Spring 2008 7th – 9th Grade Soccer League
Organized by the Greater Athens Soccer Association
TENTATIVE SCHEDULE
All games will be at the new soccer complex in Athens on East State Street
Regular Season
April 12th – May 17th
Games on Saturdays in the early afternoon
Post-Season Tournament
Tuesday May 27TH and Thursday May 29 TH
For Registration Forms and Further Information go to
www.athenssoccerinfo.blogspot.com
Forms and registration fee can be sent to:
The Greater Athens Soccer Association
PO Box 870
Athens, OH 45701-0870
There will be a registration table in the Athens Community Center on
Saturday March 15th from 9:00 – 12:00
Email questions regarding this league to:
[email protected] GREATER ATHENS SOCCER ASSOCIATION
PARENTAL CONSENT
I hereby grant permission for my child to participate in the Greater Athens Soccer Association’s 7th – 9th grade
Recreational Soccer Program. Children who are 15 years of age or younger on June 1st, 2008 are eligible to play.
Note that if you are eligible for the Athens K-6 recreational league, you are not eligible for the GASA league. In
granting permission, I voluntarily assume all risk of accident, injury, damage and/or loss to my child as a result of
participation in the program. Therefore, I agree to release Athens Local Schools, the Athens Community Center,
the Athens Department of Parks and Recreation and the Greater Athens Soccer Association, including its officers
and any local individuals acting on behalf of these entities, from responsibility for any and all damage or injury of
any kind as a result of my child’s participation.
IT IS VERY IMPORTANT THAT YOU FILL OUT THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION. WE NEED THIS TO
SET UP THE TEAMS IN SUCH A WAY THAT EVERYONE STAYS ELIGIBLE FOR MIDDLE AND HIGH
SCHOOL SOCCER IN THE FALL
I DID / DID NOT play on a school soccer team in the Fall of 2007.
Circle One
In the Fall of 2007, I participated on the (7th, 8th, JV) (Athens, Alexander) school soccer team.
Circle one Circle One
I am from the ___________________ School District
____________________________________ ____________________________________
Parent/Guardian (Print) Child/Player’s Name (Print)
____________________________________ ____________________________________
Address Date of Birth Grade
____________________________________ ________________________________________________
City Zip Telephone Alternate # Email
MEDICAL INFORMATION
Should my child ____________________________________ become injured during a soccer activity, I hereby
give my consent to have Southeast Ohio Emergency Services and/or O’Bleness Memorial Hospital treat such
injury. My child has the following medical problems, allergies and/or medications:
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________
Parent/Guardian Signature
The Greater Athens Soccer Association does not provide accident insurance. You may provide your own policy.
FEES MUST ACCOMPANY REGISTRATION FORM Make Checks Payable to:
FEES: $35 Child/Player Greater Athens Soccer Association
Checks and form may be sent to
Shirt Size: Greater Athens Soccer Association
PO Box 870
Adult ____ Youth ____ Athens OH, 45701 - 0870
Small ____ Medium ____ Large ____ X-Large ____
For Further Information go to: www.athenssoccerinfo.blogspot.com/
2008 7th – 9th Grade League Details
Logistics: Currently there are no soccer opportunities for 7th – 9th graders in Athens in the spring. The Greater Athens
Soccer Association (GASA) is forming a league to provide a spring soccer opportunity for this age group. Children who are
15 years of age or younger on June 1st, 2008 are eligible to play. Note that if you are eligible for the Athens or Alexander K-
6 recreational league, you are not eligible for the GASA league. The tentative schedule for the league is as follows: Games
will be played on Saturdays in the early afternoon starting April 12th and continuing until May 17th. There will be a
tournament held on the nights of Tuesday May 27th and Thursday May 29th. Your child’s coach will provide further details
and the final schedule after we form the teams. The coach will also schedule the practices. We will encourage each coach to
hold 4–5 practices throughout the season. All games will be at the new soccer complex in Athens on East State Street.
Modified FIFA rules will apply. There will be no slide tackling.
League Philosophy: The focus of the league is participation, sportsmanship, fitness, soccer skill development, and
enhancement of player self esteem and interpersonal skills. Coaches will be instructed to distribute playing time equally and
to allow players to try different positions. After some deliberation, it was decided that we will keep score and standings;
nevertheless, the focus is participation and sportsmanship. This includes all players, coaches, league volunteers and parents.
Should we find that winning is becoming more important than sportsmanship and fairness, we will discontinue keeping score
and standings. Derogatory comments towards the players by coaches, parents or other players will not be tolerated.
Derogatory comments towards the referees by players, coaches and parents also will not be tolerated.
Expectations of Players: All players will be asked to sign a player agreement form. We anticipate that the players will be
cooperative, supportive and respectful of league officials, referees, coaches, teammates and opposing players. In the rare
event that this is not the case, the inappropriate behavior will result in the individual being disciplined. Serious repeated
problems will result in player/supervisor/parent meeting and may result in a child being asked to leave for a specific number
of weeks. A player who receives a red card, or accumulates multiple yellows, will be suspended from play for a minimum of
1 game. The league reserves the right to increase the suspension for egregious behavior.
Cost: The cost is $35 per participant. These funds will be used for (a) field rental, (b) referees, (c) insurance for the league
and (d) shirts. We will probably be very close to breaking even. In the event that we have excess funds, the remaining funds
will be added to GASA for future community soccer development.
What can I do to help? We are seeking head coaches who have experience playing and coaching soccer. We welcome
parent volunteers to serve as coaching assistants, even if they have no experience. In addition, we may have parents run the
sidelines during the games. This involves raising a flag when a ball has gone out of bounds and indicating which team
touched it last. It does not involve calling off-sides, which will be handled by the referee. Parents are encouraged to attend
games. However, coaching kids from the sidelines is not allowed and negative comments will not be tolerated. Please keep
in mind that volunteers are donating their time and making every attempt to provide a positive experience for your children.
Please assist them in achieving this goal.
This Year’s Theme: The theme for this year’s league is the 2006 World Cup. This year’s league teams (we anticipate 4
teams) will be Germany, Italy, Portugal and France which were the countries who reached the semi-finals of the 2006 World
Cup.
Further details of 2006 World Cup: Soccer, called football outside the States, is the world’s most popular sport. The
World Cup is a tournament of national all-star teams that occurs once every 4 years. The host country for the World Cup
rotates with Germany hosting in 2006. Two years before the start of the 2006 World Cup, 198 countries began
qualification. In Germany, the 32 finalists were divided into 8 groups with 4 teams in each group. Each group played round
robin with the top 2 teams from each group entering a single elimination tournament. In 2006, Europe was the only
continent represented in the semi-finals. There, Italy defeated Germany 2-0 in extended time, while France defeated
Portugal 1-0. Germany defeated Portugal 3-1 to capture third place. In the finals, Italy and France played to a 1-1 draw in
regulation. After 30 minutes of extended time, the champion was decided on penalty kicks with Italy coming out on top 5-
3. South Africa will host the World Cup in 2010.
Registration Forms attached and are available at www.athenssoccerinfo.blogspot.com/
Email questions regarding this league to: [email protected]
The Greater Athens Soccer Association (GASA) is a volunteer-driven group chartered to support, enhance, and augment
existing soccer organizations and coaching for school age and adult participants in the city of Athens and the surrounding
area. Our primary mission is to encourage development of fundamental soccer skills, teamwork, and sportsmanship, while
promoting the further development of soccer.
