This year, perhaps more than any other, the health of your players is a top priority. In coordination with our parent organization, the Seattle Youth Soccer Association (SYSA), we will continue to adhere to the Governor’s guidelines for outdoor youth recreation and follow the guidelines set forth by our field providers.

SYSA leadership voted for further safeguards for players who are unable to access COVID vaccines at this time due to their age. LVR Soccer has adopted a similar policy and extended it to our youngest players in the U6 Player Academy program and the U7-U9 House League.

We appreciate your cooperation in adhering to the following face-covering policy: 

• To reduce COVID-19 transmission, LVR and SYSA require that all players and coaches in unvaccinated age groups (U6-U12) wear a suitable face covering during games and practices for the 2021 fall soccer season, including any post-season jamboree or City Tournament play.
• Coaches and players in the U13 and older ages are exempt from a face-covering requirement in accordance with current WA Dept of Health and SYSA policy.
• LVR encourages all spectators of players in any crowded setting, such as on the sideline, wear a face covering, regardless of vaccination status. This especially applies to our U6-U9 programming taking place at Eckstein MS field. 

This policy is subject to change based on evolving guidance from field providers (Seattle Parks and Seattle Public Schools) and state and county public health departments.

Thank you for participating in LVR Soccer! 

LVR Soccer Club

Please join us on Monday, August 23 at Eckstein Middle School Field to go over the fall soccer program. We’ll be talking about what’s new for Fall 2021, including coaching resources, and distributing rosters as well as handing out uniforms and equipment.

• 6:00-7:00pm U6 and House League meeting and equipment distribution, including onfield orientation to goals and field layouts.

• 7:30-8:30pm U10 and older City League meeting and equipment distribution

All coaches, team managers, volunteers and others interested in LVR Soccer are welcome to attend.

Location: Perry Hall, Sand Point Community United Methodist Church, 4710 NE 70th Street.

Time:

6:30-7:30pm for House League (U6-U9) coaches

8:00-9:00pm for City League (U10+) coaches

Who: Any coach, team manager, or volunteer that plans to work with an LVR team should attend.

We will be holding a coaches meeting on Wednesday, August 11. Coaches, team managers, and any interested volunteers should plan to participate.

Location: TBD in-person / or Zoom

Time: 6:30-7:30pm for House League (U6-U9) coaches; 8:00-9:00pm for City League (U10+) coaches

What: The meeting will provide an opportunity to discuss the program, practices, and other resources to support coaches. If you can’t attend, please send a team representative!

Thank you to everyone that has already registered for Fall Soccer. We are expecting a relatively normal rec soccer season. 

If you haven’t signed up yet, please take a moment to register your player now. You can register via Affinity at this link.

The registration deadline is July 11.

A $25 late-registration fee kicks in on July 12. Registering before the deadline helps us meet SYSA scheduling deadlines and avoids a last-minute crunch for our volunteers.

Just like in past years, the season begins the weekend after Labor Day. We anticipate games to be held on the following days:

Saturdays

• All U6, U7, U8, U11, U13,
• Boys U15

 Sundays

• All U9, U10, U12, U14
• Girls U15-19
• Boys U16-19

Please contact lvrsoccerclub@gmail.com with any questions. 

Thank you for registering now!

Registration for Fall 2021 rec soccer is now open. Please register before July 11 to avoid the late fee and make sure you have a spot.

You can access the registration link from our website, or directly here: LVR Soccer Club – Online Application (sportsaffinity.com) (click “registration” in upper right corner to begin).

Returning families should use your existing Affinity username / password to avoid duplicate entries. If you have questions about your account, please call Affinity customer support at: 1-888-213-3999.

Why play soccer with LVR? We know you have many choices when it comes to playing soccer in Seattle. LVR, as part of the Seattle Youth Soccer Association (SYSA), is committed to fostering a quality recreational soccer program with a safe, fun, healthy, and positive developmental environment. Our goal is to make soccer accessible to everyone in NE Seattle and to build community through soccer. Our target audience is youth players that are just getting started and those that want to continue playing soccer in a fun environment with their friends and classmates. Our programs begin after Labor Day and conclude by mid-November (or mid-December if your team is in the City Tournament), and they cost a fraction of what it costs for select soccer.

New for 2021: We are planning a new U6 “Player Academy” program for 5-year old’s entering Kindergarten. As envisioned, this program would involve a weekly skills development and scrimmage session on the weekend. Stay tuned for more information.

Program costs:

U6 – Player Academy – $75

U7-U9 – House League – $90

U10 and older – City League – $150

Scholarships are available: If you would like consideration for a scholarship, please register using the “Rec Financial Aid” open.

Interested in coaching or volunteering? Rec soccer would not be possible without volunteer coaches, team managers, and board members.Please consider helping out this year. All volunteers will need to be registered in Affinity. Select “coach/admin” registration to begin the process. Web-based training on SafeSport, Concussion Awareness and Sudden Cardiac Arrest are required.

We are confident that we’ll be playing fall soccer. In order to make that happen, we will be following all recommended COVID health protocols as directed by King County Public Health, Seattle & Shoreline Public Schools, Seattle & Shoreline Parks & Rec, and SYSA.

Questions? Please contact us at lvrsoccerclub@gmail.com.

We are busy preparing for the upcoming 2021 Fall Soccer season. Registration opens on May 10. You’ll want to register before July 11 to avoid a late fee and ensure a spot on your team.

Fees:

$75 for U6 Academy

$90 for U7-U9 House League

$150 for U10+ City League

This year we are planning to introduce a new U6 program as an entry into our House League. We are working to design the program to provide training and games for at the U6 age group. Stay tuned for more details.

Fall Soccer games begin the weekend after Labor Day. At this time, we anticipate being able to hold a normal fall season, albeit with appropriate COVID health measures, including face masks for all participants (including players/coaches), social distancing on the sidelines, and limited or no spectators depending on Parks & Rec and Seattle Public School policies for the fields.

If you have any questions, please contact: lvrsoccerclub@gmail.com

Thanks!

Spring Season – Registration is open

SYSA is hoping to play a games-based season starting April 11th. As with so many things right now, there are many variables. However, registration is open and coaches/mgrs may register their teams and families can register their players (start here). A decision will be made on March 15th as to what this season will look like. If games are played, are participants will wear masks at all times.

All registration for spring 2021 will go thru SYSA and the SYSA Registrar for LVR is Julie Irwin who can help with questions.

Email sent from SYSA on 1-18-21. Please note: the newsletter below contains a lot of information regarding our plans for spring soccer in 2021. Please read the newsletter carefully, and know that we will send more targeted communication regularly as well. Programming and registration will be a little different this year, and the SYSA staff is committed to providing all of you with pertinent, detailed information at the right time!

For those of you who are new to youth soccer in SYSA, and for our long time members hoping to return after the fall hiatus due to the pandemic, we want to explain a little about our spring soccer options for 2021, and also let you know how spring soccer came to be.

SYSA Spring Soccer was started by the late SYSA President and Queen Anne Club member Neil Callahan in 2002. His idea was to give kids a chance to play some fun soccer in the off season and improve their skills by getting more touches on the ball. Spring Soccer is not about winning or losing, standings or scores. As the league continues to grow and more players participate, it’s important to keep in mind the spirit of Spring Soccer:

“A league focused on kids playing soccer in a safe, comfortable environment, without the pressure of winning and losing, allowing them to get more touches on the ball and find joy and creativity in the game.”

It is our goal to be able to offer a traditional spring soccer season and help as many teams as possible return to the pitch after a year like none other! Should we be unable to do so, we will formulate an alternative for registered teams that aligns with any current restrictions still in place due to the pandemic.

COVID-19 Impact on Planning & Programming for Spring Soccer

SYSA continues to follow both the guidelines set forth by the Governor’s office, and WYS’ ‘Return to Play’ protocol, and any spring soccer offering will adhere to the mandates in place at the current time. SYSA player health and safety is our primary concern. We also want to be certain that any programming choice offers plenty of support to the Association’s volunteer coaches and assistants.

Currently, under the Governor’s ‘Roadmap to Recovery’ metrics, the Puget Sound region is currently in Phase 1. We are cautiously optimistic that we will reach Phase 2 by April 11, the first day of games for spring soccer. In Phase 2, games will be allowed, though the current ‘car to car’ mask policy (under this policy, masks are worn from the time the player leavers their car at the field, throughout all training and game play until the time that they return to their car at the conclusion of the session). will apply. Regardless, SYSA staff will make a ‘final’ decision on the components of the spring soccer season by March 15. We encourage all teams who may want to participate gauge interest from their current and former members and get organized now to be able to register and be prepared in plenty of time!

Who can play SYSA Spring Soccer?

Spring soccer in SYSA is meant primarily for our existing teams to re-convene, register, and play the season again as an intact team. Spring soccer is open to all SYSA teams, ages U6-U19 from the Fall 2020 season (if your team played fall soccer in 2020 with an SYSA club or in the SYSA team training sessions, your team is eligible to register as usual). Note: if your team did not participate in fall 2020, either with your neighborhood club or in the SYSA training sessions, you will still be able to register and play spring soccer. It will just require an extra registration step for families, and communication between the coach and an SYSA registrar. At this time, all families should be in contact with their fall coach, and some coaches may have reached out to teams already to gauge player availability. Coaches will let you know if they are willing to lead the team again in the spring, or if they need another adult to step forward to take that role on. Once the team is confirmed to participate, the coach will register the team with the fall roster and submit payment to confirm their spot. If your child’s team is not playing spring soccer, it is acceptable to join another team for the spring season, with no bearing on their future team placement for fall soccer.

SYSA will send additional, targeted communication in the week ahead as we get ready to open team registration on January 25, and individual player & coach registration on February 1.

Options for Participation

With the popularity of the team training sessions in the fall for SYSA U13 & older teams, we are planning now for a Winter session, starting on February 7. With four locations spread around the city, we are pleased to be able to offer a winter options for teams that should be convenient for most. Watch for registration to open online by Tuesday, January 19 (we will announce it to all registered coaches from both the Fall 2019 and Fall 2020 seasons!).

As in years past, SYSA will host the ‘Skills & Games’ clinics on Saturdays for U6-U8 players without a team to play on in spring soccer. This program is the only option for U6 & U8 players who have not participated on an SYSA team. These clinics are led by our professional staff and include skill based instruction and game play on Saturday afternoons. We are considering adding additional weeks to this program, but will only be able to confirm the number of sessions once we receive the spring field allocation from our providers. Watch this program’s page on the SYSA website for updated information and a link to registration once all details have been confirmed.

Notes for Coaches

• We recognize that some of you did not register for the fall season as it was such an uncertain time, and many teams did not participate. With that in mind, we will open coach registration on February 1. Any coach or assistant coach who registers after February 1 will have RMA approval in place through April 30, 2022.
• Remember, you must be RMA-approved to be able to be placed on a roster, and register your team for spring soccer.

New this year for spring soccer, SYSA will require all teams to have at least two adult volunteers on every roster. This requirement will ensure that there is an approved (background check required, with the additional volunteer trainings) adult to fill in should the head coach need to miss a game or two. Also, because the majority of spring soccer games are refereed by the coaches (each team covers one half of the game), we need to be sure that those folks who referee are also properly registered. Coaches – reach out now to your team community to identify a willing assistant coach should you not already have one on your team’s roster. Note: we understand that this requirement may be difficult to meet due to the ongoing pandemic and a possible reluctance by potential volunteers to increase their contact with others. However, we encourage all of you to reach out – as the additional support is important for all of you.

• Coaches’ Meeting – each year, we hold a coaches’ meeting for all first and second year coaches. The meeting provides information about placing players on your team, game day logistics, fields & goals, and the values and vision of SYSA Spring Soccer. It will also be an opportunity to learn more about SYSA’s requirements in light on the ongoing pandemic and the ‘return to play’ mandates. You all will also have a chance to meet the staff and ask questions. The date is still TBD, but will be announced on the spring soccer page on the SYSA website as soon as its confirmed.
• Roster updates: During the team registration period, our support focus is on registration issues for those trying to register their team for spring. Once that period is over by early March, we will turn our attention to buliding rosters in Affinity for those of you with additions or deletions to your rosters for spring soccer. Watch for an e-mail at that time that will explain the process, and which SYSA registrar will be assigned to your club or age group. Please do not request roster changes in the meantime. Thank you!

Registration Dates & Deadlines:

• Winter SYSA Team Training Registration Opens Tuesday, January 19
• Spring Soccer Team Registration Opens Monday, January 25
• Team Registration Closes Wednesday, March 3
• Spring Soccer Individual Player Registration Opens Monday, January 25
• Coach Registration Opens Monday, February 1
• Skills & Games Registration – will open by February 15

All questions can be directed to information@sysa.org. Thank you!

As of September 16, King County remains in Phase 2 of the governor’s reopening. As a result, a regular rec season with soccer games will not occur this fall.  We are pleased to be able to offer some limited programming in partnership with Seattle United and the Seattle Youth Soccer Association (SYSA) for our U10 and older players. Unfortunately, we are unable to offer a House League season for our youngest players in the U7-U9 age range.  Please read below for details on refunds and available programming.

Refunds

Beginning this week, we will be refunding player registration fees for every player registered this season. Refunds will be made back to the credit card used for the original payment.  It can take up to 10 business days for the credit to appear in your account.  If the expiration date on the credit card used for the original payment has passed, we will not be able to make a credit card refund, and will instead have to mail a check to the address in the player registration.

Since there are over 1,000 registrations to be refunded, this process will take a little time, but if you have not received your refund by September 30, please contact Alyson Stage, LVR Head Registrar at lvrheadregistrar@gmail.com and be sure to include the player name in your communication.

In addition to refunding registration fees, we will also be refunding scholarship donations since we are unable to use those this year. We appreciate everyone that kicked in a few extra bucks to support scholarships for many kids in our areas. If you wish to donate to our scholarship fund for next season, please write a check payable to:

LVR Soccer Club

P.O. Box 15923

Seattle, WA 98115

LVR is a 501c3 non-profit organization and any donation is tax-deductible.

U7-U9 House League

Unfortunately, we are unable to offer a program for our youngest players this season. As a volunteer organization, we have limited capacity to ensure that everyone participating meets the Park Department’s programming requirements for Phase 2. Those include managing the number of participants; ensuring appropriate social distancing; taking attendance and managing a contact-tracing plan; and providing sufficient coach training to ensure that everyone was operating under the required guidelines. The House League is a wonderful place to learn soccer and we hope that your son or daughter will continue their soccer pathway with us again next fall under more normal circumstances.

Also, SYSA just announced some additional space in their regular Fall Player Development Academy programming for practices starting this Friday.  If interested, we encourage you to look into that and register as soon as possible.

U10-U12s

Seattle United will be offering a Player Development Academy program for players in this age range. More information will be sent to families this week about registration. In general, players will “opt-into” this program and need to re-register with Seattle United.  The 6-week PDA sessions will begin in early-mid October.  Seattle United coaches will be offering skills-focused training in small groups in a socially-distanced environment. Practices will likely occur on Mondays and Fridays and will be taking place at various fields around the city. Given Phase 2 restrictions on the number of players per field, the number of participants in this program will necessarily be limited. We expect registration to be first-come/first-served.

U13 and above

SYSA will be offering a team-based training program. The idea is that LVR teams will sign up and be matched with a professional coach for six 1-hour sessions beginning in early-mid October. Teams will follow Phase 2 return to play protocols involving small groups and social distanced training. We are currently working out the fees for this program but expect that teams will pay LVR a team fee that covers insurance, coaching, and fields and is expected to be less than the cost of regular season play. Practices for this program would likely occur at Dahl Field on either Mondays, Tuesdays or Thursdays in the evenings. Interested teams need to let LVR know of their interest in participating by this Friday, Sept. 18.