Contact the Practice Schedule Coordinator if you have questions that are not answered below.
Current Practice Schedule
Last updated: March 12, 2009
Spring Practices
Notes about Spring practices:
- The start date for practices is March 16.
- Merritt College will not be used for practices by our club this Spring
- Older teams will practice at King Estates
- Younger teams will be at Shepherd Canyon
Fill out this form to submit your practice request.
Requesting Fall Practice Time
Notes about requesting practice time:
- We will begin accepting Fall 2008 practice requests on August 1.
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Fall practices do not officially begin until mid-August. The actual week varies from year to year based on when we can get access to fields. Check the Calendar for the latest information.
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Spring practices do not officially begin until around the end of March. This is a function of when the season begins and when we get permits for the fields.
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U6 teams do not request practice time, their practices are held prior to their games.
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IMPORTANT: Practice field assignments for teams will not be issued until the list of team volunteers is emailed to the Club Volunteer Coordinator. (U6 teams will not be added to the game schedule until the list of team volunteers is emailed.) This requirement is part of our new Volunteer Policy.
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Attention Clippers: You do not need to request your practice time with the trainers, our practice scheduler already has this information. Just request your preferences for your second practice slot.
To request a practice time slot, fill out this online survey (not available until August 1). Once we begin assigning practice slots, your's should appear in the schedule by August 14th or within 48 hours. If your name does not appear in the schedule by then, contact the practice coordinator.
Important Information About 2008 Fall Practices
All teams should immediately submit their practice requests.
We have access to four fields for Spring practice: Shepherd Canyon Fields and Merritt College Fields A, B, and C. Start date for practices are the week of August 18.
Practice assignments are subject to change. Although we don't like to make changes once an assignment is made, sometimes it just cannot be helped.
All U8 teams and some U10 teams will be assigned practice slots at Shepherd Canyon. Other U10 teams will be assigned to the C field at Merritt College.
Conditions of Use
Montclair Soccer Club expects once again to use the Merritt College natural grass fields and the Shepherd Canyon Park fields for its practices. MSC also will be responsible for game set up and clean up at these sites. We are hoping to secure access to additional fields.
As permitted users of the fields at Merritt College we are guests of the College and our permits can be revoked if abused. We may only use fields during permitted times. Park only in marked spaces not reserved for faculty or staff. Avoid parking close to buildings in use for College activities. Remember, the College has a heavy schedule of evening classes MTWTh. On weekdays before 5:00 PM you may only park in Student Parking areas. On weekdays and Saturdays you must purchase a $1.00 parking ticket from parking ticket machines.
As permitted users of City of Oakland Parks & Recreation Department fields we have priority use of the specified field area only during the permitted time. On these fields, as at Merritt, be sure to have your coaches and players passes if possible, player medical releases and practice schedule during all practices and games.
Be respectful of the field and all of its users. Avoid practicing in worn areas of the field. Move goals can be moved to distribute wear and tear in the goal area during practice time. Do not use wet areas of the field as this breaks the roots of the grass, beneath the surface. Pick up your own trash, and other trash that you see, including plastic water bottles. Remove all items that would impede the safe progress of mowers or other grounds keeping equipment.
Please do not allow pets on any of the fields. This violates health and safety policies of Merritt College, Oakland Parks & Recreation Department, JLYSL and MSC.
Practice Field Scheduling
All practice field reservations are for one-half of the assigned field, unless otherwise noted on the schedule. Practice times for U10 and older teams will appear on the schedule as 4:00 PM to 5:30 PM or 5:30 PM to 7:00 PM. When the time between 4:00 PM and the end of civil twilight is less than three hours, teams are expected to adjust so that practices that start at 4:00 PM end proportionally before 5:30. This season, that will occur starting November 3, and will affect practices for only one week plus the following week for teams particpating in the Jack London Jamboree/Tournament. U8 practices will be scheduled for one hour each beginning at 4:00 PM, 5:00 PM, or 6:00 PM unless specified otherwise.
No team will be scheduled for two practices in a week if there are not enough field resources for every team that wants practice space to have at least one practice. Teams from other Clubs may be added to the practice schedules managed by MSC at Merritt College and even Shepherd Canyon Park.
Practice times are expected to be available at all the fields on weekdays from 4:00 PM to 7:00 PM. However, no fields are to be used after the end of civil twilight - about the time it is too dark to see a baseball coming at you.
The Practice Field coordinator can use this link to collect the practice requests. After entering the password, select Browse Responses to view individual responses. The team list can be found here.