Q:  What does the “U” in U8 stand for?

A: The “U” stands for under

 

Q:  My child is 8 years old and still in the U8 division, why is that?

A:  If you refer the divisions on the website, you will see the birthday cut off dates for each age group.  Teams are held together from fall to spring so there will be some players that turn 8, or the age that the age group is, throughout a season

 

Q: When does the U4 practice?

A:  PASA has this division set up to be very hands on with help from our friends at Club Ohio East, local High School players, and parents.  We are introducing soccer to a very young group and try to make a fun event out of it for the whole family.  With that, there are no practices, just fun on game day.

 

Q:  Can my child play up a division?

A:  This is up to the rec director and the parent.   Being that this is rec soccer, there are players of a wide variety of skill levels.  There are exceptions made where we have allowed higher skilled players play up a division.  Again, that final decision is up to the rec director

 

Q:  My child is small for their age, can they play down a division?

A:  PASA follows US Youth Soccer and Ohio Youth Soccer Association guidelines.  We would prefer that all players stay within their age group.  Only on very, very rare occasions will we make an exception for an older player to play outside of their age group with younger players.

 

Q:  Can I request a team or a player for my child to play with.  I have car pool issues

A:  Unfortunately, we do not honor these requests.  PASA has grown over the years to over 1000 players per season.  With the number of players, size of teams, there being 12 practice locations, and numerous other scheduling restrictions, we can not honor those requests 

 

Q:  What are player evaluations for?  Don’t all players who sign up get to play?

A:  Yes, PASA is recreational soccer and everyone gets to play.  With the size of the league, the board and rec director do not know every player or their skill level.  The annual evaluations is our best effort to eliminate the perception of the “stacking” of teams.  They are simple and contain only a few drills and sprinting.  We use this information to best spread out the top talent evenly among all teams in each division.  This is why it is very important for everyone, age groups U8 through U12, to attend.  Evaluations are not felt necessary for U4 and U6

 

Q:  What is a build out line and what is used for?

A:  The build out line is a dotted line on the fields in age groups U8, and U10.  This line is for when there is a goal kick only.  The opposing team must remain outside that on the goal kick until one of two things happens.  The ball has either gone outside the dotted line on the initial goal kick, or it is touched by someone on the same team behind that line, then it is a free ball for anyone.

It’s purpose is to prevent the opposing team from running up the score on these goal kicks as they can easily send them right back at the goalie.  Additionally, it teaches the concept of playing the ball up from the defense instead of just kicking it as far as possible on each goal kick.

 

Q:  The season has begun and we do not like our players coach.  We would like to move to another team.  Is that possible?

A:  Unfortunately, no.  PASA will make every effort to assist the coaches and the parents at making the seasons great for all players.  We can not take or allow the moving/changing of teams for liking or disliking coaches after the rosters are set.  This can lead to the appearance of inappropriate behavior in which players are on which team and for what reasons.  We ask that everyone be understanding and communicate with the coaches and attempt to work out any issues via the Rec Director if necessary.

 

Q: I, or my child, are interested in being a referee.  How do we get to do this with PASA?  Do the refs get paid?

A:  If you go to the referee tab on our website you will find a link to the Ohio South State Referee Committee.  There you can begin the certification process on line, there are some classroom items that you will need to attend as well and these are also scheduled through the OSSRC.  Afterward, please contact Kenny, the rec league director and submit your certification.  Referees must be at least 14 years of age and MUST be certified to ref PASA soccer games.   PASA does pay the referees and there is a scale for the pay based upon position and level of play

 

Q:  I have volunteered to be coach, assistance coach, team manager, what other items do I need to complete?

A:  In compliance with local, state, and federal guidelines, you are required to complete a series of items.

Directions: https://www.osysa.com/safesoccer/risk/ 

Reminder that each coach is required to complete the following in Player’s Health (which is accessed via Demosphere)…

1. Background check (OSA) (background checks from other outside organizations will not qualify)  When completing the background check, DO NOT PAY FOR IT.  Use the code OSYSARECPASA and there will be no charge

2. Lindsay’s Law (State)

3. Concussion training (State)

4. SafeSport (Federal)

 

Q:  My child has played all the way through U12, now where can he/she go to play?

A:  PASA players can be PASA players for life!  PASA has teams for both Jr. High and High School aged players.  We are part of the MSSA and HSSA.  These teams are provided high quality Pickerington themed jerseys and we play against other area rec teams such as Gahanna, Westerville, Canal Winchester and so on.  Please note that a player that plays club or is carded for club games CAN NOT play rec for that season as per the MSSA and HSSA rules

 

Q:  How do the rec league tournaments work?

A:  Every spring and fall season, PASA offers a tournament for the U8, U10, and U12 age groups.  In the spring is the more famous, PASA CUP.  This tournament includes all teams in those three age brackets.  The PASA CUP has been a staple of the league for more than thirty years.  In the fall is the more recently added Fall Classic.  This tournament includes the top four regular season seeds in the same three above mentioned age brackets.  The spring tournament includes everyone as we are a rec program and want all teams and players to get the chance and experience of a tournament.  The Fall Classic is the top four seeds as we are trying to emphasize the importance of the regular season games for the players.

Both tournaments are currently single elimination tournaments.  As where round robin is more common in soccer, the sheer size of PASA and these age groups would make it take a few weeks to complete a tournament of that style.