Game days – what happens?
Quick links:
Weekly play:
The Junior Academy Girls program isn’t part of a typical league system. Our game days will vary and may include intra-Academy games, games against teams from other NASA Tophat branches, or games against other Atlanta-area clubs.
We have a fall season and a spring season. Our fall season game day schedule starts the Saturday after Labor Day and runs weekly through the weekend before Thanksgiving. Our spring season game day schedule runs weekly from March through late May, usually taking a break during local schools’ spring break week.
Game formats:
Our most common game format is 5v5 (four field players plus a goalkeeper) on smaller fields (roughly 40 x 25 yards), with small goals. We’ll occasionally play other formats such as 3v3, 4v4 or 7v7.
The offside law doesn’t apply in the 5v5 or smaller game formats. Fields usually include a build-out line between the edge of the penalty area and midfield. When a team takes a goal kick, or the goalie has possession, opponents must retreat behind the build-out line (we nickname it the “get back line”) until the ball becomes live. This gives the attacking team more room to build an attack out of the back.
Rosters:
- We divide our player pool into several teams (coaches create the rosters), and each team plays one game.
- Team rosters often change from week to week. Teams may be created based on playing level and / or age, or balanced / mixed so each NTH team is of the same level. Link: team assignments and levels of play
- We assign and post team rosters on our Academy web site each Monday night prior to the weekend games. Games are usually scheduled 75 minutes apart. If our schedule lists game times as “9:00, 10:15, 11:30” you’ll know on Monday night whether your daughter is in a 9:00 , 10:15 or 11:30 game. Link: sample game day page
- In rare cases, we may move a player from one team to another team mid-game. We’d do this if we needed to balance roster sizes (players absent due to illness, injury, traffic delay), or balance the competitive level between simultaneous games.
Schedules:
- Most game days are on Saturdays. We have an occasional Sunday afternoon game day.
- Games are sometimes scheduled “two at a time” (for example, 9:00 games on field A and field B, followed by 10:15 games on each field), and sometimes back-to-back, one game per time slot (for example, one game at 9:00, one at 10:15, one at 11:30, one at 12:45).
Pre-game:
- Each player arrives 30 minutes before her game for warm-up, then plays her game. (If a player is late for warm-up, we may borrow a player from a prior game to fill her roster slot, which could result in less playing time for the tardy player.) Games usually have four 12-minute quarters or two 25-minute halves.
- We often assign one player from each team to be a warm-up captain. The warm-up captain is responsible for gathering her teammates 30 minutes before kick-off and starting warm-up. Coaches will provide a warm-up plan, but the captain is often “on her own” for the first 10 minutes of warm-up as coaches finish earlier games. Some girls do well in this leadership role, some will struggle. If a player struggles with this role, we’ll let her try to work through it and learn from the experience rather than yanking the responsibility from her.
Post-game:
- When the game is complete, the coach will gather the girls for a brief wrap-up and then release them to their parents. On occasion, the coach may ask the parents to join the players for the wrap-up. Once the coach releases the players, you’re free to leave the park. (If your schedule permits, you’re welcome to arrive earlier and / or stay later to watch and support Academy teammates in other games.)
DH play:
- There may be some days when we ask for volunteers to play two games, or what we call “DH” (double-header) duty. Link: double-header play
Results and standings:
- During standard Junior Academy weekly play, results are not recorded, and no standings are maintained. (Tournament play usually involves recorded results and standings.)
Schedule conflicts:
- Please let us know as early as possible about any game day schedule conflicts. (E-mail is the preferred method.) For standard Junior Academy weekly play, we can work around most schedule conflicts as long as we know about them a week ahead of time.
Schedule requests:
- We can’t always honor individual schedule requests. For example, a parent may request a 9 AM game for her daughter. Each game day has agreements between us and our opponent about team match-ups. Maybe the 9 AM game is a match-up of our least experienced players. A higher level player wouldn’t be challenged in such a game, and would tilt the field unless we put restrictions on her play. Or vice versa: a lesser experienced player wouldn’t have a good experience in a match-up between the most experienced players.
- If it makes soccer sense to honor a schedule request, we will. If not, we won’t. (These decisions involve two teams of players, not just one individual player.)
Tournament play:
The Junior Academy Girls typically only play in one large-scale tournament, which is the NTH Adidas Select Cup in May. Tournaments differ from regular Junior Academy game days as follows:
Entry fees:
- Tournament entry fees are not included in the Academy fees you pay to NASA Tophat. Entry fees are typically $60-$80 per player per tournament. Our Academy treasurer collects entry fees 3-6 weeks before each tournament. Most tournaments also require parents to sign a release form; we collect signatures the week or two prior to the tournament.
Schedules:
- Each team plays 3-4 games during the weekend, typically two games on Saturday, one or two on Sunday (a Sunday AM game is likely). Schedules usually aren’t available until a week before the tournament. (There’s no pre-set schedule formula; we’ve had games as early as 7:45 AM and as late as 8:00 PM. Trying to guess game times prior to schedules being released is fruitless.)
- Tournaments follow a different set of schedule standards than our Junior Academy game days. Tournaments typically include 100+ teams in multiple age groups spread across multiple venues, so we’re just a few small pieces of a very large jigsaw puzzle. In tournaments, we have no control over schedules or venues.
Rosters:
- Team rosters are often larger than in our regular weekly play. Main reasons: multiple games per day is more physically challenging for the players, which means we need more subs; tournament rules require rosters to stay fixed, so we can’t borrow a player from another NTH team in case of illness, injury, traffic delay, etc.
- We can’t move players between teams to work around schedule conflicts. If your daughter has a conflict with a scheduled game, she will still be eligible to play in her team’s other games.
Results:
- In most cases, game results are recorded, and teams have a chance to win their division’s championship.
Weather issues:
- In case of bad weather, tournament games could be delayed, shortened, converted into penalty kick shootouts or canceled altogether. The tournament host organization makes these decisions. Some tournaments offer partial refunds for canceled games, some don’t.
Game day guidelines:
For players:
Know your team name, game field and warm-up captain. This info will be posted each Monday night before the upcoming weekend games.
Warm-up captains:
- Each team has a warm-up captain. If you’re the warm-up captain, you are responsible for gathering your teammates and starting pre-game warm-up. Please be prepared! Link: warm-up ideas
Arrival time:
- Arrive at your game field, properly dressed (shirt tucked in, shoes tied, no jewelry) and be ready to start warm-up 30 minutes before kick-off time.
Game day checklist:
- Bring a ball and water to every game. Place your water jug in the players’ bench area, not on the parents’ sideline. If your ball needs air, get it pumped when you arrive (before you start warm-up). The coaches have air pumps and will be glad to help you with this.
- Water: We recommend each player bring a large insulated water jug (minimum half gallon, labeled with the player’s name or initials and uniform number) filled with ice water or Gatorade. During warm weather, the insulation factor makes a huge difference. It keeps the drink cold, so girls will want to drink it. If girls bring water or Gatorade in un-insulated bottles and it gets hot, they won’t drink it, their performance will suffer, and they increase their risk of heat-related issues. Link: hydration tips
- Always bring your full uniform (including both shirts) to all games. For example, if we’re wearing yellow shirts and shorts for a game, you should also have your blue shirt and shorts in your bag. If we have a color conflict with our opponent, and everyone has their alternate uniform, we’ll be prepared to switch so we can tell the two teams apart. (We usually work out uniform colors ahead of game day, but there are occasions when our opponents show up in a different color than previously arranged. Rules typically require the home team to switch in case of color conflict.)
- Wear shin guards to every game. If you have strap-on shin guards, make sure they are covered by your uniform socks.
If your daughter has trouble keeping her shoes tied, consider one of these products: Caterpy laces (https://caterpy.us) or Lock Laces (www.locklaces.com). They are available in lots of colors, are easy to use, and they work! (Coaches give the Caterpy laces a higher grade than Lock Laces.) They are available on-line direct or via Amazon. Running stores may also carry them. If you choose Caterpy laces, we recommend ordering the standard size.- If you have long hair, wear a headband or “scrunchy” or something soft to keep your hair out of your eyes. (Pre-wrap makes an excellent quickie headband.)
- A few no-nos: don’t wear jewelry (referees require players to remove jewelry per rules from soccer’s governing body; link: rules about jewelry; don’t wear hard hair accessories (like large plastic clips or beads), and don’t bring gum.
- No earrings: Here’s advice to referees from a local referee assignor: “We had a serious injury because a player played with earrings. NOT ACCEPTABLE. It will not happen again IF each and every ref does their job”.
If your daughter has trouble keeping her shoes tied, consider one of these products: Caterpy laces (Cold weather attire:
There will be some cold days when girls may want to wear more than just their normal uniform parts.
- Head: Thermal headbands are OK. Ski-style hats tend to obscure vision or fall off, so we don’t recommend them during games. (They’re OK for warm-up and when subbing out.)
- Upper body: Go with layers underneath the uniform shirt. Start with a moisture-wicking first layer, followed by a fleece or thermal second layer (such as an Adidas “Climawarm” shirt or an Under Armour “cold gear” shirt). If it’s extremely cold, feel free to add another layer, finishing with the uniform shirt on top. Girls should also wear a jacket over their uniform shirt for warm-up time and while subbing out. We don’t recommend hoodies because the hood presents a potential danger to the player. (Another player’s hand or foot could accidentally get caught in the hood and yank a player down or twist her neck.)
- 2012 fine print re: colors: FIFA (soccer’s governing body) added a specification to the laws regarding player equipment: “If undergarments are worn, the color of the sleeve must be the same main color as the sleeve of the jersey or shirt“. In our youth Academy world, we don’t expect a ref to disqualify a player due to sleeve color, but be aware the laws of the game would support such a decision.
- Hands: Gloves are OK, preferably ones that have some “grippy” material on the fingers to help with throw-ins.
- Lower body: Warm-up pants are fine for warm-up or when subbing out, but we want the girls wearing their shorts during the actual games. Compression shorts, tights or leggings under the shorts are OK. We recommend gold, navy blue, black or white color. (Tights or leggings are preferred to pants in cold weather because they won’t potentially catch on a player’s cleats and trip her.) Coaches may waive the “no pants” rule in extreme cold.
- 2012 fine print re: colors: FIFA (soccer’s governing body) added a specification to the laws regarding player equipment: “If under shorts or tights are worn, they must be of the same main color as the shorts“. In our youth Academy world, we don’t expect a ref to disqualify a player due to the color of her tights, but be aware the laws of the game would support such a decision.
- Feet: Most people are familiar with the little hand warmer pouches you can put inside gloves. The same companies also make toe warmers. These are half-moon shaped with adhesive backing. You apply them to the bottom of your socks under the toe area. They work! And they’re not bulky, so they don’t affect the fit of the shoes. These are available at sporting goods and camping supply stores for $1-2 per pair. (Only recommended for extremely cold days.)
During the game:
- If you’re a substitute, stay in the team area on the sideline.
After the game:
- Stay with your team until the coach releases the players to their families.
- Track down your ball, water, equipment backpack and any other personal items after each game.
- Make sure you pick up any trash related to post-game snacks and drinks.
For parents:
Bad weather:
If game day weather is bad, or we have had any significant rain in the previous 48 hours, assume games are “on” and will be played as scheduled unless we post otherwise on our Junior Academy web site or the NTH Play Metrics system issues a cancellation notice.
Bad weather: away games
For away games, you may need to check our host club’s field status update for an accurate update. In the case of early morning away games, there’s a chance you’ll have to be on the road to the field before you can get final confirmation about game status. Link: bad weather communication channels
Viewing area:
The player / coach area is on one side of the field, with parents and other spectators on the other side. Spectators should sit or stand 2 yards or more from the sideline to avoid interfering with the players or assistant referee. The areas behind the goals are off-limits for spectators per Georgia State Soccer Association rules (fans could distract young goalkeepers).
Exception:
There’s an exception with the Metro North Park Tops field. When we play 4v4 or 5v5 cross-field games, or 7v7 full field games, there may not be enough spectator space to leave the area behind the goals empty. If you do sit being a goal, we ask that you don’t interfere with the goalkeeper’s concentration.
Pre-game warm-up:
We often assign a player from each team to be a warm-up captain. Coaches will provide a warm-up plan, but the captain and team are often “on their own” for the first 10 minutes of warm-up as coaches finish earlier games.
Kids may struggle trying to run warm-up, but we think this is a good type of struggle. The girls have to step out of their comfort zones, and even a so-so job leading warm-up can feel like an achievement to a young player.
We’ve had situations where a parent decided to step in and take over warm-up. The intention may have been good, but the result was a young player in or near tears because she thought she failed at her responsibility. Kids don’t get lots of chances to lead in the current sports landscape; please allow them to get some leadership experience even if they struggle with it.
Do not coach your daughter (or any other player) while she plays:
Our philosophy is to develop players who think on their own, not “robots” who wait for instruction. Players will make mistakes, but smart players will learn from their mistakes. Please allow us to teach your daughter to make her own decisions on the soccer field, and don’t try to coach her from the sidelines. We may play teams whose parents and / or coaches act the role of puppeteers and try to direct their girls’ every move. Avoid any urge to mimic this short-sighted behavior. (The best way to react is to sit back, relax and enjoy the unintentional comedy!) Link: The downsides to coaching from the parents’ sideline.
Feel free to be vocal with encouragement after a play:
Comments like “good play” or “great effort” or “nice defense”, even good old “oohs” and “aahs” are welcomed. Just avoid shouting out anything during a play (especially directions such as “shoot!” or “pass” or “get the ball”).
Be positive!
We want game days to be a positive experience for the girls. Avoid any negative comments to or about your own daughter, her teammates, the opposing players and their fans, and the referees. Soccer is a tough sport to master, and mistakes will happen. Players usually know when they make mistakes, and if not, it’s the coach’s job to educate the players. A spectator’s criticism of a player will often demoralize her and result in poor performance. Link: 3rd-party articles about supporting young athletes
Respect our opponents:
Feel free to praise good plays by opponents. Avoid comments or gestures that may distract an opponent. Example: We had incidents in past years when our parents yelled out distracting comments as opponents prepared to take penalty kicks. That type of behavior is unacceptable!
Blowouts:
There’s not much “seeding” history at the young ages, so there’s a chance we’ll be involved in an occasional one-sided blowout game. We could be on either end of a lopsided score.
If we get a big lead over an opponent, remember that the next goal we score isn’t the winning goal of the World Cup. If we’re way behind, don’t despair. It’s one game, and if we’re getting pounded, we should be able to learn a lesson from the experience.
Coaches may occasionally pull a player off the field (or add an extra player) to make a blowout game more competitive. This is done “on the quiet” with only the ref and coaches being aware of the change. If you notice a numbers mismatch, please keep that observation under wraps.
Referees:
We are a developmental program, full of players who are learning their craft. We’ll often have referees who are in a similar position. (In-house Junior Academy games may be played without refs.) Some referees will show promise, others may struggle. We need to understand this and avoid negative comments toward or in reference to the referees. Youth soccer faces a referee shortage, in part caused by young referees quitting due to fan and / or coach abuse. Let’s not be part of this problem. Link: soccer rules primer
Injuries:
If your daughter suffers an injury, please remain calm and let her coach make an initial evaluation. In the vast majority of cases, game day injuries aren’t serious and the player is able to remain in the game, or only needs a few minutes of rest and recovery before she can return. In rare cases, the coach may call or signal you to come over to check on your daughter. Link: more about injuries
Post-game:
Please avoid a detailed post-game analysis on the ride home. Your daughter will have just put in over an hour of effort (warm-up and game), and may forget how much fun she had if she has to face a performance review after each game. The ideal post-game comments are along the lines of: “Did you have fun?”, “I enjoyed watching you play”, and “What would you like to eat?” Link: post-game tips
For coaches:
Academy coaches will assign playing positions and handle substitutions:
Our goal is to balance playing time among all players, and work all players through all positions (including goalkeeper) over time. In small-sided play, every player has both attacking and defending roles, regardless of which position they are playing. Playing time could be reduced due to injury, illness or attitude problems (but not due to mistakes.) Substitutions are only allowed on certain “dead ball” situations, so the flow of the game may prevent us from making substitutions at the desired time.
Academy coaches will avoid what we call “video game” coaching:
We won’t try to direct each player’s every move. Instead, the coaches will wait for coachable moments prior to a play or after a play to instruct players. This style may be radically different from what you’ve seen in your past soccer experience, or even what you see from our opponents’ coaching staffs. Our coaching staff firmly believes that players blossom when they feel free to make their own decisions and aren’t constantly directed or corrected.
Dealing with a mix of players:
We usually have a mix of new and veteran players. For a newer player, we’ll focus on her controlling the ball, getting her head up and finding open space. New players sometimes either freeze (“deer in the headlights”) or get rid of the ball right away as if it was toxic waste. We’d rather a girl try to “love the ball” and be creative, even if she ends up losing possession.
Longer-term, once a player can keep possession and play with her head up, it opens up a new world of small-group tactics and teamwork. Speaking of which, we’ll have a wider focus for our more experienced players, including small-group tactics.