Marin FC provides an environment that inspires and advances players to the highest levels possible. We achieve this by emphasizing a culture of integrity, responsibility and commitment in training and competition while using the game of soccer as a vehicle to build character and teach life lessons.

Core Values

For Players

Create an environment where competing, player development, quality of play, collective play and sportsmanship are all equally important. In the Marin FC environment, creativity and risk taking are encouraged and integral to development.

Develop the individual player by maintaining a curriculum in accordance with US Soccer and other governing bodies, in the technical, tactical, physical and psycho-social aspects of the game.

Safeguard players’ health through appropriate guidance regarding nutrition, exercise, recovery, and avoiding the use of prohibited substances. 

Foster player-coach relationships that include open and honest dialogue to encourage self-advocacy for individual player development. 

Encourage players to seek higher education and assist with opportunities to play soccer at all levels, including collegiate, regional, national and international programs.

Provide financial assistance, to the best of our ability, for those in need.

Inspire a life-long passion and love for the beautiful game.

For Coaches

Assist coaches with player development by providing needed equipment and access to the highest quality facilities possible.

Provide structure and resources that support coaches in achieving the highest level of their craft, including licensure and other accreditations.

Foster coach-player relationships that encourage open and honest dialogue, constructive feedback and positive reinforcement.

Develop coaches in the pursuit of the full range of player core values, including affirmation that in player growth, mistakes are viewed as lessons learned and setbacks are opportunities for further development.

For Community

Encourage camaraderie and a commitment to self, team, club and community including service to others both inside and outside the club.

Impart to players that their progression occurs in a larger context, and their development as a player and person reflects on their club, family and community.

Recognize and celebrate players, coaches and volunteers for their contribution to team, club and community.

Fostering from all involved a positive club environment that promotes self-discipline, character, sportsmanship, and leadership is an indispensable element of the Marin FC mission. The Club Code of Conduct expresses our core values and goals in this endeavor and applies to players, parents and spectators. All must adhere to the following where applicable:

Commitment

• I am making a commitment to my teammates, the team, the club and myself for an entire season. The team is a small unit and its success depends on the commitment made by all to the training environment we jointly create. I will put team goals and success above personal glory.

• I will attend every team training and match that I possibly can. I will show up on time, stay for the full session, and give my full effort. I will honor all specific commitments I make at Marin FC and elsewhere, particularly at school.

• I will honor an honesty pact with my coach and will take responsibility for communicating with coaches with mutual respect and deference to their leadership role and responsibilities. Specifically and when things may be unnerving or particularly upsetting, I will observe a “24 hour cooling off period” before seeking any forum on an issue.

• I will safeguard my health through a healthy diet and the avoidance of prohibited or harmful substances. I will encourage and assist others in doing the same.

• As a parent, I will support my player, their teammates and their coach(es) as a contributor when called upon, an example and role model at all times, and by refraining from ‘coaching’ my player or others in the team space.

Ethics

• I will consistently exhibit good character, self-control and conduct myself as a positive role model and representative of my team, club and sport. I will endeavor to acknowledge in others their efforts, improvements and accomplishments.

• I will be worthy of trust in all I do and will live up to high ideals of ethics, fairness and sportsmanship and pursue victory with honor; I will do what’s right even when it’s unpopular or personally costly.

• I will live and compete honorably and with class by not lying, cheating, stealing or engaging in any other dishonest or unsportsmanlike conduct such as bravado or ‘trash-talk’. I will safeguard the integrity of the game.

• I will treat all people respectfully at all times, as I would expect to be treated. I will respect at all times game officials and opponents, and will be gracious in victory or defeat by keeping the game in proper perspective.

• I will never intentionally injure any player or engage in reckless behavior that might cause injury to myself or to others.

• I will offer positive and constructive words and encouragement to my teammates during training and matches and will leave instruction for the coach to deliver. I will not malign others whether in their presence or not.

Travel

• When the team is traveling, I will adhere to the Club Code of Conduct, the Club Travel Policy and any team policies implemented during travel.

Disciplinary Action

• All disciplinary action for any violation of this Code of Conduct is within the sole discretion of the team Coach, the club’s Senior Technical Staff and the Board of Directors. Disciplinary action may include suspension or expulsion of a player or parent. No reimbursement of fees or other costs will be made to a dismissed player or the player’s family.

Soccer is globally known as ‘The Beautiful Game’. Marin FC believes, emphasizes and ensures that discrimination, intolerance and exclusion for any reasons other than merit, has no place in The Beautiful Game, at Marin FC, or generally in all aspects of life. Specifically, verbal, physical, and/or psychosocial acts regarding gender, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation or socio-economic status that discriminate or exclude (or may, whether intended to or not) will simply not be tolerated. The beautiful game earned its moniker because of its purity.  On the field of competition, any person may rise or fall depending upon their faculties, athleticism, training, creativity, teamwork, and perseverance.  These are the sole measure of any player or other person. Marin FC enumerates this and other critical expectations in the ‘Ethics’ section of the club’s Code of Conduct:

Ethics

• I will consistently exhibit good character, self-control and conduct myself as a positive role model and representative of my team, club and sport. I will endeavor to acknowledge in others their efforts, improvements and accomplishments.

• I will be worthy of trust in all I do and will live up to high ideals of ethics, fairness and sportsmanship and pursue victory with honor; I will do what’s right even when it’s unpopular or personally costly.

• I will live and compete honorably and with class by not lying, cheating, stealing or engaging in any other dishonest or unsportsmanlike conduct such as bravado or ‘trash-talk’. I will safeguard the integrity of the game.

• I will treat all people respectfully at all times, as I would expect to be treated. I will respect at all times game officials and opponents, and will be gracious in victory or defeat by keeping the game in proper perspective.

• I will never intentionally injure any player or engage in reckless behavior that might cause injury to myself or to others.

• I will offer positive and constructive words and encouragement to my teammates during training and matches and will leave instruction for the coach to deliver. I will not malign others whether in their presence or not.

Annually, all teams are refreshed. While Marin FC employs a significant amount of guest and pool play in which players may move between teams for reasons of roster need or player development challenge, it is critical that the team structure at Marin FC not stagnant and therefore tryouts are conducted to afford the coaching staff the specific and organized opportunity to restructure team rosters. Board members, volunteers and appropriate administrative staff assist in the execution of tryouts.

In the U8 through U14 age groups, tryouts are conducted more formally with two to three specific sessions scheduled for player evaluation. Multiple evaluators are used in the review and selection process. Additionally, the responsible DOC, the Technical Director, and the Goalkeeper Coordinator are involved in the selection and review process.

In the U15 through U19 age groups, tryouts are integrated into the team training schedule with open pool trainings occurring around the existing teams standing training schedule. Typically the open pool trainings occur at sessions early in the week across a two week span such that the existing team is afforded closed team training in the second half of the weeks in preparation for weekend games or events. All slated coaches in each age/gender group act as collaborative evaluators in the review and selection process. Additionally, the responsible DOC, the Technical Director, and the Goalkeeper Coordinator are involved in the selection and review process.

Across all tryouts, evaluation and eventual selection of players is blind to financial situation, personal relationships, ethnicity, and/or places of origin or residence. Evaluation and eventual selection is based upon player performance including performance history, player potential to contribute, and demonstrated player attitude.

Selection to a team are determined by the coaching staff with the team coach taking the lead role. Selected players are notified by email and website posting with two days of the last tryout session. The selected player is then required to contact their coach and accept or decline their spot.

Marin FC offers player evaluation outside of tryouts on a case by case and as needed basis with the approval of the appropriate senior technical staff and coaches. In case of arriving out of area players, injuries at time of tryouts, and unavoidable conflicts at time of tryouts, team rosters, unless prohibited by league of governing body restrictions, may expand to accommodate additions of evaluated players meriting a roster spot.

Players in financial need are encouraged to apply for aid from Marin FC. The club offers application materials on its website (FA Application) and employs a review process for submitted documentation.

Financial aid at Marin FC is "blind", meaning that the club allocates a single pool of funds to qualified applicants. The club does not reserve subsets of funds for players based upon gender or level of team.

Awards are allocated based upon need and established financial aid budget of funds. Marin FC does not offer ‘full’ scholarships.

Award recipients are presented with a financial aid contract which binds them to remit installment payments for remaining fees on a set schedule to the club.  In turn, the club then funds the recipient’s team with the player’s team fees on one or two specified funding dates, Dec. 15th and March 15th.

For more information on financial aid, you may contact the clubs Director of Finacial Aid, Vicki Sodaro at hoodsails@aol.com.

For the purposes of creating and maintaining the appropriate level of challenge to achieve optimal player development on an individual basis, Marin FC does accommodate younger players 'playing up' on older teams.

A player who wishes to “play-up” on an older blue team will only be considered if they are deemed to be among the top 9 players for 11 aside teams or among the top 7 players for 9 aside teams, of the older team by the coach of the older team.  The DoC and coach of the older team will decide whether or not the player will be offered a place on the older team with oversight from the Marin FC Technical Director and if necessary, the Board of Directors.

Play ups are not allowed on red teams.

For other teams, play up requests or recommendations are evaluated case by case and decided upon by the Coaches, DoC of the age group, Technical Director and if necessary, the Board of Directors.

Note - the coaches, DoC, TD and Board will take into consideration what’s best for each player individually as well as the best interest of the teams.

Marin FC is a competitive soccer club in which our mission promotes building soccer players and young persons by “emphasizing a culture of integrity, responsibility and commitment”. Playing time for our players is a fundamental element in managing our mission and serving all players. To be transparent and organized, the following policy applies to playing time:

1. Each team coach is responsible for managing playing time. Much in the same way a referee has final authority over a game, the coach is the responsible party with regard to playing time.

2. Playing time may be dictated or governed by a specific playing league or authority in which Marin FC fields a team, eg. US Soccer’s Development Academy or Elite Clubs National League. It is the coach’s and age group Director of Coaching’s responsibility to understand and implement such requirements.

3. For ages U-8 through U-13 (and when not governed by #2 above), players will get a minimum of 33% of game minutes for blue teams and 50% of game minutes for all other teams over the course of the season (not necessarily over the course of a single or consecutive games).

4. For ages above U-13, Marin FC does not guarantee any specified playing time.

5. In managing playing time, coaches are expected to assess the following criteria (in no order):

• A player’s game time health situation

• Player performance in both training and games

• Player attitude in both training and games

• Player behavior in and around both training and games

• In-game tactical management needs

• Player demonstration of commitment or contribution in excess of standard expectations

• Attendance to both training and games

6. Players seeking review of their playing time may ask the following entities (in order):

• The team coach

• The Age Group Director of Coaching

• The Technical Director of Soccer Operations

• The Board of Directors

Marin FC is committed to the success of its teams and players. Financial stability by all those committing to an FC team resides in timely and complete payment of team fees. Delinquency occurs for a variety of reasons such as mistakes, lost payments or timing problems etc.. Delinquency can also be the precursor to larger problems and can destabilize team operations and thus deny the potential for success of all team members.

In order that delinquency does not get out of hand and become a serious problem before it can be addressed, and so that participants can clearly understand their financial position, Marin FC has established ‘Zones of Delinquency’ as described below. Based upon a team’s budget and payment schedule, players, families, team volunteers, and club officials can readily identify what zone a player is in and thereby what measures are required. Players enter zones of delinquency automatically based upon the team payments schedule and whether or not payment has been received accordingly.

ZONE 1 - A Single Missed Payment

A player enters zone 1 when a payment is not received in full by the payment’s due date. A partial payment is not sufficient. The player may or may not be notified of the delinquency. A reminder from team volunteers should be issued. The player is allowed to continue training and playing in games.

ZONE 2 - A Second Missed Payment

A player enters zone 2 when more than the full amount of one required payment is not received in full by the latest payment’s due date. The player and club treasurer are to be notified by the team volunteers within 5 working days of a player entering Zone 2. The player is allowed to continue training but may not play in games or organized scrimmages outside of trainings.

ZONE 3 - A Third Missed Payment

A player enters zone 3 when more than the full amount of two required payments has not been received by the latest payment’s due date. The player and club treasurer are to be notified by the team volunteers within 5 working days of a player entering Zone 3. The player is not allowed to continue training and may not play in games or organized scrimmages outside of trainings.

ZONE 4 - A Fourth Missed Payment

A player enters zone 4 when more than the full amount of three required payments has not been received by the latest payment’s due date. The player and club treasurer are to be notified by the team volunteers within 5 working days of a player entering Zone 4. The player is not allowed to continue training and may not play in games or organized scrimmages outside of trainings and any player in zone 4 is subject to expulsion from the team and club based upon the review and judgement of appropriate club officials.