Announcements
About the Clippers Program
Offering teams that extend from the Under 9/10 age level to the Under 19s, the Montclair Soccer Club’s Clippers possesses a rich program of competitive soccer. Players who love soccer and seek more competitive play should consider trying out for Clippers. Clippers help players develop skills and offers the top level of competition in the Montclair Soccer Club as the Club's Class III program.
Teams are selected through open, competitive tryouts held each spring. Tryouts are open to all players, from all Clubs and cities. The tryout schedule is available to Montclair Soccer Club families via email, general mailing, the Montclair Soccer Club web site and community calendar postings in local newspapers.
The Clippers program is the Montlcair Soccer Club's Class III program. Class III is the intermediate step between Class IV (recreational) and Class I (most competitive). The Montclair Soccer Club is one of several member Clubs in the Jack London Youth Soccer Sports League (JLYSSL). Clippers play other Class III teams from other Clubs and Leagues within our District (District IV). By playing with and against other skilled players and teams, Clippers players are able to improve their skills at a rapid rate.
The Clippers Program offers players an opportunity to play more soccer, learn discipline and commitment, and train with other skilled players. Clippers players enjoy the camaraderie of teammates as they travel together to tournaments and the feeling of accomplishment as they improve their skills. The benefits of playing on a Clippers team include:
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Coaching from veteran coaches
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Instruction from professional trainers
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Playing in weekend-long tournaments
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Competition with and against other advanced players
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Development of skills and attitude for competitive soccer
The Clippers program has a long, successful history. Many players have gone on to play on Class I teams, ODP (Olympic Development Program), and on high school soccer teams. Clippers teams have also done well at the Association Cup, the California state tournament for other Class III "Select" teams. For more information about Clippers, contact our Clippers Coordinator at clippers@montclairsoccer.org.
Competitive Soccer Background
The United States Youth Soccer Association (USYSA) is broken into 51 state organizations. We are in the California Youth Soccer Association (CYSA) - North. Northern California is considered to be a different soccer "state" than Southern California. CYSA is comprised of nine districts and our district, District IV, which ranges from Vallejo to the north, Castro Valley to the south, and Brentwood to the east. Within District IV are about 20 leagues, our league being the Jack London Youth Soccer Sports League (JLYSSL). JYLYSL is composed of several member Clubs: Oakland, Rockridge, Piedmont, West Oakland, Grass Valley, Bay Oaks, and the Montclair Soccer Club (MSC).
The vast majority of players in the Montclair Soccer Club play on "recreational" (also known as "house" teams). These are officially called "Class IV" teams. Recreational teams are open to all players, regardless of experience or ability. The Club places players on recreational teams based upon either parental requests (for a specific coach or teammate), school, via a coaches draft (for U10 teams and above), and/or randomly.
The next step above "Class IV" is "Class III" (also known as "Select") teams. These are typically formed by each club, beginning at the Under-9 or Under-10 age groups. These "Class III" teams are formed by tryouts and represent their club on a more competitive level. Generally, the Montclair Soccer Club fields teams in U9 through U19 age groups for both boys and girls.
Although there are "Class III" and "Class IV" teams, there are no "Class II" teams. The most competitive level within our League is "Class I", which is run by the Bay Oaks Soccer Club. "Class I" teams are selected from among all of the Clubs in JLYSL via an early spring tryout process. Bay Oaks tryouts are usually prior to the Class III tryouts, typically in early March for the teams that begin play in the summer.
At the Under-15 and older age groups, players may try out for the District's Olympic Development Plan (ODP) Team. ODP players may be selected to play on the CYSA State Team and the Western Regional Team. National teams exist at older youth levels. These teams represent the United States in international competitions.
High School Soccer teams lie entirely outside of the CYSA/USYSA umbrella. The High School soccer season in California is in the winter, after the CYSA fall season ends. Players tryout for these teams too.
US Club Soccer- Norcal Premier Soccer League
If your team would like to play in US Club Soccer sanctioned tournaments or playdates, please contact Sue Ruiz or Wiz Wells to get set up. If your Clippers team is considering playing premier soccer, please contact us to get started. suziruiz@msn.com and agave@silcon.com
Coaches
Our Clippers program is important to our Club, and this is shown by the dedication of our Clippers coaches. Like the players, Clippers coaches go through a selection process. Coaches, being voulunteers, submit a Clippers Coach Application form and a panel goes on to review the applications and make selections for our Clippers program. We expect our Clippers coaches to show a great deal of dedication towards positive coaching, great soccer and life skills such as teamwork and leadership. The selection of Clippers coaches is subject to approval by the Club Board of Directors.
The list of Clippers coaches can be viewed here.
Uniforms
Please download the 
Uniform Order Form and take the it to the Soccer Post in Alameda, our uniform vendor, to purchase your uniform.
All Clipper teams purchased new uniforms in the Fall 2006. We will once again be using the same style uniform for 2008. If you are a new player to a team, or a returning player in need of a new uniform, you will order the Cosmos Uniform. As this is the end of the run for the that uniform, all new teams will be ordering the new Adidas Uniform which will be in use for the next three years. This uniform is the Adidas Toque Jersey and Short.
You will need to talk to your child's coach to receive a number for his/her uniform. The coach must give you the number for your player. Some numbers may already be used by players who were on a Clippers team last year so be sure you provide the Soccer Post with a number you receive from the coach. If your child needs to be sized, the Soccer Post has all the sizes available to try on. The Adidas Uniforms we have chosen are very durable, wash well and are available in men's, women's, boys and girls sizes. Please mention that you are a member of the Montclair Clippers if you purchase any additional clothes, cleats or equipment and you will receive a 10% discount.
Summary
We love this game. Playing soccer is incredibly fun and it is also a great way to enjoy an outdoor workout and friendly physical competitiveness. Within our Clippers program, we want players to enjoy a high level of competitive play while keeping it fun. While being "Class III", the Clippers program is a step up in competition and player development without the extensive travel commitments of a "Class I" experience.
Within our program there is plenty of opportunity for growth for talented players. A small number of these players may receive college scholarships based upon their soccer ability and we ask parents to keep this in perspective. Less than 1% of all children who play sports go on to receive college scholarships. Kids who are pushed into competitive soccer get little joy from it. The kids who will become the next generation of great players are those who love the game. As a Club we recognize this is a special time in their lives that cannot be relived.
We believe kids who love to play soccer and excel at it should be able to play at a higher level. When talented kids play with and against other talented kids and get more training, they can improve their skills. They also learn the value of hard work, reap the rewards of succeeding as a team, and build self-confidence that comes with doing something well. This is the experience we hope to give each child who plays on a Clippers team.
We are enthusiastic about our Club’s "Class III" (Select/Clippers) program and "Class IV" (recreational) program. Picking a soccer program is a family decision. No matter what program you choose, we wish your family the very best in the Beautiful Game. The Montclair Soccer Club aims to offer its competitive and recreational players all the encouragement, support, training and experience we can.
References
Age Group Table, Fall 2009
This document shows the birthdate ranges for each age group.
Coaches List
This document shows a list of coaches for both Girls and Boys
Clippers-Specific Volunteer Positions
District IV of California Youth Soccer Association
Clippers play other teams throughout District IV.
District IV Procedures, Rules and Regulations
U9/U10 teams should print these and have them on hand at games. See Article V - District Play, section I, for rules specific to this age group.
Frequently Asked Questions
See the FAQ for more information about this program. Towards the end of this document is some very useful information about tryouts.
Game Card Stickers
Fill out and print these stickers on Avery 5168 sheets.
Program Notes
Notes and guidelines for the organization of the Clippers program.
Team Manager Responsibilities
Notes on how the team manager can assist the coach with administrative and organizational details.
Tournament Information
Click the link above for lots of information about tournaments.
Tryouts
Check here for the latest tryout information. Tryouts are generally in March or April.
