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September 2024 Newsletter

September 2024 Newsletter

Hello DYS Community,

Firstly, on behalf of the Dedham Soccer Board, hope you have all had a wonderful start to the school year- we will be rooting for you on the sidelines!!!

And…we will be happily waiting for you to take to the fields in Dedham or Away, for your first game of the Fall Season this Saturday morning J 

FALL SOCCER is here, Let the Games Begin!

In case you missed it:

  • We had our Town Ref Meeting, the Town Coaches and Travel Coaches Meetings last week- they were well attended!  **All materials shared at the meetings are in the Google Drive Coaches folders; links were sent by email
  • Game balls, training balls, and other equipment was handed out after the meetings; realize you need more pinnies, a game ball, an extra ice pack or two? We will have some extras at the picnic tables at Rustcraft Field this Saturday (9/7)- please come over, say hello and pick up what you need!
  • We stressed the importance of an early season parent meeting- if you haven’t already had one, please consider having one soon. Some points to consider:
  •  
    • Introduce yourself and share why you volunteered to coach!
    • Communicate your Coaching Style
    • Outline Player Expectations: emphasize good sportsmanship, having fun, and behavioral boundaries  
    • Outline Parent Expectations:
      • During games, must be on the sideline opposite players and coaches!
      • Sideline Coaching – Parents may not coach during practices and games. You are free to cheer and give praise, but do not give instructions to players on the field. It’s important that coaches coach, and parents support the coaches trying to develop the players.
      • Referees – All referees make a mistake because they are as human as the rest of us. Please do not yell or say negative things to the referee. Without them we wouldn’t be able to play competitive matches at all. If you have a problem with a referee, parents should talk with Coaches after the game so they can let the league know.
      • Communication- let parents know they can absolutely talk to coaches about concerns, but we encourage you to have your player talk with their coaches first! If they aren’t confident enough yet please come with them. Youth sports is the perfect opportunity for teaching your player how to advocate for themselves in a safe environment. However, if a parent needs to privately contact a coach about something they are upset about, please follow the 24 hour rule:
    • 24-hour rule – It’s important to understand that there will be highs and lows to every sports season. If you feel something absolutely needs to be discussed that upsets you, you must wait 24 hours before contacting Coaches, Travel/Town Directors and or myself. This allows emotions to die down, and us to have a better and more productive conversation about the issue.

Highschoolers, looking for volunteer hours???

DYS is looking for incoming varsity players that would like to be Volunteer Assistant Coaches for travel teams this fall.  Please email me directly with interest.  This past season we had great success as both the players and coaches benefited!

Gear Swap will be there at Rustcraft the first few Saturdays of the season!! Clean out those closets and grab new-to-you, FREE gear

DYS Night @ DHS September 17, 2024 

  • Gather your team for a fun night under the lights
  • Cheer on our DHS Varsity Girls (4:30p) and Boys (6:30p) squads in an exciting double-header vs. Westwood HS
  • Concessions, raffles, all to support DHS Soccer and local charities
  • T-shirt giveaway (while supplies last!)

DYS Night @the Revs September 28th, 7:30p

Cheer on the home team as they face Nashville SC- discounted tickets in a dedicated section for Dedham Soccer, click here to snag your seats!

Upcoming Events:

  • Seatbelt Saturday: 9/28/24
  • Referee Appreciation Weekend: 10/5-10/6

On behalf of the DYS Board…Thank you for all your support!

Check out the website and Join the DYS FB page!
● General Comments, Questions? Email me ● Questions about our Town Program? Email our Town Directors ● Questions about our Travel Program? Email our Travel Directors ● Questions about Preschool Kickers? Email our Preschool Program Directors

DEDHAM SOCCER on …3!

May 2024 Newsletter

May 2024 Newsletter

This Newsletter is attached to this Post as a Word document for ease of reading!

 

Hello Dedham Soccer Community

We are almost halfway through the Spring Season!!

The weather is finally starting to feel like Spring!!! Time to break out the sunglasses and sunscreen  Also, we can still have wet weather, so make sure you are checking your email for notifications from Coaches, FB, and our website for field updates. 

We strive to have practices and games as scheduled but please be patient and we will move as quickly as we can to get games rescheduled. 

Read on to find out what's going on and sign up for opportunities to help us get the season off to a great start!

In good health,
Danielle

DYS Travel teams are participating in Seatbelt Saturday/Sunday this weekend (5/4 and 5/5), here are the highlights:

Sitting down! 

Seatbelt Saturday is an effort to create a better game environment for youth soccer, to enhance player development, and increase game enjoyment for all. It also helps players take more control of their own game by helping to promote communication between the players themselves.

What we want the COACHES to do:

  • Sit and watch the game! Actually sit on the bench or a chair.
  • Refrain from shouting tactical instructions, directions, reminders, suggestions or criticisms to the players on the field.
  • Support the referees by not making negative comments or gestures.
  • Use the opportunity to coach and engage with the substitutes who are watching the game with you on the team sidelines. This is a great time for them to learn more about the game from you.
  • Encourage your players to communicate with their teammates throughout the game.
  • Please Note: It is not the referee’s role to enforce that teams participate in this Seatbelt initiative. 

What do we want PARENTS and SPECTATORS to do:

  • During the run of play, just sit down and watch your children play their soccer game.
  • Limit vocal comments to positive general statements of player and team support without mentioning any player names.
  • Make no negative comments about anything that happens during the game. 
  • Revel in the kids playing a game they enjoy!

What do we want PLAYERS to do:

  • Communicate with your teammates!
  • Take back control of your game.
  • Make decisions about your game without interference from coaches or spectators.

Fields/Bathrooms (Rustcraft/Condon/Capen)- 

  • Please help us maintain baseball diamonds by staying off them (Rustcraft), the fences are there for a reason!
  • Please be mindful when walking around fields- there may be multiple games running at the same time, walk behind goals to avoid walking through a game.
  • We will be resting the back of Rustcraft to get it in better shape, so games maybe be in a different location than last week- we will have signs and Town Directors to help direct players to games.
  • Look around for bottles and wrappers to help us keep our field looking great.
  • Bathrooms are open behind the Concession Stand (Rustcraft), please help us keep them tidy!
  • Porto-potties are available at Condon and Capen

Fields/Bathroom (Gonzalez)-

  • The Concession Stand is OPEN!! Stop by and maybe sign-up here for a slot to volunteer to work the stand. Please, no one under 13 can work the stand alone 
    • Volunteers are entered into a drawing for Revs tickets!
  • Please be mindful when walking around fields- there may be multiple games running at the same time, walk behind goals to avoid walking through a game.
  • Please no chairs/benches on the turf
  • Look around for bottles and wrappers to help us keep our field looking great.
  • Porto-potty is available, please help us keep them tidy!

Friday Night Lights

fridaynight

TRAVEL TRYOUTS for FALL 2024 SEASON (Rising 3rd -8th Graders)

  • Players who are interested in participating in the DYS Travel program should attend tryouts for the grade they will be entering in the Fall season. (example: If players are in 4th grade now, they will attend the session for rising 5th graders)
  • Tryouts are closed to parents and coaches. 
  • Players must be registered for the Fall season to attend tryouts. 
  • DATES/FIELD LOCATIONS TO COME

DYS Night @ the REVS!!!

 

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SAVE THE DATE - - - Saturday, May 18th,2024!

New England Revolution vs. Philadelphia Union

Gillette Stadium – Kickoff 7:30 PM

This spring we'll be back at Gillette Stadium to watch our New England Revolution take on Philadelphia Union for Dedham Soccer Night at the REVS. This is one of our favorite events every year, and we're thrilled to do something fun and amazing for all our teams and families.

We are very excited to announce that we are ONCE AGAIN partnering with the New England Revolution to give all our Dedham soccer players a FREE TICKET to attend the game! 

All our players will receive a promo code via email from the Revs to attend the game! This email address: [email protected]  will be used to send you the code and reminders about the game only.

We're looking forward to seeing you there!

If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to Kyle Lindsay from the Revolution at [email protected] 

June 9th End of Year Picnic- Last games for Town Players and Pre-K Kickers (all travel families welcome as well)  

  • Free BBQ picnic with Hamburgers, Hot Dogs, drinks
  • Slush Stand
  • Vendor tables from Dedham Parks and Rec, Play it Again, and others
  • New England Revolution street team
  • Summer Soccer Camp Registrations
  • Music
  • Shoot on the Goalie
  • Picture day
  • Soccer inflatable games
  • and more…

CALENDAR OF UPCOMING EVENTS

  • SUNDAY

    MONDAY

    TUESDAY

    WEDNESDAY

    THURSDAY

    FRIDAY

    SATURDAY

    4/28

    4/29

    4/30

    MAY 1

    5/2

    5/3

    Friday nights @Gonzales

    5/4

    Seatbelt Saturday

    5/5

    Seatbelt Sunday

    5/6

    5/7

    5/8

    5/9

    5/10

    Friday nights @Gonzales

    5/11

    Referee Appreciation Weekend

    5/12

    Referee Appreciation Weekend

    5/13

    5/14

    5/15

    5/16

    5/17

    Friday nights @Gonzales

    5/18

    DYS Night @ Revs (Gillette) 7:30p

    5/19

    5/20

    5/21

    5/22

    5/23

    5/24

    5/25

    5/26

    5/27

    5/28

    5/29

    5/30

    5/31

    Friday nights @Gonzales

    6/1

  • On behalf of the DYS Board…Thank you for all your support!

  • DEDHAM SOCCER on …3!
Opening Day/Week 1 games are in the books

Opening Day/Week 1 games are in the books

To the Dedham Soccer Community,
Opening Day/Week 1 games are in the books (for most, I  know some travel games will need to be rescheduled)- woo hoo! The energy and excitement for the start of the season at Rustcraft and on the Home Fields for Travel was incredible!
Looking forward to having a great Week 2, here are some quick notes to be mindful about:

  • Positivity, all around! Players, Referees and Coaches all need to hear positive words of encouragement, clapping hands- please keep negative comments to yourself.   If you have a question or feedback about the game, please reach out after the game to the coaches. Introduce yourself and say thank you to them for volunteering. Please do not approach Referees directly as we adhere to the Zero Tolerance Policy. Instead, give your feedback to the Coaches who can funnel your feedback to the Referee's Directors. 
  • Keeping Fields clean- We had a great pre-Season clean up event on all of our fields so let's continue to each do our part to look at sidelines after games and make sure we grab what we came with and throw out trash in one of the many trash cans around the fields.
  • Restrooms- for now, just the porto-potty in side Parking Lot- We want to share that the availabilty of the Restrooms by the Concession Stand are out of the control of Dedham Soccer as they are managed by the Town Parks and Rec Department. Due to the inconsistency in temperature recently, the Town could not safely turn on the water, but we are hopeful that this will happen by week 3, latest. 

Looking forward to a great rest of the season!
Dedham on ...3!

Sincerely, 
Danielle
DYS President
[email protected]