Lake Washington Youth Soccer Association
Spring Training Program (STP)
Frequently Asked Questions
Q. What is STP?
A. STP is LWYSA’s Spring Training Program. STP was purposely designed to be different from LWYSA’s Fall Recreational Season, which is more structured and competitive, as an opportunity for children to play soccer twice a week during the months of April and May. During STP play, no scores or standings are kept and, in fact, the spring season is an opportunity the Association uses to train new referees as well. The emphasis for this program is having fun, getting some exercise and providing lots of “touches” on the soccer ball.
Q. How many days a week will my child play STP?
A. STP, for any particular age group, is only two days a week. The first day is a “practice” day and the second day is “game” day.
Q. How do I know what days of the week my child plays?
A. The days your child plays is based on their birth date as shown on the age chart on the STP Registration Form. If, for example, your child is a boy born between 8/1/03 and 7/31/04, then he is scheduled to play Monday/Wednesday in the 6 year-old age group. Monday would be the “practice” day, and Wednesday the “game” day. No additional game or practice days are scheduled.
Q. How will I be notified of my child’s participation in STP?
A. LWYSA sends out notices via email the week of March 22nd advising you of your child’s participation, coach name and field assignment. Watch for this email– it is sometimes mistaken for junk mail so add general.delivery@lwysa.org to your “safe list”. If you do not receive a notice from LWYSA, by March 24th call the office at 425-821-1741 no later than the week before the program is scheduled to start.
Q. Do I need to fill out a medical release for my child’s participation in this program?
A. Yes. Part of the registration is a medical release form that is e-mailed to you as an attachment upon successful registration. You can print and sign this. There is also a blank medical release form that can be found online. The medical release form must be completed and given to your child’s coach on their first day of STP participation. A child is not allowed to participate unless this medical release form has been given to the coach.
Q. What if I need to cancel my child’s participation in STP? Can I get a refund?
A. To cancel your child’s participation, submit an email to LWYSA advising us of the cancellation. If your written cancellation/withdrawal request is received no later than March 29th, you will receive a refund of your registration fee less a $20 administrative charge.
Q. How are teams formed for STP?
A. Since STP is held at one site and has combined ages on each team, we try to mix it up so kids have the opportunity to meet new players from different areas who may have varied skill levels. Teams are not formed around the public elementary school. While we do not prohibit players from fall teams registering together to form a team, we will only allow that through a certain date (February 11th) and only if all players have registered before their age group has reached maximum capacity. A coach cannot register your child or hold a spot for a player.
Q. Can I register my child with a buddy?
A. Yes, we allow you to register with one buddy (unless you are part of a team registering together), but we will only guarantee placement with that buddy if they are the same age group and gender and you register by February 11th.
Q. Who are the coaches? What training do they receive for the STP Program?
A. Coaches are usually parent or sibling volunteers and are not necessarily coaches from our Fall Season. All coaches must have state risk management clearance and are asked to attend a STP coaches meeting prior to the beginning of the program at which time they are given the rules and philosophy of STP play. No other training is expected or required of an STP coach; however, a coach may choose to participate in any of the coaching clinics LWYSA provides during the year.
Q. Can my child “play up” or “play down”?
A. In STP play we do not typically allow a player to play up. Playing down is only allowed if the child has a documented severe medical condition that would not allow him/her to participate with children of their own age group.
Q. Are scheduled practices/games ever cancelled?
A. Practices or games may be cancelled in the event of extreme weather such as snow, thunder & lightning or flooding.
Q. What should my child wear and bring to their games and practices?
A. Your child should wear soccer appropriate gear including: good fitting soccer shoes (cleats for grass), age & size appropriate shin guards, socks to cover shin guards, age appropriate soccer ball (size 3 for ages U6-U8; size 4 for ages U9-U12; size 5 for ages U13-U19), shirt & shorts, weather appropriate outer wear, water and a good attitude and desire to have fun! As part of the program fee, each child will receive a STP t-shirt.
Q. What about parking at Marymoor? What is the $20 two-month unlimited parking pass?
A. Traffic in and around Marymoor can be challenging during this program. LWYSA asks that drivers respect the parking notices posted in all parking areas – do not park in undesignated areas or fire lanes. LWYSA volunteers may be asked to help with traffic control if the parking situation gets out of hand. In addition, King County Parks has instituted a daily fee (currently $1) for parking at Marymoor. This is not a LWYSA fee; it’s a King County fee. You may be able to avoid some of the traffic congestion when parking or leaving Marymoor by purchasing the special parking pass King County is offering to STP participants. The $20 two-month unlimited parking pass allows you to park in any of the Marymoor parking areas during the months of April and May.
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