ARSENAL F.C. 2024-2025
Thank you for choosing Arsenal Football Club!
Dear Parents and Players,
On behalf of the Club, the Training Staff, and Board we would like to welcome you to the Arsenal F.C. 2024-2025 Player Placement.
Arsenal F.C. has been serving the greater San Antonio areas for over forty years. From our humble recreational roots to our Select and Academy programs, Arsenal F.C. has been a mainstay in the greater soccer community of San Antonio. Our staff of USSF/NSCAA Licensed Trainers, are dedicated and committed to providing a safe and fun, yet disciplined and structured learning environment for your Soccer Player.
We, as a club and organization, take pride in offering high-level training and continued player development. Our Board consists of all volunteers, who are also dedicated and committed to the continuation of our core community values. Arsenal F.C. is part of AAYSA, SASL, STYSA, WDDOA and we are proud to now be part of the UPSL.
UPSL provides our players with a strong and consistent platform with opportunities and projects from the grassroots of the game advancing to the highest levels.
Thank you and Good Luck!
Javier Rodriguez
Director of Coaching
IMPORTANT DATES:
Please refer to your Teams BAND App calendar for updates to dates, practice times, and games. (BAND APP mobile phone app), this will be your primary source of general information & important dates for your team & for Arsenal F.C. throughout the year. Once placed on a team, you will be invited to join.
May 24-July 9: No Training (Some teams may hold summer trainings sessions - Contact Team Manager or Coach)
July 10-Aug 4: Summer Training – Dates and times to be announced by team
July 22, 23, 24 (7pm – 8:30pm) Session 1 – Strength & Conditioning Camp (additional cost)
July 29, 30, 31 (7pm – 8:30pm) Session 2 – Strength & Conditioning Camp (additional cost)
August 5: Regular Team Training starts (Fall) – Dates/times determined by coach
August 12-13; 19-20; 26-27; & Sept 2-4: possible Preseason Tourneys
September 9: First weekend of Fall games
October 14 – no training
November 9-10 Wurst Cup (Participation determined by team)
November 11 – no training
November 18-19: Post-season Tourneys
November 25-29: Thanksgiving Break
November 24-26: Possible ID Camps for U15-U19 Boys/Girls
December 1-3: Sports Source Showcase – Dallas - U15-19 Boys/Girls (additional cost)
December 16 - January 19: Christmas Break – no training
January 19: Regular Team Training returns (Spring)
January 27-28: Sting Austin Showcase - U15-19 Boys/Girls (additional cost)
February 3-4; 10-11; 17-18: possible Preseason tourneys
February 17: no training
March 17 - 23: Spring Break
April: National Cup Series (Directors, President, State Cups)
May: Player Placement
PLAYER & PARENT HANDBOOK:
The Arsenal Football Club (Arsenal F.C.) Parent / Player Handbook and Club Policies can be found online at www.arsenalfcsa.com on the Resources->Documents page. The handbook contains detailed information regarding Arsenal F.C. policies & procedures. All players & their families are expected to abide by policies & procedures in the handbook. If you have additional questions, please contact your head coach, team manager, or the Arsenal F.C. Administrator.
ARSENAL F.C. SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM:
Arsenal F.C. is committed to ensuring that no child shall be denied a roster spot based upon financial needs. To that end, Arsenal F.C. has established a financial assistance program to support qualified families. The program allows for those families to perform additional volunteer duties over the course of the soccer year, in lieu of paying the club fees. Applications for financial assistance must be received before or at the time of registration. Applications are kept confidential.
All applicants for financial assistance will be required to provide proof of need. Funds are limited and the amount of an individual award will be determined by the number of qualified applicants and the total amount of funds available. Financial assistance is only awarded on the fees and do not include commitment fees, uniforms, or any other team specific additional expenses. The program is monitored to ensure that participating families perform the expected duties. Those families who sign up for the financial aid program but do not perform their required duties will lose their right to participate with the club and lose the opportunity to participate in the program going forward. Awards will not be based on talent.
As a part of our annual giving campaign, we offer families the option to make a one-time payment in an amount of their choosing, to be credited to the Arsenal F.C. Financial Aid Program. Please consider donating to help our financial aid program provide soccer for deserving players.
If financial aid is needed, please contact Dee Santa Cruz at [email protected]
EXPECTATIONS & REQUIREMENTS:
All players are expected to meet a high standard of commitment. Players are expected to attend all practices & participate in all league games & tournaments. Players are expected to be prepared at every practice with the appropriate size ball and full practice uniform. Although we strive to provide quality playing time for all players, there are NO guarantees of playing time. The Academy league is the only league that requires 50% playing time. Coaches will make every effort to play each player at least one-half of each game, except when players are injured, ill, absent from training, or for disciplinary reasons. All players should expect to play in several tournaments, possibly on holiday weekends, including Labor Day, Thanksgiving, Memorial Day, &/or others.
BIRTH CERTIFICATE:
Once your player has been assigned to a team, you must submit a copy of a birth certificate to verify their legal name and date of birth, if you have not already done this in a previous seasonal year. There is a secure link on the website registration page to upload the copy.
Commitment Policy
Players will ONLY be allowed to participate with Arsenal F.C. organized leagues if one of the requirements below have been met:
1. Player commitment fees have been paid in full prior to the first scheduled practice.
2. Commitment fees have been partially paid prior to the first scheduled practice with a written commitment to pay the remainder of the fees before the fourth scheduled game.
3. A scholarship form has been received by the Arsenal F.C. staff before the deadline and communication has been made with the scholarship applicant about commitment fee, volunteer hours and payment plans.
Unless otherwise communicated, all commitment fees must be paid in full by the first scheduled practice, unless on a payment plan.
Arsenal F.C. will make an effort to collect past due fees as appropriate with potential for removal of current and future playing privileges. Please remember that Arsenal F.C. is a nonprofit organization that survives off registration fees. Not paying fees as indicated could result in increased playing costs for all players.
Annual fees include all coaching/training fees, annual league fees (i.e., qualifying tournaments, Spring Cups, etc.), individual player registration fees (membership, insurance, etc). Additional costs include non-league tournament fees (determined by Arsenal F.C. Coaching Staff), all player travel expenses, & out of Austin/San Antonio team travel costs for coaches at these events.
Fees remain the same regardless of the number of days your player attends training, the number of weeks for training, days missed due to weather or number of games in the season.
Fees will not be refunded or forgiven due to player absences, withdrawals, or early release from a team. The only exception to this policy is if the player provides the office with documented proof of an injury that prevents them from playing for a at least 6 weeks. Prorated refunds for documented injuries can be arranged.
ORDERING YOUR UNIFORM:
Following your team assignment, you will receive an email with a link to our Arsenal F.C. uniform page with scoresports.com. Follow the link to order your player’s uniform. Uniform numbers (#) are chosen by the player after confirmation with the Team Manager. You will need to choose each required uniform piece; once you have all required uniform pieces, please check out & complete your order using your credit card. Be sure and include your mailing address, as your uniform will be shipped directly to your address from scoresports.com. Please plan for a four to six (4-6) week delivery timeframe.
UNIFORM DEADLINE FOR ORDERING IS JULY 1 each year.
Samples of the uniform kit pieces for sizing can be available at the Field Office at Schertz Soccer Complex during scheduled training times throughout May.
MANDATORY UNIFORM PACKAGE:
The cost of the Score uniform kit is approximately $285.
The SCORE REQUIRED uniform package includes two (2) game jerseys (gray and blue), two (2) pairs of game shorts (gray and blue), two (2) pairs of game socks, one (1) training shirt, one (1) warm-up jacket, one (1) pant & one (1) backpack. Additional uniform pieces, logo wear, soccer balls, etc. are available online through Scoresports.com.
GOALKEEPER (GK) UNIFORM:
There are optional Goalkeeper uniform items available for order on the scoresports.com order link online. GKs are REQUIRED to have an approved jersey number on the back of their jersey.
INITIAL SCHEDULE:
In August, our Arsenal F.C. trainers work with opposing clubs/coaches to schedule the entire year’s games. Approximately 7-10 before the season starts, the schedule will be published by the league & is considered official. After the games are published, any changes to games (that are not caused by weather) require an agreement by both teams to a new date/time, approval from the home team’s field assignor, a fee to be paid, & a form submitted for processing to the league at least 10 days in advance. If a team does not play a game after all these steps are met, then that team will forfeit the game. There is a $250 per forfeit league fee which is the parent’s responsibility to pay.
RAINOUT GAMES:
If a game is rained out, the same process as above must happen within 72 hours of the original game date – but no fee is due.
WEATHER POLICY – Please refer to the Club Policy on www.arsenalfcsa.org
GAMES & TRAINING:
Arsenal F.C. wants all games & training sessions to happen as scheduled. As a staff & board, we wait to make decisions about field status until we are confident our decision is best. Fields are closed when it is felt that the safety of the players is in question, that traveling to the complex puts families in danger, or that the damage to the fields could provide an unsafe playing surface. Most decisions will be made in the mornings for weekend games, or as soon as we can for weeknight games. On training nights, our weather policy targets 2:00 pm as our decision deadline. Sometimes the decision will be to move training to the Pavilion or Parking Lot as a conditioning session. Arsenal F.C. makes every effort to make sure that training is not cancelled. Arsenal F.C. will only communicate cancellations to the membership.
League Apps: BAND mobile app:
This is the primary communication hub/app for the club. Parents & players are asked to download the app to their phones or tablets to ensure that they receive timely & accurate club/team information. Team Managers will send invite links to join.