Westfield Soccer Association

U7 - U8 Divisions

Administration

 
Program Directors:
Eric Judka: U7 Boys
Al Rinaldi - U8 Boys
Drew Matus: U8 Girls
 
VP of Rec: Amy Judka and Drew Matus
If you are looking for information about the U7 Spring Academy, click here!

Basic Rules and Information

1. THE PROGRAM

The success of the program relies on the collective effort of all volunteers and families involved. Thank you for all of your support of our program and our players.

Registration and Dates:

Registration is now open for Fall 2018:

Season Begins 9/8 & Ends 11/4 (No Rec Teams 10/6 & 10/7)

Program fee:  Early Bird Cost - $155

After July 15th: $180

After 8/16, a late fee of $35

 

Registration for Rec Teams will close on 8/26.  After this time, you will be waitlisted and added based on availability.  

 

***The Rec directors try their best to accommodate requests to play with friends or with particular coaches etc, but in no way can they guarantee that all requests will be accommodated.

Program Goals:

The purpose of the U7 and U8 program is to develop basic skills and to teach the fundamentals of the game in an environment that is conducive to learning. The more enjoyment children derive from their participation, the more they wish to play and practice on their own.  Children are placed into programs by gender and age.
 
U7-U8 Rec Soccer – Skill priorities
1)            Dribble out of trouble
2)            Soft first touch
3)            No kicking allowed unless we are shooting on goal
​4)            Introduce passing only to those players who can dribble out of trouble.
 
***NOTE *** U8 players seeking a more competitive and time intensive soccer experience may want to register for the WSA U8 Academy.
 
Age appropriate players can register for the U8 Rec program or the U8 Academy; you should not register for both programs.
 
***NOTE *** U7 and U8 Rec program players can also register for an optional fall ball mastery session.  Fall ball mastery will provide an additional training session during the week.  You must be registered for the U7 or U8 Rec program to be eligible for the U7 and U8 ball mastery program.
 
If you have any questions on whether your child should play according to their age or play with their grade, please contact one of the VPs above.

 

2. THE SEASON

The season is an 7 week program with practices on Saturday and mini-games on Sunday.  The Saturday practices are conducted by professional trainers for 40 minutes and then coaches spend the last 20 minutes scrimmaging within the team to develop team dynamics and play! (Total 1 hour).  Practice and games times will not be known until teams are finalized.  The teams are typically not set until Labor Day. 

Practices typically occur on Saturdays between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. and "mini-games" are played on Sundays between 11:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. All practices and games for this division are played at Westfield Memorial Pool Complex fields.  Boys program tend to have practices in the afternoon and Girls in the morning.
 

At the end of this season, all players will receive from their coaches a participation award.

3. COACHING:

The WSA asks for the assistance of parent/guardians to volunteer in leading training groups of 9 to 10 players throughout the season. Each group should ideally have a "Head" Coach and 1 or 2 assistants.  The program needs volunteers in order to create teams as there are no official coaching staff members. 

This is the perfect age for parents to get involved in coaching as you and the players can learn the game together.

Parents/guardians can volunteer during the registration process.

4. CURRICULUM

During the fall, each week’s Saturday practice will emphasize a different soccer fundamental and a basic individual soccer skill. The skills and fundamentals are then reinforced during Sunday “mini games”. These “mini games” are played with teams of 4 players each against one another (4 v 4 ) and last approximately 60 minutes. Scores and team results are not kept. Teams play without formal positions, goalkeepers or referees. No penalty kicks are allowed and offside is not called at this level.
 
U7-U8 Rec Soccer - Practice format (Saturday practice session)

On Saturday each team will work with a professional trainer who will run a practice session for 40 min given the practice outline for that specific day. These sessions are ran per team, with one professional trainer. The volunteer coach or coaches assigned to each team can/need to assist the professional trainer during this session. The last 20 min of the practice are meant for scrimmaging. The volunteer coaches will guide the players through the scrimmage the last 20 min of practice. After 40 min of training under the guidance of a professional trainer these young players are ready for a scrimmage. This gives all teams 60 min of practice time on Saturday

All lesson plans will be available on our WSA website for download ahead of time.
 

U7-U8 Rec Soccer – Game Format (Sunday)

  • 4v4 – no goalplayers

  • New ball when the ball goes over the sideline. 

  • Give players the opportunity to dribble a ball in when it goes over the backline. 

  • When a player dribbles the ball in, the opposing team needs to drop in to the halfway line to give the player on the ball an opportunity to bring the ball back in play.

  • Make sure to have the coaches and players along one sideline of the field, with the rest of the parents on the opposite side of the field.

  • It is important that all teams play their games using the same rules/regulations!

     
The benefit of the “mini game” format is that it:
  • Presents many opportunities to score goals and score goals often. 
  • Maximizes active participation and minimizes inactivity and boredom. 
  • Eliminates complicated rules such as offside that may hinder children from playing.      
Goalkeepers are not used because children must learn the skills and fundamentals of the game prior to specializing in a position.

5. EQUIPMENT

Every child in the program will be provided a team jersey (FIFA Countries), shorts and socks.  In addition, your child will need appropriate footwear (sneakers or soccer cleats), a size 3 ball and shin guards.  Open toed shoes or Crocs are not allowed for the child's own safety.  Socks, shin guards and cleats can be found in most major sporting goods stores in the area or online.  Please remember to bring water for your child and dress in appropriate athletic wear.

Required uniform and safety information:
 
  • Socks that cover shinguards
  • Soccer/athletic shorts are required (no zippers or pockets)
  • No jewelry (including earrings) or chewing gum is allowed
  • If your child wears glasses, consider protective sport eyewear (Rec-Specs)