Competition Fees and player expectations

Impact is pleased to announce a new flat competitive fee structure for the 2012-2013 season which represents a shift away from the traditional Impact ‘Black’ and ‘White’ team designations. The goal of the new structure is twofold: to lower the up front financial commitment, and to ensure a consistent, uniform fee structure and competitive experience across all teams in the program.

Building Competitive Teams: As always, we strive to group players and build teams best suited to skill level and ability in order to foster development and growth. At annual tryouts, players are selected and placed on teams in their respective age group and will play on that team for both Fall and Spring seasons, tournaments, and winter indoor leagues. The tryout schedule is posted under the Quick Links section on the left hand side of the main page.

Developing Players: Impact is unique in that it places a high emphasis on developing players starting early with Impact Recreation, continuing through the Impact Academy program, and then progressing into the Impact Competition program.  Coaches work together amongst their respective age groups to foster and encourage developmental passes and tournament guest play opportunities for those who wish to compete at higher levels or participate in tournaments their primary team may not have selected for travel. Developmental players are made available to other teams who may have injuries or short rosters, in addition to helping each other have success in league play.

How they play: All Impact competition teams play two games per week during UYSA fall and spring seasons, competing against other teams along the Wasatch Front. All teams and players will have access to the same club training clinics, winter facilities, tournament schedule and goalkeeper training as part of their competitive experience.  Teams compete in league divisions based on the Fall/Spring UYSA alignment process, placing teams based on results and standings from previous seasons, and for new teams based on their X-League performance. Team practice schedules and frequency may vary slightly, but generally train twice a week during season and 2-3 times during summer. Winter indoor play will vary by team, but all teams will have access and options for training and indoor league play.

Commitment level: We recognize not all players in the competition program place the same level of emphasize on soccer as their only sport and participate in other activities. Teams competing in Premier and Division 1 leagues (or trying to promote into those levels) typically demand a higher commitment level, and travel to tournaments and year round training will vary somewhat by team based on availability and conflicts with other activities. As a competitive program, we emphasize training and commitment to developing and improving skill in order to compete at a consistently high level across the club regardless of division. It’s important for players, parents, and coaches to all understand and set clear expectations around commitment level and then apply them across the team through the year.

Yearly Team budget and calendar: Based on coaching pay matrix, tournament selections, winter league play, and any other team activities such as fundraisers, the Coach and Team Manager will work to set up a yearly calendar and budget, which includes all the estimated team expenses for the year. The yearly calendar and budget should be discussed with parents and players at the first team meeting for review.

Training jerseys and uniforms: A new purple training t-shirt with the Impact training logo is to be worn at all training sessions and will be issued to every player at tryouts. All competition teams are expected to maintain a professional, consistent look across the club, including same socks and shorts for training sessions. All teams have the option of upgrading their gear to include team warm ups, bags, and other equipment. We encourage all teams to wear their club gear with pride and professionalism.

Team Manager Training:  Team Manger training is available for all new team managers…please communicate with your coach if interested in being a team manager. All existing team managers have met pri0r to tryouts to go over the new fee structure, expectations, and club policies to help prepare them for tryouts and registration process.

Tournament participation: This year, all team managers and coaches met to plan and coordinate upcoming tournament participation for the 2012-2013 season. A list of recommended and suggested tournaments is available to team managers to discuss and plan with their teams after tryouts. Not all teams will participate in the same tournaments or the same number of tournaments, however, as a club we’re encouraging teams who are going to travel and participate to work together to take advantage of development opportunities and of course to have fun traveling with their peers across the club to feel more connected and part of something bigger than just their individual team!

How to register: The formal registration process begins after the players are placed on their specific teams and are given their player access codes. Steps to register online are available under the Quick Links area on the main tab or under the ‘How to Register’ link in the competition drop down menu. ***All players who tryout and commit to a team are expected to complete full registration and payment no later than June 14th.***

What is the cost?  Impact club competition fees shown below cover costs associated with the following major expenses: (1) UYSA competition fees, (2) UYSA Region fees, (3) referee fees, (4) field rental fees as well as field layout, painting and maintenance costs, (5) equipment costs, (6) goalkeeper training , (7) back office and administrative expenses (web site, advertising, operations) and (8) a scholarship program for players unable to afford registration fees.

Club registration fees do not cover uniforms, tournament play, winter league play, or winter training as these typically vary more by team based on level of play and commitment.

The major change in cost structure this year is the removal of coaching fees from the base club registration fee.  Instead, these fees will be broken out and paid on a monthly basis (or optionally these can be paid up front at once for those who elect to) instead of a lump sum administered through the club. The expected benefit of this change is to also reduce the high up front cost at registration, particularly for families with multiple players participating in the competition program.

The base-level coaches fees are predicated upon United States Soccer Federation licensing level and years of coaching for the club. This coaching fee matrix will be applied across all Impact competition teams and eliminates inconsistency and discrepancies associated with any supplemental fee charges. The intent of this new structure is to attract and retain high level coaches, supply quality training and coaching experience across all competition teams, and to operate under a single, consistent club policy.

FEE STRUCTURE MATRIX FOR IMPACT COMPETITION TEAMS

The following fees and estimates apply for 2012-13 

*Monthly Coaching Fees -monthly coaching fees are based on coaching license level and years of coaching for the club.  Team Managers will be given the fee matrix after tryouts and in conjunction with team treasurer, will collect and pay coaches directly at the end of each month rather than through the club.

**Uniform Costs – rotations are typically every two years, and for 2012-2013, we’ll be updating with all new uniforms for Impact competition teams that will be used for the next two years. Prices vary on size, optional warms ups, bags, extra sets of socks, shorts, etc. Base uniform costs typically average $130 for full home and away kits.