MSC Players & Families,
After 6 difficult months, we couldn’t be more excited to finally return to the pitch! The MSC board and staff have been hard at work preparing for the season and we’d like to thank each player, parent, volunteer, team manager, and professional coach for your resiliency, flexibility, and teamwork during these difficult times. We’re finally here!
To help prepare for our first weekend back, we’ve made a checklist of safety items for players and parents below. And, given this is our first club-wide communication of the season, we’d also like to share what we’ve been working on and what’s in store for the season ahead.
Good luck this weekend! Go Maroons! #MSCProud
– Clay & The MSC Board
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// GAMEDAY SAFETY CHECKLIST
With the health and safety of our players, families, and coaches our top priority, below are specific safety guidelines for gamedays. Note, our complete return-to-play safety guidelines can be found on our website at www.maroonssoccer.com.
Parent Safety Checklist:
- Check your child’s temperature before leaving the house
- Complete the TeamSnap Health Check for your son or daughter prior to arriving at the field
- Sit on the same sideline as your team (home and away sidelines will be designated)
- Maintain a 6ft distance from other families at all times
- Wear a mask while watching the game
Note, each town has safety protocols that must be followed; so, please check in with your team manager if you need to follow additional steps. Player Safety Checklist:
- Get your temperature checked by your coach at the field and prior to warming up
- Bring and use hand sanitizer
- Place bags and water bottles at least 6 feet apart
- Do not touch or share anyone else’s equipment – including ball or water
- Respect and practice physical distancing
- Wear a mask when not in the game
- Try to keep at least 6ft apart from your teammates when not in the game
- No group celebrations, high 5’s, hugs, handshakes, fist bumps, etc.
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// WHAT’S NEW IN 2020
We appreciate the feedback over 250 families gave us in the annual survey and we’ve put it into action. Here’s a rundown of what’s new and what you can expect in the season(s) ahead:
Elevating Our Operations
- New club values & identity: We’ve redesigned our badge, website, and uniforms to put our five core values – Passion, Commitment, Teamwork, Sportsmanship, Citizenship – at the center of what we do and stand for.
- New website: We’ve redesigned our website to better communicate who we are, outline our programs, serve as a valuable resource, and highlight MSC activity. The website will continue to be developed throughout the season but is bookmark worthy – www.maroonssoccer.com
- New club management and communication platform: TeamSnap is the best way for us to stay on top of team communication as a club. We know many teams used it in the past but we felt we needed to provide it club-wide to ensure a consistent high-level experience. We’re also excited about the Health Check feature to help us maintain a safe environment for practices and games.
- New partnership with Adidas: We’re in the final stages of finalizing a partnership with Adidas and Soccer.com. We now have Adidas training shirts available for all teams and will begin phasing in new products in preparation for new kits in 2021. Visit https://www.maroonssoccer.com/resources/uniforms-gear/ for more details.
- BHAG: We’re finalizing plans to communicate in detail some ambitious plans to improve the soccer environment in Ridgewood and address one of our biggest pain points – fields. This big-hairy-audacious-goal will spur fundraising events and initiatives to come together as a club. Details to come on Instagram @maroons.soccer.
Delivering on Our Mission
- New programs: We’ve opened up Fall mini-Messi (3-5yr olds), mini-Maroons (6yr olds), Ball Mastery (all ages), and professional goalkeeper training programs (all ages). Our new Ball Mastery program is open to all players and will run every Friday beginning next week. We’re very excited to bring in Dave Pekarek to serve as our GK coach. His program is open to all players, at no additional cost, beginning Monday next week. Visit www.maroonssoccer.com/programs/ for more details.
- Virtual training with Techne Futbol: It’s our mission to create a complete soccer environment and help every player reach their full potential. Supplemental at-home training is essential to realizing this mission. Players get better the more they touch the ball and the Techne Futbol platform is an engaging way for players to stay active at home and develop their technical abilities beyond the 3-4 hours of structured club activities. For more information visit https://www.maroonssoccer.com/programs/techne/
- Professional game coaching: One of the biggest feedback items was the desire to link the practice training with in-game coaching. We’ve made that change this season as our Professional Coaches will now be coaching almost all games (conflicts are inevitable so expect a couple of Team Manager coached weekends). Our invaluable volunteer parent coaches will transition to Team Manager roles and support our Professional Coaches with team communication and team management. We’re very excited about these changes as we eliminate the training-to-game visibility gap for our coaches and improve the overall development of our players.
- Player evaluations and development plans: At the end of each season, each player will receive an evaluation and development plan to provide each player with the necessary guidance to improve their game and realize their full potential.
These are just some of the changes that are underway. We’ll keep you updated on future developments and welcome all feedback (and volunteers!) along the way. Thank you again for all of your help and let’s make this a special season!
Good luck this weekend! Go Maroons! #MSCProud
www.instagram.com/maroons.soccer
www.maroonssoccer.com
Passion | Commitment | Teamwork | Sportsmanship | Citizenship