, not just during the soccer season or school year. Remember, right and wrong are not to be determined by whether an individual is caught or what someone else is doing. Make wise choices and encourage others to do the same. Consequences will follow school and MSHSL guidelines.
Games:
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Before each of our home and away varsity games we will meet in a designated lockeroom and go over our game strategy and have a chalk talk. This time will be determined by the head coach. AWAY GAMES: School buses will take players to and from all away games. Leaving times and locations vary depending on the distance and your team. Departure times will be given to each team by the coach. Players are responsible for being prepared to leave at the scheduled time. All players must ride the team bus to and from the game. HOME GAMES: Each individual coach will inform players to the necessary arrival time to allow for field set-up and warm-ups.
Playing Time:
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The philosophy of the Park Center Girls Soccer Program is to play competitively in every game. Sometimes this means that not every player will receive equal playing time (except on the lower levels). This is especially true for the Varsity team where greater emphasis is placed on the season goals and outcomes. However, a player on the sideline has a crucial role in the game also. He needs to be prepared physically and mentally to play when called upon and to encourage his teammates to continue to perform at their best.
Playing time is always up to the coach and the individual player. Questions around how to get more playing time should be based upon specific areas to improve in training, never questions regarding other players, and should be brought up by the player not the parent
Lettering Requirements:
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Participating on the varsity team for more than half of a varsity season is the minimum requirement for a varsity letter. Exceptions will be made at the head coach’s discretion due to special circumstances.
If there are any violations of the State High School League Rules regarding chemical use or conduct in the school or community during the soccer season, the athlete may not letter and may not be allowed to finish the season.
Captain's Practice:
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Captain’s Practice is held one or two weeks before tryouts at a site and time determined by the captains. It's the captain’s discretion as to when they want to hold captain’s training sessions throughout the summer, and cannot be influenced by coaches. The Captains for the current soccer season conduct the practices, which are not mandatory to make a team. However, it does give both the players and captains valuable time together prior to the start of the season to work on reuniting as a team and to prepare for the season.
Behavior and Conduct:
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Exemplary behavior should be shown at all times when representing Park Center Senior High and the Community. We will be a team that plays the beautiful game with class and will have an attitude of class whether we win or lose. Our fans will also be the best fans in the state. During games, parents and fans should also demonstrate appropriate behavior. I want our fans to cheer as loud as they can and encourage our team. Please no coaching from the stands. Inappropriate behavior will be dealt with accordingly when it occurs at games or training. Parents may be asked to leave as well.
Game Schedule:
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Team coaches will hand schedules out at the beginning of the season once teams are chosen and established. These will include training and game times. Games last 40 minutes per half with a 10-minute halftime. For non-varsity teams there will be no overtime play for games that end regulation with a tie score.
LOCATIONS: ALWAYS CHECK THE SCHEDULE FOR ACCURACY
Girls Varsity home games admission is free for all Park Center Girl Soccer Players who wear there soccer jersey’s. We also encourage all players to support the other teams within the program and other teams at the school.
Middle School Participation:
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Middle School participation is a very important part of the Park Center Soccer Program, and it's future. Our Park Center Soccer Program is open to all 7th – 12th grade students. Therefore, all middle school students at Brooklyn Middle and Northview, will be allowed to tryout and participate.
Tryout Policy:
Tryouts are held three weeks prior to the opening of school. They are usually 3 days long. Preliminary teams are announced at the end of the 3rd day. Generally, tryouts start the 2nd Monday of August. You must attend each session. If you will miss a session please contact the Head Coach. You must be signed up and cleared by the Park Center Athletic Office to participate in tryouts.
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At tryouts, we will be evaluating players based on the following: Technical Skills (Dribbling, Passing, Controlling, Shooting, Goalkeeping, Defense, etc) · Tactical Skills (Offense, Defense, Positioning, Decisions, Communication, Team work, etc) · Physical Abilities (Fitness, Strength, Endurance and Speed) · Knowledge of the game · Attitude, Desire and work ethic
If a player feels that they are not on the team that they deserve, we would ask that the player, not the parent, bring it to their coaches attention. We are humble enough to know that we will make mistakes and are happy to give all of our athletes the proper opportunity to prove themselves. In addition, no team designation is necessarily permanent. We try to keep fluidity between each of the levels to leave room for movement both up and down within the program. Upgrades if players show exemplary play/behavior, or downgrades if players fail to uphold rules/expectations
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Questions? For More Information:
More information about the Park Center Boys Soccer Program can be obtained by contacting Head Coach Jason Barnhouse.
You may also contact the Park Center Senior High School Athletic Office, at 763-569-7654 or corriganm@district279.org.
