This Month in Marin FC – December 2017
This Month in Marin FC summarizes the month’s news and notes in a series of ‘high-level’ briefs from various club constituents.
In This Edition
From the President
Here are a few highlights and news tidbits from the past month:
Sneaky December
December tends to sneak up on players and their families. Either it’s hiding in plain sight behind Thanksgiving’s Surf Cup, or it’s sitting beside you on the high school bench. No matter the method of entry, December has a way of frantically putting everyone a bit behind schedule, and with a to-do list that will surely unroll into the new year.
Working The ‘To Do’ List
The Board of Directors has confronted our own to-do list and worked diligently to check off things well in advance of next season. We have a preliminary tryout schedule for U8 through U19 players in accordance with NorCal’s new tryout windows, and have cautiously avoided any sessions on Mother’s Day. We have laid out and approved the new Spring Institute, which will be a two-month, 2-3 weekly session all-ages training environment in March and April, leading up to tryouts in May. We have completed the acquisition of our Women’s Premier Soccer League franchise and I will be attending the league’s AGM in January. And as most of you are aware, due to many outreaches and iterations, the club has a new crest and logo. Uniforms and spirit wear are already in the works for the ’18 -’19 season.
Rethinking Fundraising
Administratively, we have also undertaken a broad-based effort to restructure our club’s fundraising. We are becoming a verified non-profit entity with Facebook, such that we can enjoy matching gifts made through them, and are setting up protocols with Amazon Smile and Escrip, so that funds can be raised not from our members, but rather by our members through the normal course of shopping. Enrollment in these programs is easy, and we will follow up with simple instructions once everything is in place.
Tis The Season
Lastly, our year-end fundraising campaign is in full swing and thanks are due to all those who are donating and especially those enrolling in Give the Kids the Credit. In direct response to clear feedback in our mid-season survey, we are bolstering our Injury Prevention and Strength/Conditioning program and looking to eliminate in-season fundraising. The most powerful yet painless way to accomplish these tasks is increased enrollment in Give the Kids the Credit. The donation amounts are small and spread out monthly, yet they add up when everyone, who can, participates. $20, $25, $50 per month almost vanishes on your credit card bill, but over the year and across the whole club, it transforms into collaborative “heavy-lifting.” If you’re unfamiliar with the program or haven’t had a chance to enroll, please do. Here is a direct link for more information: https://forms.marinfc.com/give-the-kids-the-credit/.
A Moment for Thanks
December can play its stealthy tricks, one of which is adding items onto to-do lists as fast as we can cross others off. 2018 will be upon us before we know it, so as a last task for me in 2017, I want to take a moment to personally acknowledge all of you who made this year great and are certain to make the next even better. Parents are always present in force, symbiotically ‘playing’ their part astride their kids. The managers and treasurers are simply parents with capes, forever returning to their superhero lairs to plan and prepare. The coaches and senior technical staff have been tremendous, both in the day-to-day and in long-range efforts to guide us. And our board members and staff have provided the beating heart of the club, pumping necessary resources and support to where they are most needed.
And lastly, a special note of appreciation for the numerous new volunteers who have stepped forward in recent months and offered their ideas and industry on a myriad of possibilities and tasks. Thank you, and happy holidays to all!
Evan Cross, President
From the Director of Coaching
In Team News
In early November, the 05 and 04 Boys teams flew down to San Diego to take part in the USDA Regional Showcase. It exposed our boys to the quality of player and play that exists from Southern California up to Washington, with a wide range of playing styles. The trip proved to be a great bonding experience, providing the kids with an opportunity to learn how to travel as a team.
The NPL Showcase took place the weekend prior to the holiday, with several college coaches in attendance. Separately, a good number of our blue teams traveled down to San Diego for the Surf Cup over Thanksgiving. Special mention goes to the 99 Boys Blue team who ran out 3-0 in the top bracket, beating two, top 10 nationally ranked teams.
The U15 and up teams now turn their focus to high school soccer, while the U14 and below continue with winter play and State Cup. Our Academy boys will enjoy a hiatus from league play, focusing on recovery time and training, while our U12 DA Boys focus on futsal as they prepare for a January futsal event.
On the Coaching Front
The coaching staff was fortunate to have Carlos Juarez come in and discuss US Soccer’s licensure process. Carlos is an instructor for US Soccer, so to have him come in and explain in detail what’s required, and the various commitments entailed, was extremely insightful and appreciated by all.
Quarterly Meetings
We had our quarterly RAC meeting mid-month, which affords an opportunity for DOC’s in our Region to come together, discuss issues and work collaboratively to resolve them, ultimately providing solutions and direction for the benefit of youth soccer in Northern California.
– Josh Kalkstein, DOC
In the Spotlight
This month’s spotlight article features an interview with Boston College freshman, Ian Buehler. Here’s what he had to say:
Tell our readers a little about yourself.
I’m from Mill Valley and went to Marin Academy. My parents are John and Deborah Buehler, and I have an older brother and sister, Josh and Kate. I used to play everything except football, but since the beginning of high school, just soccer.
Recollect your Marin FC experience if you will.
I feel that Marin FC provides a special environment for growth. You get great hands on coaches who are there to help you reach your potential. I had a lot of good guys on my team, many who continued to college, so the level was great. We had a lot of good seasons, great tournament runs, and amazing memories, the best of which must be winning State Cup 9-1.
What other schools did you look at and why did you ultimately pick Boston College?
I looked at Columbia, Georgetown, NYU and Boston College. I’d wanted to go to BC since I was a little kid, so it was ultimately an easy choice and a dream come true.
What were some of the adjustments you had to make to successfully transition from club to collegiate ball?
The game is a lot faster and a lot more physical. I’ve tried to focus on speed of play and quicker decision making to more effectively make the transition.
Summarize your collegiate soccer career to date. What have been some of the highlights?
We have a talented team with some great older guys from clubs like Dortmund and Arsenal, so it’s been a growth year for sure. I’ve only played in two games, but I feel that I have a good footing in the team heading into this offseason. My ambition is to improve markedly and come back ready to compete for more playing time my Sophomore year.
What are you learning as a collegiate athlete that you’ll take into post-collegiate life?
How to produce under pressure, and how to get stuff done the right way no matter what the difficulty. The in-season schedule is grueling, so time management has been critical too.
From athletics to academics. What are you studying?
I’m in the Carroll School of Management, BC’s business school, so I’m taking the core requirements all freshman take now.
Any interests outside of soccer?
Basketball.
Any thoughts about life after college?
Not yet.
The Marin FC alumni community is alive and well. Do you keep in touch with many of your former teammates?
For sure. Some of my best friends are my old FC teammates!
Anyone you want to thank or recognize at Marin FC?
Josh Kalkstein, for one. We’ve all been so lucky to work with him over the years. He could coach at any level and I can’t stress enough how valuable it was to get his guidance in my formative playing years.
Before I let you go, give us a little insight into your interests and passions. Name three books on your book shelf, three gadgets you couldn’t live without, and three artists/bands in your IPod.
I don’t read for fun anymore, too much school work and soccer. I couldn’t live without my phone, my electric scooter, and my Air Pods. Future, Young thug and a Boogie fill my iPod.
How can our readers follow you if they’d like to track your athletic activities?
Those interested can follow us at http://www.bceagles.com/schedule.aspx?path=mso.
From the Director of Development
We Need You!
As 2017 wraps up, the board would like to address two critical goals that were clearly identified in the recent mid-season survey. Our first goal is to make a decidedly bigger commitment to injury prevention and strength and conditioning training for our players. In consultation with our program coordinator, we wish to create dedicated training sessions that better prepare and thus protect our players from injury. Our second goal is to dispense with in-season fundraising. While fundraisers, like the fall raffle, play a significant role in meeting the club’s financial aid need, we believe there is a better way that painlessly automates the process of generating much-needed revenue to fund important player and coach initiatives.
The solution to both goals is a tried and tested fundraising tool we introduced three seasons ago, called the Give the Kids the Credit (GTKTC) program, which we would like to highlight in this year-end giving campaign. If we can rely on you, our supporters and beneficiaries, to raise enrollment in GTKTC, the club will stabilize fundraising far into the future. GTKTC is a simple monthly tax deductible direct debit program that allows you to set how much you’re able to give, and how long you’d like to give. To illustrate, if only 20 families signed up to give $25 per month, we’d have enough money to fully-fund the new injury prevention program. And if 50% of our families participated at $25 per month, we’d have enough money to both eliminate the raffle and fully fund injury prevention and other similar player-specific development initiatives.
GTKTC allows you to specify the amount of your monthly donation, and once enrolled, requires zero oversight or maintenance on your part. The gift is tax deductible, and you may also earn miles or points, depending on which card program you’re enrolled in.
So that’s our year-end call to action. Help us eliminate fundraising fatigue and provide players with more, much-needed player-friendly programming, by signing up for the club’s GTKTC program by year-end. Your information is securely kept by the administering financial institution, and you’ll receive a year-end statement that allows you to deduct your gift to the full extent of the law.
Ready to make a difference? $25 is all it takes. Click here to make a meaningful monthly contribution and literally, give the kids the credit!
Got Team News?
To share a game summary or tournament recap:
- Visit https://www.marinfc.org/
- Locate ‘Media & Info’ under ‘About Marin FC’ at the top of the page
- Click ‘Submit an Article’
Alternatively, click here: https://forms.marinfc.com/submit-an-article/
Edited posts will be added to our website homepage “latest club news” section and posted on our Facebook page within 48 hours. We encourage you to use this tool to keep all in the club informed re: individual and team accomplishments. A big thanks to those of you that use it already.
– Ian Tonks, Director of Development