Kamloops Youth Soccer Association Announces New Format for the 2008 Rep Soccer Season by Tom McManus, Head Coach Kamloops Youth Soccer Association July 23, 2007 REP SOCCER Rep soccer is for players who want to play at a competitive level against other areas in the Thompson Okanagan Region.  This program starts at U12 and goes up to U18 for both boys and girls.  These players will attend try outs in September and there will be at least three tryouts that they should attend in order to be evaluated by independent evaluators and the coach of the team.  The coaches are selected by the middle of July for the following year.  (Click here for 2008 Coaches List) The coaches are asked to select 14 players for the “A” team.  All other players are still working towards playing for the “A” team and the final decision will be made once training starts up in January.  After the evaluation process in September the players and coaches may take the fall off in order to recharge and get ready for the following season. Once January comes around, they must train once a week with the coaches and the 14 players in attendance.  This is when the other players will also attend the sessions and the coach will then decide if they would like to take 2, 3 or 4 more players.  Eighteen is the maximum number of players per team that can play “rep” soccer per age group.  I have suggested to the coaches that they bring in a working squad of 24 if possible and change the ten players around the core players every couple of weeks to identify possible “A” team players. The “A” teams have the opportunity to represent TOYSL in the A Cup Provincials which takes place at the beginning of July each year.  TOYSL no longer conducts an A league, so KYSA is working with other areas in order to bring in a league for these teams.  The league would have to be home and away, otherwise it won’t be done. TOYSL does conduct a “B” league which we will be a part of.  These players are selected from the tryouts, not only in September but also in the January & February training sessions.  These players will be playing “rep” soccer against the other areas in TOYSL.  Their season will start in early April and run through to the middle of July.  They will then take a break and start up again in September, finishing with a championship the weekend prior to Thanksgiving.  There is a “B” Provincial Championship conducted by BC Soccer that is run at the beginning of July.  The representative from TOYSL will be the team that is sitting in first place by the third weekend in June.  The September season will be for a championship that will take a tournament style format with teams being seeded according to standing at the end of September. Both the “A” and “B” teams must take commitment and the willingness to travel.  Players are expected to attend two training sessions per week in season and must attend the January, February and March training sessions.  They will also play one game per week and these games could be at home or in any of the following areas:  Salmon Arm, Vernon, Kelowna or Penticton for the “B” teams.  There will also be some tournaments that the teams will be attending but that will be up to the team and is not dictated by KYSA.

Coaches have now been selected for the 2008 season.  Thank you to all those individuals who give so much to the development of our players.  Tryouts for the 2008 season will start in early September.  Please watch this website and the newspapers for more information. If you have any questions please email the KYSA office  kysarep@telus.net

Click on the Vancouver Whitecaps website for more information on great programs they host.

For girls leaving high school interested in playing a higher level Head Coaches from Areas outside the Lower Mainland   We just wanted to let you know, that due to popular demand, we have launched a NCAA College Prep Program within our girlsCAN program. As you may or may not know, girlsCAN is an organization that runs mostly in the Lower Mainland, with occasional camps in Edmonton. girlsCAN is staffed and run completely by high level female soccer players/coaches who have played and currently play for the Canadian Women's National Team, the Whitecaps Women, and professionally overseas in countries such as Holland, Denmark, Japan and Norway (see www.girlscansoccer.com)   We have designed a college prep program to give the girls who have the desire, the tools necessary to know the ins and outs of the US College Scholarship Process, what schools are looking for etc based on our own experiences, and our personal connections with NCAA Division 1 Coaches. Presently we are only running our seminar in North Van, but we are willing to go on the road if there is significant interest in other areas. The subject matter that we teach, is also relevant to other high level athletes in other sports, both boys and girls, who wish to play a sport at the NCAA Level. They can make up the numbers as well for the Seminar if you wish to try and bring us to your area.   Please pass on the info below to your elite level players in grades 8-12, and don't hesitate to contact us if you think there would be interest to running a seminar and being a resource to your area.   Sincerely, girlsCAN Soccer Development www.girlscansoccer.com info@girlscansoccer.com