Virtual Training and Academy Style Play

In conversation with leagues and clubs, we have learned that many of you this Fall season will be conducting virtual training or other structured soccer activities that will take place via Zoom or Google Meet for the Fall Season. With restrictions still in place across Northern California we want to support your efforts to provide players a safe and healthy outlet. We know how important it is for children in our communities to be able to engage with their friends and teammates, and to participate in social and physical activities.

To ensure players are properly registered for virtual soccer activities, we have developed a simpler process that will allow for larger groupings of players in “pools”. The player pool can be used for all recreational players and competitive players for the Fall season. Player pools allow groups to be  organized in ways that make more sense when working through Zoom or Google Meet. 

Below are details on the recreational pool. 

• A league or club can set up a “Rec Pool” play type.  Players registered in this type of play are billed at the recreational rate of $11.25.
• After the rec pool is set up, register all players as they normally would be for comp or rec.
• Depending upon how the League/Club wants to organize the players, players can be assigned to one pool or to multiple pools depending upon criteria such as age, gender, practice schedule, etc.
• All adult administrators interacting with the players should be assigned to the team.  Typically, there is one coach and then many assistant coaches on a pool team.
• All adults assigned to any team are required to follow the Cal North risk management requirements (Live scan, SafeSport and Intro to Safe and Healthy Playing Environments).  Both the SafeSport and the Intro courses can be taken through the US Soccer Learning Center, so completion is automatically updated an integration between US Soccer and Cal North’s registration system.
• The final step would be to approve the pool team to ensure that all the adults are in compliance.

Please remember that when conducting any soccer activities, leagues and clubs must adhere to the Cal North Athlete and Participant Safety Policy. Based on our policy, for all Zoom training sessions or other virtual soccer activities:

• The training session must be observable and interruptible by another adult. 
• Parents, guardians, and other caretakers must be allowed to observe the training session. 
• All electronic communication originating from Participating Adults to amateur athletes who are minors must be professional in nature. 
• If a Participating Adult needs to communicate directly with an amateur athlete who is a minor via electronic communications, another Participating Adult and the minor’s legal guardian should be copied. 
• Participating Adults are not permitted to communicate privately via electronic communications with amateur athletes who are minors, except under emergency circumstances.