WELCOME!

FALL 2020 SEASON UPDATE

Registration Now Open!

Maynard Youth Soccer (MYS) has decided to conduct soccer activities this Fall after careful consideration and following the guidance of MA Youth Soccer, US Youth Soccer, and the guidelines provided by the State of Massachusetts. However, due to the pandemic, this season will be different from what we are all accustomed to.  Please know that these decisions were made after careful thought and extensive discussions, based on the feedback we received from our survey, and driven by the goal to provide soccer activities that are safe and responsible in nature.  

Soccer clubs across the Nashoba Valley Youth Soccer League and the State have opted to conduct in-town only activities.  Inline with this trend, MYS will not be participating in league play and we will take the additional step to refrain from all competitive game play.  Instead, MYS will be conducting skill based clinics throughout the Fall.  The sessions will begin September 12th and run for 8 weeks ending November 7th.  There will be no soccer activities Columbus Day weekend (October 10-12). The exact dates & times for the sessions will be determined based on enrollment numbers.  Participants should expect the sessions to take place on Saturday or Sunday during daylight hours.  We will be offering these sessions to grades K-8.  The primary focus for these sessions will be skill development and exercise.  Safety will be paramount.  Each participant will be socially distanced at all times.  There will be no games, no scrimmages, and no small sided (3v3, 4v4, 5v5, etc.) play.  The exact drills and exercises that are conducted will be designed to eliminate close contact.  The costs/fees associated with this Fall season are as follows:

$75 per player

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Discounts available: $10 off for the 2nd family member; $20 off for the 3rd family member 
 

• Release - Each individual who participates in these sessions hosted by Maynard Youth Soccer will need to sign a Release. This includes all Players, Coaches, Officials, Volunteers, and Spectators regardless of your level of participation. If you are unwilling to sign the release then you will not be allowed to participate.  Parents/Guardians are expected to sign the Release on behalf of each Player/child under the age of 18.

• Wellness & Being Responsible - If you, or your Player, has a fever or other signs of a possible illness please do not come to the session. MYS reserves the right to ask any individual who appears ill to leave the grounds.

• Attendance - MYS will take attendance for each session. This is necessary for contact tracing. Please be sure to sign in each time you enter the field. If there is a COVID case identified in our soccer community, all teams and individuals who had contact with the infected individual will be suspended from play for 14 days.  Other teams/cohorts who were not in contact will not have any suspension in activities.  Please note, if there is a COVID case, MYS will follow guidance from local public health officials.  Efforts will be made to contact all individuals who came in contact with the infected individual, but MYS will not identify the infected individual.

• Masks - All participants must wear a face mask.  Players must keep a mask with them at all times.  Players will be allowed to remove their masks when on the field engaging in play, but must wear masks while not engaged in aerobic activity. This includes transitioning to/from the field, and while receiving instructions from a coach.  Players may wear masks while at play; however, any mask being worn while in play cannot be looped around the players neck or head. Only masks attached around the ears will be allowed during play (for players, gaiters are not allowed).

• Equipment - As with prior seasons, each Player needs to bring the following items with them to each session – ball, water bottle, cleats, and shin guards. In addition, each player will also need to bring a face mask, and hand sanitizer.  Please apply sunscreen prior to the session.  Equipment cannot be shared.

• Social Distancing - All participants must socially distance at all times.  Players will be socially distanced on the field during sessions, and all coaches, officials, and volunteers will adhere to social distancing guidelines unless it is absolutely necessary to violate them (safety issues).  To help maintain social distancing while on MYS grounds, MYS will have designated entrances, exits and one direction walk-ways.  Please follow all signage while upon MYS grounds.

• Teams/Cohorts - MYS will establish groupings at the beginning of the season and the players will remain together for all sessions.  We will not move players between groups and there will be no “pick up” type play.

• Participant Limits - MYS will be held to a strict 25 per person limit for each cohort upon each playing field for each session. The 25 person count includes all Players, Coaches, Volunteers, and Officials/Board Members. MYS will be held to a strict 100 person limit upon the grounds for each session. The 100 person count includes all Players, Coaches, Volunteers, and Officials/Board Members across all cohorts. MYS reserves the right to limit the number of individuals on the field or on the grounds for each session to ensure we maintain these limits. No Spectators will be allowed on the playing field.

• Player Drop Off & Pick Up - Dropping off Players for their scheduled session is allowed and encouraged. However, we ask that you please wait for your Player to be checked in for each session before leaving. We will confirm each Player has a Release on file, a face mask, and equipment before you drive-off.  Additionally, due to the strict limits on the number of people allowed on the grounds at a time. It is important that you promptly pick up your Player from their scheduled session to assist us in staying within the limits.

• Session Times & Buffers - MYS will stagger the sessions to limit the number of individuals on the fields and grounds at any time. We ask that Players, Coaches, Volunteers and Spectators only appear during their designated session times to allow us to operate within the set limits.

• Car Pooling - Car pooling is strongly discouraged, and we ask that it only be used when absolutely necessary (safety issues).

• Community - It will be the responsibility of all of us to be mindful and respectful if we are going to be successful this Fall.  We are ALL doing this for the first time and it will truly take a community wide approach.  We ask all of our players, parents, families, coaches, and volunteers to do their part.  The MYS Board is incredibly excited that we are able to return to play this Fall.  Please help us by staying positive and being safe.  If you are willing to volunteer please come forward.

• Coaches - As always, MYS will rely heavily on our volunteer coaches to make this season a success.  We recognize that this season we will lean on our coaches more than ever.  Please know that we will NOT be expecting coaches to police compliance to these MYS guidelines.  The primary responsibility of coaches will be to manage the soccer environment and teach the game.  Our Board and other volunteers will be available to assist coaches in other areas.  If you are willing to coach please come forward.

• Team COVID Coordinators - This Fall each team/cohort will have a designated Team COVID Coordinator.  This person will be responsible for communicating with their team/cohort and providing any guidance or clarification related to the COVID guidelines.  Our designated MYS COVID Safety Officer will coordinate across all team COVID coordinators.  If you are a parent and willing to volunteer to be a team COVID coordinator then please come forward.

• Patience - We ask for your patience as we navigate the return to soccer this Fall. This is the first time the Board of Directors, Coaches, and Volunteers have organized a session under strict guidelines from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, the Town of Maynard, Massachusetts Youth Soccer and US Youth Soccer.  We reserve the right to modify these rules or guidelines in any way we see fit to ensure the safety and wellbeing of our participants.

Thank you to our amazing sponsors.