ABOUT the lander strikers club

Vision

The LSSC is Lander’s top-tier soccer organization, providing opportunities to challenge and grow the Lander soccer community.

Mission 

The ultimate goal of LSSC is to encourage, inspire and empower each player and coach to be able to reach the highest level possible within the game and in life, while helping create leaders and individuals that will inspire others to do the same. 

Values (DIFACCTS)

• Development - We develop players, coaches, referees, and parents in order to maximize the potential and skill, consistent with their commitment.

• Integrity - We conduct ourselves with honesty, honor, and ethics in all situations, events, and relationships.

• Fun - We create an environment that allows for the game to be played in a safe and enjoyable atmosphere which fosters a lifetime love of the game.

• Accountability -  We are responsible to teammates, coaches, volunteers, and parents on and off the pitch for our actions, our time, our equipment, and our effort.

• Community - We seek to foster and cultivate a like-minded, inclusive community of people who are dedicated to developing not just as soccer players, but as people.

• Competitiveness - We strive to put a high quality team onto the pitch at each game and tournament that can achieve their goals at their appropriate level.  

• Teamwork - We promote, encourage, foster, and practice teamwork both on and off the pitch to enable the success of the club, players, coaches, referees, and parents. 

• Sustainability - We lead and conduct our operations and activities to enable long-term stability and viability for the club.  

Following Player Evaluations/Identification, players shall be assigned to a team in the appropriate age group as defined by the USYS/WSA guidelines. In certain/rare cases it may be in the best interest of the player to be playing with the next age group up and will be based on the recommendation and approval of the DOC. No player may play out of their respective age group without following the procedures in the play up policy.  (See Below)

 TEAM FORMATION

Teams will be formed starting at the U7/8 age group, and continuing up to the U19 age group if players and coaches are available. Coaches will be selected and assigned by the DOC as needed to accommodate the number of players.  Coaching assignments will be completed after teams have been formed. For U8/U10 age groups, teams will be selected to form the most competetive team to represent Strikers. Teams will be consistently placed with players of similar ability and level rather than gender for the two specified age groups. For U12/U14+ age groups, teams will be formed based on single gender and age group guidelines of US Youth Soccer/WSA. At this age group, if single gender teams cannot be formed due to the number of registered players, teams can be formed as Co-Ed using age group guidelines set forth by US Youth Soccer/WSA.

 The Lander Strikers Soccer Club Board, based on the recommendations of the DOC, must approve any deviation from the guidelines for teams. 

PLAYER SELECTION CRITERIA

If there are more than enough players and coaches to form more than one team in an age group, the teams will be called the Strikers Green, Black or Grey.  Teams will be referred to as Lander Strikers followed by gender and designated birth year of the team. (i.e. Lander Strikers Boys 02/03-Green)

• The Green team will consist of those players determined by the coach(s) and the DOC to be of the ability to make the Green team as competitive as possible (Gold Competition Level).

• The Black or Grey teams will consist of those players determined by the coach(s) and DOC to be of the ability to make the Black or Grey teams as competitive as possible (Silver or Bronze Competition Level).

Player selection may be determined by commitment, skill, attitude, ability, coachability, attendance to practice, etc.  Player selection will be fluid and happen at the start of each Fall and Spring Season.  In rare circumstances, coaches, with the assistance of the DOC, can also make mid-season modifications to team rosters to accommodate individual player skill.  However, coaches have the discretion to choose common training times to promote general skill improvement of the age group and develop teamwork. 

Teams will participate in their appropriate level in tournaments.

 PLAYING "UP" POLICY

 There may be times when players request to play up an age division.  LSSC Board realizes that any decision regarding a child playing up an age division should be based on what is best for the child and looked at on an individual, case by case situation.  None of us coach a sport, but rather we coach a person, and thus every decision is an individual one.

Chronological Age: Actual age of the player

Developmental Age: The age at which children function emotionally, physically, and cognitively.

More factors the LSSC will consider in evaluating a player to “Play Up” or if the player should remain playing up:

A child is developmentally (physically) ahead of his or her peers and tends to rely on physicality rather than technique or thought to have success. This player should be challenged by teammates and opponents who are physical.  (Caution: This child may be socially and cognitively behind other players in the next age up, and thus exposed to situations that he/she should not be exposed to yet, based on their maturity. Some kids struggle with tactical development and understanding the movement and interaction of players. Some are not physically ready to perform certain tasks.)

A child is developmentally (technically and tactically) so far ahead of their peer group that there is no challenge. This child should be given the opportunity to play against players with the same technical ability, so he/she is challenged to perform at a higher speed of thought. (Caution: If the physical differences are such that a technically gifted child stops playing the game the right way (i.e. is afraid to dribble or shoot, stops playing confidently), then the situation should be re-evaluated. Some players struggle with the physical disadvantage and can develop bad habits.)

LSSB agrees, except in a unique circumstance, all players are better served in development by following the USSF / USYSA guidelines by playing in their chronological birth year. When it comes to athletic development, the only sufficient reasons for allowing children to play up in the next age are based on player availability in an age division, technical, tactical, and developmental criterion, and not on the whims or dreams of the child’s parents.

 All parties involved should give considerable thought before a recommendation or request is made for a player to play up in the next age division. 

An additional waiver and release of liability form is required when playing up 3 years or more.

Hunter Roseberry  President

**Position Open** Vice President 

Nate Maxon Secretary

Jon Tonkowich Treasurer

Nikki Dellinger Director of Coaching

Codi Jorgensen Uniform Manager

Khrystyn Lutz Registrar & Website

**Position Open** Equipment & Field Manager

Adam Simon Board Member at Large

Amanda Small Board Member at Large