Washington Capital United Parent & Player Handbook

Updated February 4th 2020 

Your team will play in a league, and division, that is petitioned for by the Club, based on the evaluation of the team’s ability by the Technical Director, and the Coach. Division placement is not guaranteed by the League, so occasionally your child’s team may play in a Division that appears overly challenging. Internally, the coach works with the children as a learning experience, and moment to improve mental stamina, and externally, the Club works with the leagues to right-place the team. 

Please refer to the below table for contact information for your team. 

Team Name:

Coach:

Coach email:

Coach phone:

Assistant Coach:

Asst Coach email:

Asst Coach phone:

Manager:

Manager email:

Manager phone:

Co-Manager:

Co-Manager email:

Co-Manager phone:

League:

League website: 

Tournament coordinator

Name:

Email:

Phone: 

Field coordinators

Name Email:

Phone: 

Team Sportsmanship Liaison (TSL)

Name:

Email:

Phone: 

PRACTICE SCHEDULE

Arrive 15 minutes early to all practices to warm up. 

All players should do their best to be on time and make all weekly practices. Since strategies are reviewed during practice, play time during games may be affected if a player misses practices. School related absences are forgiven.

If your child will miss a practice or game, please email the coach and copy the manager.

Training schedules will be posted a few weeks before the beginning of each season. The Club is dependent upon DPR for the majority of its permits, and cannot plan the Club-wide training schedule until those permits are finalized. We understand this may be frustrating for parents: it certainly is for the Club. Schedules will be announced via Club-wide email, Monthly Newsletter, and TeamSnap team communications.

Since permits are secured anew every season, we cannot guarantee from season-to-season, or from year-to- year, that your child will train at the same facility, on the same day(s), or at the same time.

LEAGUE GAMES

League schedules will be posted in August. Parents can expect 8-10 games a season; games will primarily be played on Sunday, with the occasional Saturday game possible. Travel distance will vary; games are generally within less than an hour drive of DC. 

GAME DAY

Refer to the game details on our website for game details. You can also generally expect email communication about jersey color, location, and any other pertinent information from your team manager mid to late week prior to game day. Generally, HOME jersey color is blue/red and AWAY is white, however each player must bring both jerseys to every game. Players must arrive between 30-45 minutes before game for warm-ups. Each player should bring a ball, pump, their personal supply of water, and both jerseys (always). 

PLANNED TOURNAMENTS

Tournament attendance should be considered mandatory. We understand there are occasionally conflicts where players are unable to attend one or both days. If that is the case, notify your coach as soon as you are aware of the conflict. Guest players from other teams are sometimes asked to participate in tournaments with another team, as well. If your child is asked to guest play in a tournament with another team, you will be notified by the coach of the team asking them to guest play.  

CALENDAR

Team managers and coaches will update TeamSnap with your league game schedules, practices, and tournament schedules.

Coaches will also use TeamSnap for game day roster information. Please use TeamSnap to RSVP using the directions below: 

  1. Log into your TeamSnap account.

  2. Click My Groups at the top

  3. Select your team

  4. Select "Schedule"

  5. Select the date of the game you want to RSVP for

  6. Tap on the game

  7. Tap on "Change Status"

  8. Select Yes or No

  9. Enter a comment if desired

  10. Hit "Save/Respond" 

PARENT ENCOURAGEMENT AND BEHAVIOR

Washington Capital United expects parents to act appropriately on the sideline. You will find a detailed listing of the Parent Code of Conduct on the website. Generally, follow these guidelines. 

▪ Be positive 

▪ Do not coach 

▪ Never address players on the other team 

▪ Treat the officials with respect 

▪ Do not engage in game-related discussions with parents from the opposing team 

▪ Leave the game on the field 

▪ Keep the game fun 

PARENT & PLAYER EXPECTATIONS

Washington Capital United provides training in a player-centric model. This means that players will be asked to guest play, both up and down, that their team will cross-train with other teams, both in their age group and above/below, and that they may train with other coaches. More information on how we train can be found in our “What to Expect” document. 

TEAM EQUIPMENT VOLUNTEERS

The Club is a VOLUNTEER-run organization. This is how we are able to keep our dues substantially lower than those of comparable Clubs. This is a brief list of the responsibilities of each team’s parents: 

  • Each team is responsible for providing a first aid kit that includes band aids, pain relievers, ice packs, a paper bag to treat hyperventilating, ace bandages and any other item needed by our team. 

  • Each team is also responsible for bringing a team bench and a shade tent. Occasionally we play on fields that do not allow chairs and tents and in those instances, we will alert you before the game. 

  • All home games require parent volunteers to prepare the field with corner flags and to secure the goals before the game and store them safely after the game. 

Your team manager will coordinate with your team to make sure the above items are assigned. 

REQUIRED UNIFORM AND TRAINING GEAR

All Club gear is available for direct purchase by parents on our uniform vendor’s website, a link to which can be found on our website. Only approved team gear will appear on that site. All parents should have received an email with the subject: Time to order your WC Utd. gear. This email contains a direct link to order your uniform, training kit, and many other official Club gear and items. 

All players are required to wear the training kit to each practice. 

COMMUNICATION

TeamSnap is the official communications platform for the Club. ALL communication from the Club to players and/or parents MUST occur through TeamSnap. This is to be in compliance with SafeSport policy. This policy requires a communications platform that is communal, transparent, and never isolates the coach and player. 

The Communications protocol for Parents to address player, team, and technical issues, can be found on the website, and is:

To Coach → then Team Manager, → then AGC, → then DOC, → then Technical Director, → then Board 

THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

The Board of Directors is an all-volunteer managing board. This is in contraposition to an executive board. Because the Club’s revenue stream is insufficient to hire a management level, it acts as an active managing entity. Their contact information can be found on the website. 

TECHNICAL STAFF

The Club’s Technical Director is: Judah Cooks, former DC United MLS Cup Winner (’99)

The Club Administrator is: Patricia Garcia

The Boys’ Director of Coaching (DOC) is: Ossie Orlando

The Girls’ Director of Coaching (DOC) is: Michele Rodriguez-Smith

The U14 to U19 Age Group Coordinator (AGC) is: David Wood

The U9 to U13 Age Group Coordinator (AGC) is: Tudor Stanciu 

All Technical Staff contact information can be found on the website. 

SAFETY PROTOCOLS

ALL Club personnel, including volunteers, are required to document their acceptability to the State governing bodies through a.) background checks, and b.) completion and acceptance of SafeSport training.

REGISTRATION

Required Paperwork For All Players:

ALL PLAYERS MUST RETURN ALL OF THE BELOW TO THEIR TEAM MANAGER. If after reading the below you are uncertain what you need to submit, please contact your team manager for further instruction. 

  1. MSYSA Medical Release Form - NOTE, IT DOES NOT NEED TO BE NOTARIZED

  2. US Club Soccer Youth Player Registration Form 

  3. Digital photo for player pass - Full-face color photo, shoulders up, against a white background. If possible, please crop the photo around the child’s face, to 120 x 120 pixels. Instructions on how to do that can be found here.

  4. Maryland Residents of Red Stars Players Only - If your family resides in Maryland, there is an additional registration step that must be completed each year in order to roster your child with a VYSA team. Please visit the below link to read the instructions and complete the registration Once you have completed this step, email the Club Administrator at admin@wcunited.org to let her know your child is ready for review and approval in the MSYSA system. Be sure to include your child’s name in the subject line.

    MSYSA 2085-2086 Out of State Player Registration

Registration Requirements For Players NEW To The Club:

All Club teams participate in US Youth Soccer sanctioned leagues, and must be rostered and carded to either the Maryland State Youth Soccer Association (MSYSA) or the Virginia Youth Soccer Association (VYSA) Player Pass system for their league play.

In order to roster and card the players, the following documents are required for NEW players (this documentation is only provided once):

5. Proof of Birth/Age Documentation: 

A PDF scan, max file size acceptable is 2MB, of one of the following Proofs of Birth: 

• Birth Certificate 

• Passport 

• Resident Alien ID Card (Green Card) 

• Military ID Card 

• Birth Registration Issued by an Appropriate Government Agency 

• Certificate issued by INS Verifying Age 

• Certification of US Citizen Born Abroad Issued by an Appropriate Government Agency 

• Unexpired Federal, State, or Local Government ID Card (if documentation of date of birth is required) (“walker” ID) 

6. International Clearances – if applicable: 

If your player is NEW to Travel Soccer and was born or lived outside the Red Stars States please notify your manager ASAP to receive additional paperwork.