Hi there everybody in the Southside Soccer Family,

It’s hard to believe what another soccer season is just around the corner. As I write this, our club teams are forming and some have even begun practicing. We are also hard at work organizing the Fall Recreation Soccer season. Registration begins on July 31^st (see Registrar’s report below). I felt that last season we were able to improve the soccer experience for most people who chose to invest their time with Southside Soccer. However, there is always room for improvement. Here are some of the changes we would like to make in the upcoming season:

· We are working with the City to get our playing fields in better condition. We are also trying to improve the lighting situation on Field 4, which as been a problem.

· We are looking to add to our available practice space to give each team more room to practice.

· Our Director of Coaching, Rui Farias, will be dedicating himself to the Recreation program this year. In his first year, he focused mainly on getting the Club program organized. This year it is Rec’s turn. Rui will be conducting training programs for Rec Coaches beginning in August.

· As a League, we also want to do a lot more to support our Coaches and make them better. The most important factor in whether or not your child has a positive experience at Southside Soccer is the Coach. We will be expending a lot of energy this year in making sure all coaches feel they have the resources and training to handle the job.

· We will be adding to the selections available at our concession stand (including hot pretzels if I have my way). Seeing as how many of us eat more meals at the soccer field than we do at home, this will be a welcome change.

· There will be a change in the number of players on the younger teams this year. Gulfcoast Youth Soccer Association (GYSA), who is the organization with which we affiliate, has mandated this change. This season the Under 10 age group will play six-a-side instead of eight-a-side. They will also play on a smaller field. The Under 12 age group will play eight-a-side. This movement to small-sided games has been going on for about eight years now. I regard this as very positive since it gives each player more opportunity to touch the ball during a game. I have always felt that 10 years old was too young to move to a full size field.

· We have added a Communication position to the Board this year. It is our hope that this will keep everybody in the loop better and provide more consistent and timely information. Check our website at www.southsidesoccer.net for the latest information.

· Finally, we will be pushing hard to increase volunteerism at Southside Soccer. It is hard to provide a quality experience when a small group of people is doing the work. In order to do this, we will be holding a strategic planning session for the League where everybody will be invited to come and share his or her thoughts as to how Southside can improve and grow. Sign ups for this session will be at registration.

We hope that you will be excited by these chnges as well and continue to invest your time with us.

Yours in soccer,

Stuart Mellish

Registration for 2004 / 2005 Recreational Soccer

SATURDAY REGISTRATION DATES

7/31, 8/7, 8/14 - Lake Vista Community Center 1401 62 Ave S. St. Pete, 9:00 AM to Noon.

WEDNESDAY REGISTRATION DATES

8/4, 8/18 - Enoch Davis Center, 1111 18 Ave S St. Pete, 6:00PM to 8:00PM

ALL PLAYERS MUST BE 4 YEARS OF AGE BY OCTOBER 1^ST, 2004

See Page 3 for additional details

Things you will need to bring:

New Players - a copy of their birth certificate

All Players:

· City of St. Petersburg resident photo ID card (see below)

· Player should be present (for proper uniform fitting) and to sign paperwork

· Parent or guardian (to sign paperwork)

· Physician name & phone #, health insurance provider name and policy #, and emergency contact information

· appropriate fees.

U6 - $60 U8 - $70 U10 -$70 U12 -$85 U14 and older -$90

IMPORTANT

BEFORE YOU CAN REGISTER YOUR PLAYER!

Each player is required to have a St. Petersburg city resident ID card. The city is requiring it to use the outdoor recreation areas (i.e. soccer fields). You may go any City Recreation Center and purchase one for EACH PLAYER for a $5.00 fee. We are holding registrations at City Recreation Centers this year so you can purchase the card at the same time if you wish. They might get busy on those dates though so buying one early could be beneficial.

You will need to provide two forms of identification to verify your address and the player MUST be present for a photo on the card. You must then bring this ID with you to registration. Make sure you specify that you are purchasing for the Southside Rec season.

If you do not live within the city limits, you will be charged $10.00 per month/per player. (The recreation season is 4 months/$40.00.) You may also choose to purchase a yearly pass for $100.00 that will be good for any city activity through 7/31/05. Pinellas County has a program to refund this fee to residents of unincorporated Pinellas (check at the city Rec Center when you buy the card). This would be helpful to Tierra Verde residents.

This decision was made by the St. Petersburg City Council. Taxes paid by city residents and property owners help pay the cost of maintenance and operations of city facilities. Non-resident fees make sure the people using these facilities pay their share of these costs. All municipalities in Pinellas County are implementing a similar fee.

Beginning Referees Course

We will be holding a beginning referees course in August, for those of you who are interested in becoming a referee. The course is 18 hours and the minimum age is 12. All fees will be paid by SYSL. The classes will be held at the South branch Library 2300 62^nd Ave South. The dates and times are as follows:

Thursday August 12^th from 6pm to 9pm

Saturday August 14^th from 9am to 12pm

Thursday August 19^th 6pm to 9pm

Saturday August 21^st 9am to 12pm

Saturday August 28^th 9am to 3pm

To register, use the following instructions. Go to the website www.fsr-inc.com. Select the link “courses”. In the beginner classes column select “entry referee classes grade 8” then click on the button “review course listings and register”. Select the course number C2-01-0804-08 then scroll to the bottom of the page and click the button “details/register”. This will give you the course details. Read the information to confirm you have selected the right class and then click the button “register for this class”. Enter the required information and then click on the submit button. You will then be registered for the course.

IMPORTANT: The registration deadline is August 5^th. No applications can be accepted after this date.

If you have any questions, or do not have access to the Internet then call me.

Cliff Andrews

798-5710.