VALLEY SURF & HIGH SCHOOL SOCCER
The following is useful information pertaining to playing club soccer at Valley Surf and High School Soccer. Note, after November 15th official high school games commence which means that if a player plays club after this date they cannot play high school soccer. If a HS player has played a HS game then decides to play in an 11 v 11 match (or more than a 5 v 5 in outside-non HS competition) they will lose HS soccer eligibility. This is a HS rule, not a club rule.
FAQ’S
Q: What Does Valley Surf Think Of My Child Playing High School Soccer?
A: Its A Choice The Player And Family Makes, The Age Of The Player Etc. Each School Program Varies In Strength And Quality Of Coaching And Competition. Some Younger High Level Players Who Are Good Enough For Varsity Teams Arent Permitted To Play On The Varsity Team Due To School Rules And Instead Get Placed On JV Teams.
Q: Can I Play Both High School Soccer And Club Soccer At The Same Time?
A: Clubs Don’t Place Restrictions On Players But High Schools Do. The Short Answer Is ‘No’ (Because Of CIF/CCS Rule 600 Which Prevents High School Players From Playing More Than 5 V 5 Competition) But You Can Train With Club As Long As You Are Not Playing More Than 5 V 5. At Surf We Offer Small Group Trainings Several Times Per Month During The High School Season So This Allows Players To Do Both. These Are Light Technical Sessions And Players Can Only Participate If They Are Fit/Able Not Risking Injury.
Q: Do You Suggest Missing HS Practice For Valley Surf Practice During The HS Season?
A: We Dont Allow Players To Miss Their HS Practices For Valley Surf Trainings Unless HS Practice Is Canceled And There Is No Direct Conflict.
Q: So Players Can Train Outside Of High School Soccer?
A: Yes. But We Always Make Sure It Fits The Micro/Marco Schedule. E.g We Wont Permit Players To Train The Same Day As A Game They Have Played Substantial Time In And Not Before A Game On The Same Day. If A Player Doesnt Get Much Time With Varisty (Maybe A FR Who Is On The Squad But Doesnt Get Much Time/Training) Then We Permit Participation Because They Clearly Arent Fatigued.
Q: Does Playing HS Soccer Increase My Childs Chance Of Playing College Soccer?
A: High School Soccer Isn’t Considered A Recruiting Platform For Colleges. College Coaches May Occasionally See Local Games If They Are Convenient But You Wont Find Many Colleges Traveling To Scout. Not Playing HS Soccer Does Not Damage Your Chances Of Playing College Soccer.
Q: Do Players At Valley Surf Opt Out Of HS Soccer?
A: Many Do- Every Family Is Different. We Have Players Declining To Play HS Soccer So We Try To Give Them That Option. It All Depends On The Player/Family. Everyone Is In A Different Situation So There Is No Simple Answer.
Q: What If My HS Coach Tells Me That I Cant Train Outside Of HS Soccer?
A: High Schools Aren’t Permitted To Prevent Players From Seeking Additional Training On Their Own Time. They Can ‘Suggest’ This Of Course But Not Insist. Like Club Soccer We Cant Tell You Not To Do Other Sports Or Do Your Own Training Outside Of Club. Its Up To Them And You What You Feel Is Important/Beneficial.
They Are Certainly Entitled To Make Sure You Arent Injured And At Risk Of Injury From Doing More Training In The Same Way A Club Coach Would. Valley Surf Supports HS Coaches Who Don’t Want Their Players Training Before Games And We Support Them Requiring Players Get Adequate Rest So They Can Perform To The Best Of Their Ability For Their HS Programs.
Q: My HS Coach Is Asking Me To Tryout And Wants Me To Do So In Early November When Im In The Middle Of Club Season. I Want To Honor My Commitments To Club But How Do I Do Both?
A: With Older Players Who Play At A High Level Of Club Soccer They Usually Are Required To Show Up To One HS Practice As A Courtesy. With Freshman Or Soph Players HS Coaches Should Publish Their Tryout Schedule To Clubs So We Can Coordinate. Its Up To You/The Family To Get That Information In Advance So We Can Plan Ahead. You Should Get These Tryout Dates By Mid-October. Older Valley Surf Players Typically Play Surf College Cup / ECNL National Showcase / NorCal NPL Showcase In Late November And Fully Commit To HS Soccer After This Event.
Q: I’m A Freshman And My HS Coach Is Telling Me I Need To Be At Every Tryout. What Should I Do If These Interfere With Club Practices?
A: Tell Your HS Coach That You Have Obligations To Your Club And That While You Want To Tryout For HS Soccer You Are Also Wanting To Honor Your Commitment To Club Soccer. HS Coaches Know That You Are Still In Season With Your Club And That You Are Also Trying To Juggle Your Club Commitments. Ask Your High School Coaches To Contact [email protected] Or Jeff@Valleysurf.org If They Have Any Scheduling Questions. We Will Also Send Your HS Coaches An Email If You Wish. We Have Not Experienced High School Coaches Insisting Players Attend Every Tryout And Miss Club Soccer. Many Of Our Coaches Have Coached High School Soccer And Understand The Conflicts. Schedule Conflicts Can Easily Be Rectified With Some Simple Communication.
Q: Im Afraid Of Missing Club Practice And Losing Playing Time Because Valley Surf Requires Players Attend Practice To Get Playing Time. Im Also Afraid Of Missing HS Tryouts For The Same Reason. How Do I Work This Out?
A: Most HS Coaches Are Reasonable About This And We Are Too As Long As You Clearly Communicate The Schedule Conflicts In Advance.
Q: Will Playing HS Hurt My Chances Of Playing Club Soccer With Valley Surf?
A: No And Yes. It All Depends On The Program You Play For And Whether Or Not We See You On The Practice Field Over The Winter Period. With Older Players Who Play On HS Teams We Need To See You At Our Mandatory HS Trainings Over The Winter. Players Who Don’t Engage With The Club During This Period Lose Touch With The Coaches And The Material So They Are Often Behind When They Return. On The Other Hand We Will Look At Players For The New Spring Season On A Case By Case Basis Upon Registration Time In Mid-February. In Other Words We Cant Promise A Spot On The Team In Late November For A Player We Wont See Until Late February. Its No Different For Younger Players. Our HS Training/Get Together Over The Winter Is A Commitment We Require.
Q: Do You See Any Positive Benefits To Playing HS Soccer?
A: If The Coaching In HS Is Based On Long Term Development Of The Players Then ‘Yes’. If A JV Player Has The Opportunity To Be Brought Up To Varsity And The Coach Wants To Reward Younger Players Then This Is A Good Thing. There Are Some Community Benefits In Terms Of The Social Recognition Playing For Your Local School And The Social Aspects Of Playing HS Soccer. Again, It All Depends On Who Is Coaching And What Type Of HS Program You Are Playing At. Some HS Coaches Do A Good Job Of Trying To Create A Seamless Environment Where They Also Recognize That They Are Sending Players Back To Club Healthy And Better Off When They Came Into HS Soccer. If Players Play HS Soccer And Come Back Better Than When They Leave Us Then We Are Happy Of Course!
If You Have A Question We Can Include In FAQ’s Feel Free To Email [email protected] Or Jeff@Valleysurf.org
FAQ’S
Q: What Does Valley Surf Think Of My Child Playing High School Soccer?
A: Its A Choice The Player And Family Makes, The Age Of The Player Etc. Each School Program Varies In Strength And Quality Of Coaching And Competition. Some Younger High Level Players Who Are Good Enough For Varsity Teams Arent Permitted To Play On The Varsity Team Due To School Rules And Instead Get Placed On JV Teams.
Q: Can I Play Both High School Soccer And Club Soccer At The Same Time?
A: Clubs Don’t Place Restrictions On Players But High Schools Do. The Short Answer Is ‘No’ (Because Of CIF/CCS Rule 600 Which Prevents High School Players From Playing More Than 5 V 5 Competition) But You Can Train With Club As Long As You Are Not Playing More Than 5 V 5. At Surf We Offer Small Group Trainings Several Times Per Month During The High School Season So This Allows Players To Do Both. These Are Light Technical Sessions And Players Can Only Participate If They Are Fit/Able Not Risking Injury.
Q: Do You Suggest Missing HS Practice For Valley Surf Practice During The HS Season?
A: We Dont Allow Players To Miss Their HS Practices For Valley Surf Trainings Unless HS Practice Is Canceled And There Is No Direct Conflict.
Q: So Players Can Train Outside Of High School Soccer?
A: Yes. But We Always Make Sure It Fits The Micro/Marco Schedule. E.g We Wont Permit Players To Train The Same Day As A Game They Have Played Substantial Time In And Not Before A Game On The Same Day. If A Player Doesnt Get Much Time With Varisty (Maybe A FR Who Is On The Squad But Doesnt Get Much Time/Training) Then We Permit Participation Because They Clearly Arent Fatigued.
Q: Does Playing HS Soccer Increase My Childs Chance Of Playing College Soccer?
A: High School Soccer Isn’t Considered A Recruiting Platform For Colleges. College Coaches May Occasionally See Local Games If They Are Convenient But You Wont Find Many Colleges Traveling To Scout. Not Playing HS Soccer Does Not Damage Your Chances Of Playing College Soccer.
Q: Do Players At Valley Surf Opt Out Of HS Soccer?
A: Many Do- Every Family Is Different. We Have Players Declining To Play HS Soccer So We Try To Give Them That Option. It All Depends On The Player/Family. Everyone Is In A Different Situation So There Is No Simple Answer.
Q: What If My HS Coach Tells Me That I Cant Train Outside Of HS Soccer?
A: High Schools Aren’t Permitted To Prevent Players From Seeking Additional Training On Their Own Time. They Can ‘Suggest’ This Of Course But Not Insist. Like Club Soccer We Cant Tell You Not To Do Other Sports Or Do Your Own Training Outside Of Club. Its Up To Them And You What You Feel Is Important/Beneficial.
They Are Certainly Entitled To Make Sure You Arent Injured And At Risk Of Injury From Doing More Training In The Same Way A Club Coach Would. Valley Surf Supports HS Coaches Who Don’t Want Their Players Training Before Games And We Support Them Requiring Players Get Adequate Rest So They Can Perform To The Best Of Their Ability For Their HS Programs.
Q: My HS Coach Is Asking Me To Tryout And Wants Me To Do So In Early November When Im In The Middle Of Club Season. I Want To Honor My Commitments To Club But How Do I Do Both?
A: With Older Players Who Play At A High Level Of Club Soccer They Usually Are Required To Show Up To One HS Practice As A Courtesy. With Freshman Or Soph Players HS Coaches Should Publish Their Tryout Schedule To Clubs So We Can Coordinate. Its Up To You/The Family To Get That Information In Advance So We Can Plan Ahead. You Should Get These Tryout Dates By Mid-October. Older Valley Surf Players Typically Play Surf College Cup / ECNL National Showcase / NorCal NPL Showcase In Late November And Fully Commit To HS Soccer After This Event.
Q: I’m A Freshman And My HS Coach Is Telling Me I Need To Be At Every Tryout. What Should I Do If These Interfere With Club Practices?
A: Tell Your HS Coach That You Have Obligations To Your Club And That While You Want To Tryout For HS Soccer You Are Also Wanting To Honor Your Commitment To Club Soccer. HS Coaches Know That You Are Still In Season With Your Club And That You Are Also Trying To Juggle Your Club Commitments. Ask Your High School Coaches To Contact [email protected] Or Jeff@Valleysurf.org If They Have Any Scheduling Questions. We Will Also Send Your HS Coaches An Email If You Wish. We Have Not Experienced High School Coaches Insisting Players Attend Every Tryout And Miss Club Soccer. Many Of Our Coaches Have Coached High School Soccer And Understand The Conflicts. Schedule Conflicts Can Easily Be Rectified With Some Simple Communication.
Q: Im Afraid Of Missing Club Practice And Losing Playing Time Because Valley Surf Requires Players Attend Practice To Get Playing Time. Im Also Afraid Of Missing HS Tryouts For The Same Reason. How Do I Work This Out?
A: Most HS Coaches Are Reasonable About This And We Are Too As Long As You Clearly Communicate The Schedule Conflicts In Advance.
Q: Will Playing HS Hurt My Chances Of Playing Club Soccer With Valley Surf?
A: No And Yes. It All Depends On The Program You Play For And Whether Or Not We See You On The Practice Field Over The Winter Period. With Older Players Who Play On HS Teams We Need To See You At Our Mandatory HS Trainings Over The Winter. Players Who Don’t Engage With The Club During This Period Lose Touch With The Coaches And The Material So They Are Often Behind When They Return. On The Other Hand We Will Look At Players For The New Spring Season On A Case By Case Basis Upon Registration Time In Mid-February. In Other Words We Cant Promise A Spot On The Team In Late November For A Player We Wont See Until Late February. Its No Different For Younger Players. Our HS Training/Get Together Over The Winter Is A Commitment We Require.
Q: Do You See Any Positive Benefits To Playing HS Soccer?
A: If The Coaching In HS Is Based On Long Term Development Of The Players Then ‘Yes’. If A JV Player Has The Opportunity To Be Brought Up To Varsity And The Coach Wants To Reward Younger Players Then This Is A Good Thing. There Are Some Community Benefits In Terms Of The Social Recognition Playing For Your Local School And The Social Aspects Of Playing HS Soccer. Again, It All Depends On Who Is Coaching And What Type Of HS Program You Are Playing At. Some HS Coaches Do A Good Job Of Trying To Create A Seamless Environment Where They Also Recognize That They Are Sending Players Back To Club Healthy And Better Off When They Came Into HS Soccer. If Players Play HS Soccer And Come Back Better Than When They Leave Us Then We Are Happy Of Course!
