Parents

Age Group Matrix

Player Registration:   Registration for the traditional recreational soccer season will be held August 4, 11, 18, 2012.  Registration forms will be available at the registration tables, and are also available on the website. A copy of the player’s birth certificate is required to be turned in at registration.  SMSC has been providing quality soccer on the Mississippi Gulf Coast for over 30 years. We accept players who are 4 years old by July 31, 2011, through players who are 18 years old by July 31, 2011. Teams will be formed by age group, from Under-5 (U-5) through Under-19 (U-19). Teams will be mixed gender in the U-5 and U-6 age divisions, and single gender in all older divisions. Last year SMSC registered over 1300 players and had 120+ teams. All games will be played at the County Farm Soccer Complex in Harrison County. This is our soccer complex with a large pavilion and 11 great fields. Click Here for a registration form (new form coming soon). We’re All In This Together: Referees, coaches and parents together have an enormous impact on the lives of youth soccer players. While each parent must be accountable for their actions and teach their own son or daughter to do the same, referees, coaches and parents form a trio of role models from which many of our youth learn behaviors that they will carry into adulthood. Cooperation, respect and maturity among the adults in soccer will encourage those qualities in the players. What can parents do to make the game of soccer more enjoyable for their children… and other people’s children too?

1. Be knowledgeable of the game.
2. Encourage fair play at home.
3. Be supportive; i.e., be sure the player attends practices, pick him/her up on time.
4. Attend games.
5. Be positive or quiet at games.
6. Be respectful, and expect your own children to be respectful.
7. Focus on good nutrition.
8. Volunteer to help the coach.
9. Become a referee.
10. Play the game of soccer.
11. Be calm and have good manners.
12. Support the coach’s and referee’s decisions.
13. Encourage communication between coach and parent.
14. Ask you own child to describe his/her role, and what new skills have been learned.
15. Watch practices; focus on new strategies.
16. Find soccer videos, and watch them with your children.
17. Concentrate on praising other people’s children during games.

1. Read newspaper articles about older soccer players’ successes; provide models for your own children.

Parents’ daily modeling of fair play, conflict resolution and the “Golden Rule” encourages players to calmly play with skill on the field. A Short Course on Soccer Rules & Regulations: 1. RULES OF PLAY: Except as otherwise provided, the FIFA “Laws of the game” shall apply to Recreational (Division II and III) competition sponsored by the South Mississippi Soccer Club (SMSC). 2. REFEREES: The Referee is the final word during a game. The Referees are trained in the “Laws of the Game”. A Referee shall be appointed to officiate in each game. His/Her authority and the exercise of the powers granted to him/her by the Laws of the Game commence as soon as he/she enters the field of play. Their power of penalizing shall extend to offenses committed when play is temporarily suspended, or when the ball is out of play. Their decision on points of fact connected with the play shall be final, so far as the result of the game is concerned. They enforce the laws. They have discretionary power to stop the game for any infringement of the Laws and to suspend or terminate the game whenever, by reason of the elements, interference by spectators, or other cause, he/she deems such a stoppage necessary. 3. TEAM ROSTERS: A team roster for each team must be completed and turned into the appropriate Commissioner prior to any games being sanctioned. Roster includes players, coaches and parents. 4. GAMES: Head coaches are responsible for calling the Commissioner after every game and relay the final score of that game to the Commissioner. Failure to do so will cause a zero to be scored for that game. 5. POST SEASON PLAY: Post-season play will be decided by an end-of-season tournament. Division standings will be kept by the respective Commissioners. Division standings will be based on the won/lost/tie record using the following system:

• Two (2) points for a win.
• One (1) point for a tie.
• Zero (0) points for a loss

  Parents Soccer Rules South Mississippi Soccer Club: Your children are playing soccer for fun. Everyone wants you to enjoy the great game of soccer. This information is being provided in an effort to assist you and your children in gaining the maximum benefit possible from these soccer games. Below are some simple rules you should observe. PLEASE CONSIDER THEM CAREFULLY!

1. Do not shout instructions to your child. This only causes confusion, since the coach has already instructed your child on how to play. If you do shout instructions, your child will probably try to please you and the coach at the same time. In trying to do two things at one time, the child becomes unable to handle his loyalties and ends up pleasing neither parent nor coach.
2. Cheer for your child when he/she plays the ball well. However, remember that your child is a member of a team. Let the other players know you support them too.
3. Suffer in silence (or moan softly) whenever something occurs that goes against your child’s team. A display of anger may inflame a delicate situation resulting in embarrassment for you or your child. Some parents embarrass their own children by making a spectacle of themselves.
4. Do not run up and down the sidelines. Find a comfortable place to sit down or stand, relax and enjoy the match.
5. Do not shout insults or verbally abuse the referee. It’s hard for a child to learn respect for the referee or other officials when their parents set a poor example. The referee can and will stop the match if the crowd becomes discourteous.
6. Aid the team parent by helping provide refreshments at halftime and after the game are over.
7. Set the tone for good sportsmanship by adopting a positive attitude if your team loses. Compliment your child upon his/her good plays and ignore the mistakes. Your child will be happy you noticed his good qualities.
8. REMEMBER–your child will forget about today’s game. Next week he/she will probably have forgotten the score. However, both of you will remember the good time the child had playing the most popular sport in the world.