The following policies are hereby deemed to be official for the New Westminster Soccer Club (NWSC):

Constitution & By-laws

Please review the following document https://newwestsc.ca/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/NWSC-Constitution-and-By-laws-per-2018-1.docx.pdf 

General Policy

1. The general aim of the NWSC is to promote participation at all levels of play, good sportsmanship, fair play, and to increase skills in the game of soccer.
2. The operational year for the NWSC shall be a twelve­-month period ending the last day of February.
3. The policy handbook shall be reviewed by the Executive at least every 2 years.
4. The policy handbook shall be included as part of the coaches’ and managers’ roster of the NWSC.
5. The NWSC shall be governed by the constitution of the B.C. Soccer Association where applicable. Policies of the Burnaby District shall have priority providing they do not contravene the constitution of the B.C. Soccer Association.
6. Respect for the referee shall be held by all players, coaches, managers, and parents of the NWSC.
7. Meetings shall be conducted according to Robert’s Rules of Order.
8. All Divisional coaches and managers, and referees are to receive a copy of the F.I.F.A. rulebook.

Meetings

1. Meetings are open to all referees, coaches, managers, executive members, players, and parents or guardians of the players involved in the NWSC. The President must be notified in advance if someone who is not on the executive wishes to speak at an executive meeting. Non­-executive members may be asked to leave part of the meeting if the executive needs to discuss something of a confidential nature.
2. The Executive shall keep the parents or guardians or the players informed of the time and location of these meetings.

Registration and Refunds

1. All players must be registered before they are eligible to play.
2. Full registration fee will be charged up to and including December 31st.
3. Registrations are subject to a $25 late fee as follows:
   1. U8 and up: late fee applies after June 15th
   2. U7 and under: late fee applies after September 20th
4. One­half the registration fee will be charged for late registration following January 1st to the end of the season.
5. No refunds will be given after October 1st.
6. Players are required to have the approval of a parent or guardian who must sign the registration form or complete the online registration.
7. Beginning players must reach their fifth birthday by December 31st of the current operational year.
8. All new players must provide proof of age to the Club Registrar.
9. There will be charge of $20 for N.S.F. cheques.
10. Service fees for withdrawals are outlined in the registration form.

House League Teams

1. All teams in the U5 – U10 age groups are defined as House League teams.
2. House League teams play with the following number of players depending on the age group:
   

   Players on Field

   For the U5 ­U8 age groups, players on the field and maximum are subject to change depending on the number of players registered for the particular age division. Some age groups may be combined if registration is low, for example, in the past U5 and U6 girls have been combined into one group.

   Starting at U9 and up, players on the field and maximum team sizes are set at the district level.

3. The goal of the Coordinator in creating ‘house’ teams is to fulfill the club’s mandate to achieve balanced teams (as much as is reasonably practicable) to give the greatest number of players the greatest chance for fun and development through the season.
4. In order to achieve the mandate described in bullet #3 above, a maximum of two players will be assigned to a specific team; one being the Coach’s child, and the second being either the Assistant Coach’s child or the Team Manager’s child.
5. Players will benefit from playing with different players and under different coaches year-­to-­year and therefore requests to place players with other players/coaches from one year to the next may not be honoured.
6. ‘House’ Team Selection process:
   1. On the first weekend of play players will participate in a Jamboree where they will be rated by Technical Directors (coaches may be asked to assist)
   2. Player ratings will be used by the Coordinator to create balanced teams (following the established club guidelines).
   3. The week following the Jamboree, teams will be observed by the club Head Coach, and/or TD’s, and/or the Coordinator and re­balancing will be undertaken if necessary.
7. NWSC shall endeavour to place all House League players on teams at their own age level; However, there may be some unique exceptions that may be taken into account.
8. No league statistics will be kept. No cups or trophies will be awarded and no play­offs will be played.

Divisional Teams

1. All teams in the U11 – U18 age groups are defined as Divisional teams.
2. Divisional teams play with the following number of players depending on the age group:

Selection of U5 – U10, U11 – U12 House Teams

1. The Coordinator will attempt to balance teams based on player skill level for all teams in the division.
2. Teams may not exceed a maximum number of players for the particular age group.
3. Special consideration may be given to individuals who volunteer to be a coach or assistant coach.
4. Placement of your child with a particular teammate or specific coach cannot be guaranteed.

Tryout Policies and Procedures for U11 – U18 Teams

General

1. Select teams will exist only for U11 – U18 teams.
2. All Divisional tryouts shall be completed by June 30th.
3. No player may be transferred to a higher or lower caliber team without the approval of the Coordinator or Executive. No player transfers are allowed after the date specified by the B.C. Soccer Association which is in mid January.
4. A coach wishing to transfer a player must contact the Coordinator first who will then bring the matter to the attention of the President or Executive with a recommendation.
5. Priority will be given to those who reside within the Burnaby District except at the Gold or Metro level.
6. Tryouts must be held for U11 and up when there are 2 or more teams at the particular level. The goal is to ensure that all players are given a fair chance to be placed where their skill sets are most suited.
7. Player selection is based on the following:
   1. Observation of the player through­out the year by the Technical Directors
   2. Player Evaluation from the previous year’s coach
   3. Performance at the tryout session.

Pre­-Tryout Activities

1. The Organizer of the tryout session shall be the age group Coordinator or someone else designated by the Executive.
2. It is the Club’s responsibility to post the dates, times, duration and pertinent information regarding tryouts on the NWSC website at http://www.newwestsc.com and to provide the information to coaches to pass onto their players in a timely fashion.
3. It is the coaches’ responsibility to have the player evaluations submitted so that they can be used as input into player selection.
4. It is the Organizer’s responsibility to do the following for the tryout sessions:
   1. Prepare player registration sheets.
   2. Have pinnies available for all the players.
5. The Club will communicate to the Technical Director (TD) staff to be sure that adequate resources are available to cover all the tryout sessions. The club requires that the same TD staff attend all the tryouts for each age group.

Tryout Sessions

1. The Organizer may designate as assistant to help with player sign-­in.
2. Players need to arrive 30 minutes prior to the tryout start time to sign-­in and warm up as there may be no warm up time allotted during tryout sessions.
3. It is the responsibility of the evaluators to assess the players’ ability and to communicate with the organizer.
4. Parents may not be on the field or interacting with anyone on the field during tryouts, however, they may watch from the sidelines. The selected coach of the team may assist with the tryout session at the discretion of the Organizer.
5. It is the Club’s decision to determine the level of play for the teams in each age group. For U11 and U12, a general rule of thumb is that about one third of the players in the division should be at the select/development level.
6. The Club may schedule additional tryout sessions for a particular age group if the club deems itnecessary. The Club may also schedule additional sessions specifically for goalie selection.
7. All communication to parents and players shall be through the tryout Organizer.

Player Selection

1. The number of players selected will be as follows:
2. For U11 – U12: Teams start with a roster of 12 players and a short reserve list.
   1. 8 players are selected based on their overall evaluation
   2. 4 players are selected by the coach.
3. For U13 – U18: Teams start with a roster of 15 players and a short reserve list.
   1. 11 players are selected based on their overall evaluation
   2. 4 players are selected by the coach.
   3. Additional players are selected by the coach for teams with larger rosters.
4. With regards to goalie selection and in the interest of fairness, the coach should select 1 goalie asa coaches pick if there is not one listed in the first set of selected players.
5. Players in U11 – U18 may try out to play for the top team one age group above their current level according to the following guidelines:
   1. Outfield Players: To be chosen for the top team at the higher age group the player must be ranked in the top 3 for U11 – U12 or the top 4 for U13 – U18 of the Technical Directors picks and may not be a coaches pick.
      Goalies: An underage player may be selected for goalie as a coaches pick provided they are ranked highest by the Technical Director as a goalie in a goalie evaluation or if they are the only player declaring themselves as a goalie.
   2. If the player does not make this top team, they will not be eligible to play at the next level downat this higher age group; they will go back to their own age group.
   3. Underage players may only try to play up one year above their own age group.

Reserve List

1. The reserve list will be used if:
2. A player turns down an offered position
3. A player leaves the Club
4. There are enough registered players to allow lower levels to be competitive.
5. In the event a player turns down an offer, a reserve list player should be contacted within 14 days.
6. The reserve list should be maintained by the Coordinator until January 15th.

Contacting Players

1. It is the responsibility of the Organizer to contact all the players who tried out for the team whether they made the team or not.
2. Teams will be contacted from highest level to lowest. For example, the Gold coach shall contact players and when the responses are received shall inform the Silver coach of any players who turned down a placement and that he has taken a player from the reserve list. This coach will now contact his players and do the same for the next coach.
3. Once a player has been notified a firm decision and commitment is required within 24 hours.
4. All players who accept a position must be registered within 72 hours of acceptance to ensure the spot does not go to another player. We ask the coaches to do their best to ensure this occurs.

Policy Review

1. This policy should be reviewed each year before tryouts start in an effort to continue improving and changing to reflect the needs of the Club, coaches and players.

Playing Time

1. For U13 – U18 teams, every player should be given the opportunity to play at least one-­half of every game at all levels of play in all exhibition, league, cup or tournament games with the exception of cup play in the Metro Select League or a suspension for disciplinary reasons.
2. For U11 – U18 teams, the coach may limit playing time for disciplinary reasons.
3. For U5 – U12 teams, the coach shall endeavour to provide equal playing time for every game for all Players.

Coaches and Appointments

1. Each year all coaches shall apply in writing to their Coordinator by January 15th, stating their qualifications and which team they would like to coach.
2. All coaches assigned to teams will be coaches who are, in the opinion of their Coordinator and theExecutive, the most suitable for the position.
3. All coaches are strongly encouraged to complete the appropriate BC Soccer Association Community Coach level within one year of their appointment as a coach.
4. All coaches must relate to players in a way that enables them to participate and have fun while enhancing their personal self­-esteem through the development of social teamwork and sportsmanship.

Tournaments and Exhibition Games

1. All teams may register for tournaments as they choose.
2.  Each team will be responsible to pay for that tournament on their own.  We encourage teams to fundraise throughout the community to pay for these and enhance team building at the same time. If you need assistance with ideas please get in contact with your age group coordinator.
3. No NWSC team, in any tournament, may pick up any player who is not registered with the District.
4. House U4-U7- will participate in the Anne Monk Jamboree at the end of their season
5. The Club will pay for up to 3 exhibition games per team on any NWSC field from August 15th to April 30th.

Discipline and Board of Review

1. New Westminster Soccer Club members, team officials, executive, referees, parents, players, andspectators will at all times conduct themselves in a manner that reflects the highest standard of behaviour within the business, activities or events of the Club. Individuals who fail to meet these standards will be subject to disciplinary sanctions.
2. Disciplinary procedures:
   1. All disciplinary situations for minor infractions will be dealt with by the appropriate member of the executive having authority over the situation and the individual involved.
   2. For more serious and/or repeated offenses the President or Vice President may convene a Disciplinary Panel consisting of three members of the NWSC who are not on the Executive.
   3. Sanctions shall be imposed as appropriate for the level of infraction.
   4. For all sanctions applied, a report is to be sent to the club Secretary.
   5. The following disciplinary sanctions may be applied, singly or in combination:
   6. Verbal reprimand
   7. Written reprimand to be placed in individual’s file
   8. Verbal apology
   9. Hand delivered written apology
   10. Suspension from attendance or coaching of games/practices
   11. Suspension from all NWSC activities for a designated period of time
   12. Other sanctions to be considered appropriate for the offence

Equipment

1. Equipment such as balls, cones, and pumps shall be issued to each coach at the start of the season.
2. The correct size balls will be issued to each coach:
3. U5 – U8: Size 3
4. U9 – U12: Size 4
5. U13 and up: Size 5
6. If a ball needs to be repaired or replaced, the coach should return it to the Equipment Manager as soon as possible.
7. All game balls are to be used for games only, not for practices.
8. Any coach failing to return his/her equipment may not be eligible to coach the following season

Uniforms

1. Club uniforms shall be worn at all games and tournaments unless otherwise approved by the Uniform Manager and the Executive. Uniforms are not to be worn at practices or any other non­-soccer related activities. No sweat pants or jackets will be permitted during games, except for House League players.
2. Alternate uniforms are available in the case of a color clash with an opposing team.
3. Alternates will be left with the uniform person and given out on a game by game basis. They must be washed and returned within 48 hours.
4. A coach is responsible for instructing their team how to care for their uniforms, and shall encourage the players to come to games in clean uniforms with team socks, and with the jerseys tucked in.
5. Coaches and Managers will be responsible for the distribution of uniforms and the subsequent collection of uniforms at the end of the league season, for return to the Uniform Manager.  Coaches and Managers will also be responsible for collection of the uniform deposits.
6. At the time when uniforms are returned to the Manager, the uniform deposits will be returned to players.  The Manager or Coach will return all uniforms with the exception of socks to the Uniform Manager.
7. Coaches should supply a team list with players’ names and jersey numbers and size and mark who has not returned their uniform. If the player’s uniform is not returned the club will cash the uniform deposit that was given at the beginning of the season.
8. Any coach failing to return his/her uniforms may not be eligible to coach the following season.
9. First Aid kits will be issued with uniforms for each team

Referees/Linesmen

1. The Club will incur the costs of referees for all league games, and any New Westminster tournaments, and up to 3 exhibition games per team.
2. Referees shall be provided as follows:
3. U9 and up: Applies to all teams for all games
4. Linesmen shall be provided as follows:
5. U14 and up: Applies to all teams for all games
6. U13 Div 1: Linesmen provided by request of the coach
7. U11 – U13: Applies to all teams for Cup games only.
8. Referees for Divisional must be a minimum of 14 years of age and be certified as an Entry Level Referee.
9. Referees for House League should be a minimum of 12 years of age and be certified as a Small Sided Games Referee.
10. Referees will be paid as per the fee schedule for referees as outlined by the Burnaby District.

Referees are paid by the club directly to the referees.

Sponsorships

1. Our constitution and policies do not prevent any team from soliciting a team sponsor
2. All sponsorships must be approved by the Executive to ensure they are appropriate.

Fundraising

1. Any team wishing to pursue its own fundraising activities must adhere to the following:
   1. Communicate to the Executive and the team members the purpose of the fundraising and planned activities.
   2. Disburse the funds by the end of the soccer season  for the stated purpose otherwise any remaining funds are to be handed over to the Club.
   3. Provide a financial statement to the Executive and team members upon request.
2. All fundraising events governed by provincial law must be approved by the Executive.
3. NWSC will not be held responsible for lost or misappropriated funds.

Heading and Head Injuries

1. Safety and health of players is the top priority, therefore any player who receives a blow to the head (caused by the head contacting a goal post, a foot, another head or the frozen ground) must be removed from a game or practice for at least 15 minutes for observation. During this time, coaches, parents and guardians should look for symptoms of headaches, dizziness, nausea, loss of balance, double vision, ringing in ears or slurred speech. Players who experience any of the above symptoms should be sent by the coach or parents/guardians for medical attention and not be allowed to return to practices or games until clearance has been given by a physician. Players who receive a significant blow from another head or a goalpost should immediately be sent for medical attention.
2. Players who receive a strong blow to the head or face from a ball may also be taken out of a game or practice for observation of possible concussion symptoms.
3. Full practicing of heading is not allowed until U13.
4. Coaches should use neck muscle strengthening exercises to minimize whiplash effect of heading.
   Correct heading involves the use of the frontal bone to contact the ball, the neck muscles to restrict head motion, and the muscles of the lower torso in line with the head and neck to decrease acceleration of the head. Players’ eyes should be open and their mouths closed. While learning, players should not jump.
5. Coaches of players in U6 to U8 can demonstrate proper heading technique but should not ask players to head balls in practices.
6. Coaches of players in U9 to U12 may practice heading for 5 to 7 minutes using light balls such as volleyballs or beach balls. Coaches of players in U9 and U10 must give individual attention to players to ensure they learn proper heading technique. If coaches use soccer balls then they should require the ball to bounce once before the player heads the ball, or the balls should be thrown very softly.

John Witt and Anne Monk Memorial Bursaries

Eligibility

1. The purpose of the NWSC Bursaries is to acknowledge those that have been dedicated to the Club; therefore, applicants must have been active with NWSC for 2 of the 3 years prior to graduation.
2. Applicants must attend a post­secondary institution within 2 years of graduation.

Requirements

1. Applicant must complete the bursary application form provided online at http://www.newwestsc.com.
2. Show details of club involvement as outlined below:
3. Detail commitment to NWSC.
   1. Coaching experience with the Club – List details.
   2. Volunteer experience with the Club – List details.
   3. Other volunteer activities.
   4. Playing experience – List details.
   5. Refereeing experience – List details.
4. Include a short narrative that details:
   1. What soccer with NWSC has meant to you.
   2. Your plans for the future.

Selection Criteria

1. Commitment to the Club.
2. Volunteerism with NWSC.
3. Community involvement.

Bursary Details

1. A maximum of $2000 may be awarded:
   1. 2 x $500.00 in Anne Monk’s name.
   2. 2 x $500.00 in John Witt’s name.
      Note: It is NOT mandatory to distribute all the funds if there are not deserving candidates.
2. The Club Manager will be the recipient and distributor of bursary information.
3. The evaluating committee will consist of 3 Club members.
4. Club bursaries are distributed at the Club’s annual awards night. The focus is on the most deserving candidates. Academics and the schools attended do not determine recipients.

Submitting an Application

1. Email: the Events Committee, events.nwsc@gmail.com
2. Mail: New West Soccer Club Bursaries
   PO Box #291 720 Sixth Street New Westminster, BC V3L 3C5
   Applications must be received by February 12th of the graduating year.

Receiving a Bursary

1. All applicants will be notified by the Club Manager prior to the Club’s awards night.
2. The bursary is redeemable until September 30th, two years after it is awarded.
3. To receive your award, submit proof of payment to a post­secondary institution and a copy of your bursary award acknowledgement to the Club Treasurer, treasurer.nwsc@gmail.com

Spring & Summer Programs

1. NWSC has a number of programs that we will run throughout the spring and summer. These programs will always be posted on our website, as well as social media and emails to parents with all the information needed to register. Make sure to watch for all of those fun programs!