ENY Merger

News out of ENY U16 girls

FC Sting Killer Bees and Syosett Elite have merged. Could be a real threat to the Mass teams dominating Region 1 this year and next.

http://www.backofthenet.com/ubbthreads. ... 660&page=6

Re: ENY Merger

It really depends on how it all works out. It could be great - it could be a disaster (having seen both groups of parents in action in premier league and up at regionals). One of the Bees girls went to Albertson also

Re: ENY Merger

When did this happen? Syosset has been playing in tournaments already this year. Are they planning to make roster changes at this point? What about the need to demonstrate roster continuity from year to year for R1PL?

Re: ENY Merger

When did this happen? Syosset has been playing in tournaments already this year. Are they planning to make roster changes at this point? What about the need to demonstrate roster continuity from year to year for R1PL?

I believe both teams played as US Club Soccer at the previous tournaments. Don't hold me to that but I think that is what happend.

Re: ENY Merger

When did this happen? Syosset has been playing in tournaments already this year. Are they planning to make roster changes at this point? What about the need to demonstrate roster continuity from year to year for R1PL?

51% is the roster continuity requirement for Region 1. Bigger question is an ENY rule saying no more than 5 transfers. Apparently it's all gone through, until some parent complains.

Re: ENY Merger

So has this been the new Syosset or the old Syosset who has been playing in these tournaments?

Re: ENY Merger

Old. This whole thing happened after Disney (although maybe it was in the works?)

Re: ENY Merger

It really depends on how it all works out. It could be great - it could be a disaster (having seen both groups of parents in action in premier league and up at regionals). One of the Bees girls went to Albertson also

I agree. There are good players on both teams, but are they that good? I'm not so sure what kind of a threat this team will be. From what I've seen on both teams' sidelines, they are a charming group all around. Their kids must be aware of the nonsense that's going on (not to mention the friends that were left behind). I understand a few players leaving one team for a better team, but for two teams to merge at this time of the year, unless one of the teams just falls apart (which can happen once high school hits), doesn't seem right. But I don't have a dog in this fight. Good luck to them.

Re: ENY Merger

This is a letter from the Syosset manager that was posted on the BOTN board. How many parents would have their child play for this team if you received this letter pre-season (U13 parents excluded):



SYOSSET ROUGH RIDER '92 Elite


July 23, 2008

Dear Parents,

Within, please find the team’s agenda for the upcoming year. Please take the time to read this letter, which at times may boarder on being a diatribe (SAT word) but I will try to be brief and to the point. This team is going into its 8th season, which is an accomplishment in and of itself. Who would have thought 8 years ago that I would even be able to field a team with all the people I have upset along the way? While many of you believe I send this letter out for my own personal therapeutic reasons I can tell that there may be certain ancillary benefits to reading the letter- like you may know what is going on for example.

As I expect this letter is going to be nothing short of a literary masterpiece, I hope you will keep a copy taped to the refrigerator or prominently displayed elsewhere in the house. It is my hope that every parent and player will read and fully commit to the provisions set forth within so that we might have a successful season.

Last year the team’s objectives were as follows:

1. Get into Region 1 Premier – We did not do that last year, but we are guaranteed a spot in Region 1 Premier this spring

2. Win NERP – Mission Accomplished

3. Win State Cup – Yup, did that as well, not too bad.

4. Win at least 1 Major Tournament – We won 5: Spirit United, Long Island Premier Cup, National Elite Womens Soccer Showcase, Raleigh Shootout, Orange Classic. Notice all the tournaments we won were in the fall, we did not fare as well in the Spring.


2008-09 Objectives

In my business, we usually set goals, and then set what we call “stretch goals”. Stretch goals are goals that are attainable, but they require additional focus, and unwavering commitment to the plan - a little luck also helps. . This year I have set the goals and stretch goals for the coming season:

1. Repeat as State Cup Champions – This is not going to be easy. Albertson, HBC and East Meadow are all formidable teams here on Long Island. Of course we also have the Killer Bees up north who are just waiting to have another crack at us.

2. Get to the Regional Semifinals – This means that all we have to do is get out of our bracket at Regional’s next year. The best team in Region 1 threw all they had at us and we beat them on the scoreboard and on the field. We had more possession and were dangerous more often. There is no reason we cannot get out of our bracket next year. Note: to have a chance at this we need to win the State Cup again.

3. Win two major tournaments – This year, we are going to be in the top flight at just about every tournament we enter. We are going to have a very aggressive tournament schedule and some very tough opponents. .

4. Finish in the Top 4 in Region 1 Premier – anything less is unacceptable, we need to get into Region 1 Premier again next year.

Stretch Goals

We can do the following with a lot of dedication and effort:

1. Win the Region 1 Championship – we really were not far off last year, now we have to pick it up a notch to get the brass ring.

2. Win 3 Major Tournaments, get at least to the semifinals at Disney – Again, while we won 5 last year, we were not always in the top flight. We are now going to be in the top flight

3. Get to the Region 1 Premier Semifinals- This will likely require beating 3 of the following 4 teams: South Coast Scorpions, Montclair Thunderbolts, PDA and the Killer Bees.

What is at Stake?

After Regionals, I got a call from the coach at University of Tennessee about two players (Emily & Christina – which means they are either looking for speed or kids who are not tall enough to get on riders at the local amusement park). I would expect that Kurt and I will be fielding a lot of calls the next two years regarding all of our players.

In all the tournaments we are going to, the kids are going to get showcased. These next two years are the two years many of you have been running around for since the kids started playing competitively. We have players with graduation years of 2010, 2011 & 2012. We have several ‘92’s that need to get seen this coming year. Our performance and success this year are going to determine our ability to repeat in the top tournaments again next year – when the ’93 & ’94 players are going to want to be attending these same tournaments. To get in again, we must show well.

To be fair to everyone, ALL players need to be fully committed to this team whether it be training, tournaments, or league games. If you have religious education, no problem, if you have a major test or school project on occasion, we will be able to deal with it. Fact is, one of the reasons we did well last year was because we did have a reasonably good commitment from everyone. We are upping the ante on what we are trying to accomplish, therefore we to need to up the commitment level. For some of the girls, this coming year and the following year could end up being their last years playing soccer. Sad to think about isn’t it? When Liz graduates I have no idea what I am going to do, I just may have to hang out at Kurt’s place and try to put together a new U-10 team or something. I asked Maria about adopting a kid, but she was rather closed minded to the idea. I haven’t given up hope yet; I still have 2 years left.

Below I have set forth some important guidelines that will enable us to accomplish our objectives. At this highly competitive level I do expect more of some things including effort, commitment, responsibility, etc. we will not tolerate whining (that includes from the players), excessive lateness (yes, I do mean you), or excuses why a player cannot practice. It is a privilege to play on this team. I expect every players attitude to reflect that when they put on their cleats. At this point we have a pretty even talent level and no one is irreplaceable.

Our Coaching Staff

Kurt is coming back to coach us for at least another year, and if he has some fun he may decide to hang around even longer. Although this team is coached by Kurt this team is still a Rough Rider team. I recently heard a parent say “what do we get from the Rough Riders, nothing” well that is just dead wrong. We are paying less then every other team in the SYL, by about half. We are also paying less a fraction of the costs associated with the use of the indoor facility. If you want to call that “nothing”, then I think that is called “ungrateful” and “ignorant”. It is for this reason that we are committed to playing the SYL each year. As you will see if we finish in the top 2 in our division, there are a ton of college coaches at the SYL Nationals in Tampa. I do think that we are going to finish in the top two this year.

The way the team has always worked and continues to work is that Kurt is accountable to me, and I am accountable to the team. Kurt is not accountable to each of you. This is why I try and handle all of the complaints and hear everyone out and try and solve problems myself instead of bothering Kurt all the time. The division of responsibilities between Kurt and myself is simple: if it involves a game or practice decision, it is Kurt’s call. If it involves a roster spot or anything else, it is my call. We have been doing it this way for years and it works. I will be sending out all the emails, and I will be bugging you all for whatever it is that I feel I need to bug you about. However, if your daughter is not playing enough in your mind, or is not happy about how she is instructed in the games, then complaining to me is probably no going to get you too much. I mean I will listen as much as I can tolerate, but it most likely will not improve the situation. Another thing you may want to keep in mind is that approaching either of us right after a game, especially if it is a win, loss or tie, is probably not a good idea. Give us a few hours (read: 24 to 48) or cocktails (read: 12-15) before talking to us about topics that could be emotional or controversial.

The Team

As of this writing, the team is exactly as if it was last year, except Raychel Diver (parents are Jim & Diane) has joined us. We are going to be going to most tournaments as a Rough Rider US Club team so that the paperwork is less and so that we can take some of the other players who have helped us out before as guest players if warranted. For the fall we are going to be going with 17 players.

I do expect to pick up one or maybe even two players between seasons if I think those players can contribute to helping us win another State Cup. That means we may end up dropping players between the fall and spring seasons. This is meant to allow us to continue to improve and draw high quality players that also have high quality parents

We will not be in any formal leagues in the fall due to school ball. We will still schedule 2 practices a week, one of which will probably be on a weekend. The practices are in order to stay sharp and so that we can be prepared for the upcoming tournaments and to remind the kids how to play soccer since most of them will be in school ball which will result in their soccer IQ being dramatically reduced. It is important that we continue to do well in the tournaments that we enter to keep the teams profile as high as possible.

In the Spring, we are going to be in Region 1 Premier. In order to stay in Region 1 Premier, we need to finish in the top 4 of our bracket. Aside from us, East Meadow is the only other in ENY team that is guaranteed a spot in Region 1 Premier. Our first game in the Spring will likely be the first week of March, our season must be over by the last weekend in April. If we are in the north bracket (we had previously been in the south, so it is not a strict geographic split) the team guaranteed to return include Stars of Mass – United; Stars of Mass Rovers; East Meadow & South Coast Scorpions. Other likely entries include the CFC United from Connecticut (as State Cup Champs) and we could see either PDA and/or Montclair. The competition is going to be formidable.

As of now, there are 6 players with a 2010 graduation year: Emily, Christina C, Katie Marcy, Shannon, Jackie and Lyndsay. It is important for these players to get some exposure this fall and spring and that the team does well.

This is a team that will have cuts at the end of the season. Generally, we are not going to cut a player unless there is a player who is substantially better that tries out for the team. We will, however, also cut a player if the parents do not act in a socially reasonable manner, or for failure to pay the required fees set forth within.

In my view the question: “Do you punish the kid for the acts of the parents” is not really the primary question. The real question is: “Do you punish the other parents and players on the team for the actions of one bonehead?” Just so you know, the answer to that question is “no, you get rid of the bonehead”. The one thing that is in everyone’s control is their own behavior. If you are prone to temper tantrums, road rage, holding your breathe until you turn blue or other emotional outbursts that would not constitute socially acceptable behavior, there are medications available to help.

While Kurt’s coaching and training was the primary force in the team doing well, another factor was team unity. This team was never one that had a lot of team spirit, and it was not what I would call a close group of kids. From inception we never had more than 4 kids from the same town, there was little opportunity for the kids to casually get together and hang out outside of soccer. Last season, I saw the kids pulling for each other more than in any prior year. There were some divisive personalities that were weeded out and the rest of the girls pulled together. One person in particular, Gabby Charno, goes to tremendous lengths to initiate team building exercises. Even when some of the parents were upset with each other the kids were able to rise above it all and not allow such matters to be a distraction. What we need to keep in mind is that the team exists for the benefit of the players, not the parents. We really do have a lot going for us right now, and compared to other premier teams, we have relatively few problems. Let’s make the last few years we have together as enjoyable as possible and lets let the players play.

Tournaments

Last year when I passed out the tournament schedule there were a lot of groans and some discontent. I think that one major reason for our success was all of the competition we faced in big games during tournament play. We are doing the tournaments for exposure and of course to get better. Here is the proposed tournament schedule to the best of my knowledge at this time:

1. Spirit United, this is in Pennsylvania, August 16-17
2. WAGS, played in Maryland Columbus Day weekend
3. November - Possible SYL National Championship if we win our bracket.
4. Bethesda College Showcase, played in Maryland in November over Thanksgiving
5. Raleigh Shootout, played in North Carolina the weekend after Thanksgiving
6. Disney College Showcase, played in Orlando between 12/27-1/2
7. Score at the Shore in February over winter break – However Kurt is talking about taking the kids to Costa Rica to play so we will play it by ear
8. Las Vegas College Showcase, played in Nevada in March
9. Jefferson Cup, second week of March down in Richmond Virginia
10. April Tourney to be scheduled, could be Cincinnati or Tennessee
11. PDA College Showcase played in New Jersey Memorial Day weekend.
12. Surf Cup 2009, depending on how we do this year

By playing in the Surf Cup, and tournaments 2,5,6,8,9 and 11 we will have played in 7 of the top 10 college showcases in the country.

The tournaments are not optional, everyone is expected to attend and cheer gleefully (see section below on Parents Responsibilities)

As with last year, if we have a tournament, then I expect everyone to be at the hotel FRIDAY NIGHT. You have a list of tournaments above, with the dates. I do not need the parents on Friday night, but I do need the players. If you have to work or if you have to attend to something else, then I need to know that YOU have provided for your daughter to arrive FRIDAY NIGHT. Unless you plan on having your kid sleep out in the minivan before the SAT’s, please do not tell me that your daughter can get a solid 5 hours sleep in the car the morning of a game and that is the same as her sleeping in her bed.

A few other rules for tournaments:
1 If we have a game 10 am or later, then the players need to be in bed by 10 pm;
2 If we have a game 9 am or earlier, then the players need to have lights out by 9 pm;
3 No swimming within 16 hours of a game. If our games for the day are over, then the kids can go in the pool depending on the time of the game the following day;
4 Someone needs to bring a tent for the kids in case of rain or sun, generally Greg we expect that to be you;
5 We will have team dinners on Saturday nights when we are away. If the parents do not want to attend, the kids still need to be with the team;
6 Limit junk food and soda prior to games. Ice cream is not a food group, and Dairy Queen is not something eaten by the Royal family before a cricket match.
7 It is the parent’s responsibility to make sure that their daughter is at the hotel Friday night. No one on this team is so socially inept (SAT word) that they cannot find a friend or at least pretend to be someone’s friend long enough for them to take your kid to a tournament (Warning: This will not work with Donna Hertling unless getting to the tournament does not involve crossing a bridge or tunnel).

Parent Involvement

I do need help with a lot of things this year. Putting together the coach’s books, dealing with the tournament policies of each of the tournaments and who wants notarized Medical releases and who wants their own special medical release etc. does take up a lot of time. However, as simple as it may seem, the way everyone can help the most is to please just pay attention. There are a lot of questions answered in this letter, so for example, do not call me at work to argue with me about whether or not the kids can go swimming, it is addressed here. Do not call me at work and ask me what time practice is when I have already sent out a schedule of practices. Most of the calls and interruptions I get during the day are from parents about questions that have already been answered. So if you can please just pay attention, I will have less than half of the normal amount of interruptions. If you do not have frequent access to email then maybe call a friend on the team and have them alert you to any last minute changes.

Another “problem area” concerns people paying on time. I know that not everyone can just write a check for $500 whenever they want, so just come to me and we can work something else out. Please do not make me chase you for money.

If money is an issue then take the lead and try to do some fund-raising. Do not ask me to help you if you have not tried to help yourself. We started to try and do something last year and aside from selling some lottery tickets we really did not do very much. We are going to need to do some team fund raising. As with everyday expenses you will notice that our cost and expenses have increased. In order to offset these costs ALL of the parents must be involved. All of the players will receive the same compensation from fund raising so it is only fair that every parent put forth effort to achieve the fund raising task at hand. I am hoping that the one special person who has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for other organizations will again volunteer to do the fund raising for the team. If not, then someone needs to step forward.

We need the parents involved for two other reasons: 1) The kids do not have jobs and thus cannot pay and 2) The kids do not drive so we need you to get the kids where they need to be, on time, and in a reasonably good mood (do the best you can regarding the latter – they are teenagers).

Cathy Convey will continue to do the hotel reservations, however I am sure that Cathy will be more than willing to give this up to anyone who would like to take this responsibility off her hands. Everyone will need to give Cathy (or Kathy) their credit card number so that hotel reservations can be made for each of the tournaments.

Finally, the parents should be prepared to cheer gleefully for the team.

Here are some things that parents should not do:

• Direct your daughter on the field – they usually do not listen anyway and it is distracting, besides it makes it difficult for the coaches to discern (SAT word) whether the players do not understand us or are simply ignoring us;
• Talk to the coaches immediately after a game about you daughter. If we have just won or lost, let us have some time to calm down and digest the events of the match. Please try and give us 24 hours or two cocktails, whichever comes first;
• Please do not yell at the referees, you should assume that the referees are not going to be too good. Rather than expect a good referee and scream if they are bad, expect a bad referee and cheer if they are good ( got that one out of a fortune cookie)
• Read Back of the Net – Look, I poach okay, that is how most of you got here to begin with so why make it an issue now.
We are still running into the situation where parents are directing play on the field. A number of times this past year, we have seen players stop running just so they could yell at a parent who was “helping” them. Please don’t continue to do this, if we need to take more dramatic steps to control behavior then so be it, but it really should not be necessary.

Playing Time

Playing time is something that is determined by the coaches. The kids play when we tell them to go in and they behave on the sideline when they are not playing. There will be no guarantee that your child will play any part (or every part) of any game (or all the games). If a player wants more time they prove themselves in practice first. The kids need to get to a certain speed of play and understand the style of play BEFORE they get on the field - you learn this in practice.

Given the make up of the team, I expect that there are going to be differences of opinion among parents and players over who is playing and where they are playing. It is important for everyone to stay together and for everyone to be willing to sacrifice for the benefit of the entire team because if the team does well then all the players benefit. Most of you are reading this and saying “surely he is not talking about me” – yes, actually I am speaking directly to you. We are going to have playing time issues over the course of a single game or over a few games, but hopefully everything evens out over the course of a season.


The Players Responsibility

We want the kids to have fun and to develop as players. In order to facilitate this, we expect the following:
• Attendance at all practices – this year it may be a little more difficult to do this if kids are playing varsity soccer. If they are playing varsity anything else, I really do not care - soccer needs to come first;
• To be at all games at least 45 minutes prior to the official start time, unless directed otherwise by the coaches – so when I am asked “what time do you want us there for the game” I will probably say “read the letter” – there of course can be times when we want to be there earlier or even later, but that will be our responsibility to make clear;
• To be at all games and practices with proper equipment and attire( this means the ball should already have air and shoe laces tied);
• To demonstrate proper sportsmanship and abide by the rules of the league, club and team. So, for example, the parent that was saying last year “If she does that again, take her out” would not represent my idea of good sportsmanship;
• The kids to play and train to the best of their ability, with a positive attitude toward their coaches and teammates;
• Respect officials and accept the referee’s decisions without question;
• Immediately report any injury to the coaches;
• To play the position asked by the coach, which may not always be the position the player would prefer
• Notify the coach if you will be tardy (SAT word) for or unable to attend a game, training session, or team meeting.
There are certain exceptions that we have carved out with regard to attendance at practices, the exceptions are as follows:
• If you are a goalie and receive specialized training one day a week, then you may miss one practice a week, but you are also responsible for what is covered in any practices missed.
• If you are injured, you are expected to attend practice; if you are sick please stay home. This is really simple. If you have a broken leg, you come to practice. If someone else can catch what you have ( like a fever) stay home
I would appreciate a list of each players expected after school obligations ASAP so we may set practice days as soon as possible. Please submit this list to me via email ASAP. If I do not hear from you within a week of this date, I will assume that you are available for practice from after 4 pm on Monday-Friday.

School Ball

I know that many of the kids will be playing school ball, so we will be scheduling around school ball practices as much as possible. However, it is very important that the team practice together at least two days a week. When we are talking about school soccer interfering with practice that is one thing, but lacrosse and basketball is something else. If I can have everyone’s school ball schedule ASAP, I can schedule around school soccer as much as possible

Costs & Expenses

My best estimate for expected costs for the year are:
Registration $140
Indoor Time $700
Training Fee’s $1,100
Tournaments $1,300
Field Rentals $ 325
Incidentals (ref’s etc) $500

Total $4,065
You Pay $2,400

I have already personally advanced everyone’s registration fee


In no event will someone who leaves the team be provided with any refunds. Many of the costs have already been discounted to begin with and the costs associated with the team are split among the team members. If someone leaves, then we are going to be short on funds. The payments can be spread out as follows:
1 $500 due on or before August 15th
2 $500 due on or before September 15th
3 $500 due on or before November 15th
4 $500 due on or before January 15th
5 $400 due on or before February 15th

If you are in a financial position to pay in advance or even pay all up front it would be greatly appreciated.

Those who were on the team last year are all due approximately $400 from the Regionals courtesy of the Syosset Soccer Club. Many of you are also going to be receiving some reimbursement for the Surf Cup. If you would prefer to apply those payments to this coming year it may make it easier on both of us. Please let me know.

It is not unusual for unanticipated expenses and events to arise. Accordingly, I reserve the right to request additional funds from each family as needed.

Summer & Winter Practices

We have been practicing most of the summer. For the winter we will be provided with access to the Rough Rider’s indoor facility about twice a week however, there will be up to 10 practices over the winter at KK Athletics in Farmingville. There is a possibility that the practice days will change over the winter depending on when the winter leagues are scheduled. The cost estimates for this are already incorporated into the budget provided in this letter, so you will not be hit up for additional fees later on for the indoor time.


Super Y League

This team is heavily subsidized by the Rough Riders due to my co-ownership of the franchise. Our kids are given additional exposure due to the Rough Rider brand. We are using the SYL to build our team resume and I fully expect that we will be in Tampa in November at the National Finals. In another year or so there is also the opportunity for the girls to play with the woman’s Rough Rider team. Given the above and the heavy subsidy provided by the organization due to my co-ownership, you need to play in the SYL to be on this team.

Summary

If we play together and follow the few simple guidelines then we will have a very successful and fun season. We have the benefit of a great organization, two indoor facilities, excellent coaching and a very good pool of players who for the most part have played together for at least one year, already. The success of this team will not only be earned by the play on the field but the continued support of the parents. If anyone has any questions, please feel free to call me
Regards,

Joe Agiato
140 Lee Road
Garden City, NY 11530
516-877-2947 (w)
516-967-7585 (cell)
jagiato@newlightcapital.com (email)


I have read the above and agree to the terms and conditions of the team
______________________ ___________________________
Player Name Parent Name
______________________ ____________________________
Player Signature Parent Signature
____________________ ____________________________
Date Date
Family e-mail addresses: __________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ __________________

Re: ENY Merger

It is not clear whether this proposed? team actually has satisfied the no more than 5 player transfer rule in ENY or if they have to. If the rule applies and they do not satisfy it, not only can they not participate in the ENY State Cup, but they will not be able to take the premier league winner spot at regionals as that requires they must participate in their state cup and follow all state cup rules. If Syosett demonstrates they still have at least 51% of their players (9 I guess - even though the roster goes up to 22 at this age) they still should be able to play in Premier League.

It is interesting there have been no comments by any of the "cut" players parents on BOTN. Maybe they are okay with all this? Maybe they've been taken care of?

Re: ENY Merger

News out of ENY U16 girls

FC Sting Killer Bees and Syosett Elite have merged. Could be a real threat to the Mass teams dominating Region 1 this year and next.

http://www.backofthenet.com/ubbthreads. ... 660&page=6

Stars United play Syosett in there first R1PL league game this spring. Stars United could get off to a bad start

Re: ENY Merger

Their - don't the folks on the south shore know how to spell? The schedules aren't posted so it's pretty clear the source here. Must be trying to deflect attention from their own bad start.

Re: ENY Merger

Their - don't the folks on the south shore know how to spell? The schedules aren't posted so it's pretty clear the source here. Must be trying to deflect attention from their own bad start.

More like a Rovers parent

Re: ENY Merger

Yea that's possible too.

Re: ENY Merger

I read this idiot's letter to the parents and he is a complete wack job. He is the manager hiring firing coaches with a kid on the team what a great situation.