Q.     If my child chooses not to play do I get a refund?

A.    The R E United club has a refund policy stated on the information sheet, once the registration sheet is signed by the player the club is obligated to pay fees to the RSA, a player may only receive a refund if they are injured or move and are unable to continue to play. The refund will be minus the RSA/SSA fees if they have been paid and then pro-rated on the number of games left in the season.

Q.      How many practices, games do the players have? What happens if they miss some?

A.      Usually teams play once per week in indoor and practice once per week. However due to scheduling sometimes there are two games per week, or a second practice at the facility.  Some more competitive teams hold additional practices or fitness sessions. The summer schedule is similar and will vary by age group.  Coaches will each advise you of their position on missing games and/or practices, how they wish to be notified of when you will be away and the impact of your child missing them, e.g. they may not be in the starting line-up for next game, etc.

Q.     Where, when do we play?

A.     All indoor games are held at the indoor soccer facility, Credit Union EventPlex on the exhibition grounds.  Final game schedules are drawn up after the teams register. Specific age groups and divisions tend to play on the same nights each week and the RSA releases a tentative a few weeks prior to the start of the season.

For outdoor, teams will play at a variety of fields around the city, as there are a limited number of quality fields.  

Q.     Where, when do we practice?

A.     The R E United club provides one practice indoor gym practice time per week for each team and limited access to practices in the Indoor facility over the indoor season.  Practice facilities are arranged through the facility director.  The outdoor program makes use of a variety of fields, green spaces in the east end of the city and the University turf.

Q.     How long is the season?

A.     The indoor season starts the first or second week of October and goes until the end of March, end of February for U6 – U8 Program

For outdoor the season the games usually starts the first or second week of May and runs to end of June for U6 – U8 program,  mid-July for U10, second week of August for U12 and older RSA leagues and September for the U14 and older Premiere Soccer Teams (PSL provincial league).

Q.     How competitive is this league compared to Rec/Community Soccer?

A.      The RSA competitive league focuses on skill development, and the primary difference between rec soccer and competitive soccer is we offer qualified coaches (coaches training for new coaches, sponsor clinics) who teach skills and hold practices. Rec soccer is a great outlet for players to run and have fun but does not dedicate the same amount of time on soccer skills because it does not usually have practices, just games.

Q.     This is more expensive than Rec./Community Soccer, what is the difference?

A.     We pay registration and insurance fees to the Regina Soccer Association and Saskatchewan Soccer Association from every player’s registration fees, and refs in this league are certified and paid more.  We hold practices as well as games which doubles the facility cost compared to Rec which uses mainly no-cost school gyms. Our club must also pay for gym time, facility time, uniforms, coaches training, equipment, team support for Nationals, coaches expenses and honourariums.

Q.     What is the youngest my child can play?

A.     The Regina Soccer Association (RSA) youngest league is Under 6. Basically players should be 5 years old. Players younger than 5, who may turn 5 during the season may be able to participate. Those that are 4 –7 are encouraged to participate in Super Soccer Skills where they are taught basic skills, have the opportunity to scrimmage and participate in a program geared to their age and attention span.

Q.     Is there guaranteed playing time?

A.     Playing time is not guaranteed and varies by age group and division.  On the developmental teams and younger ages, coaches try to ensure all players get reasonable playing time. However, they also consider players attendance at games and practices and their attitudes when playing players, and in the older more competitive teams, the importance of the game.  In the Premiere Division playing time will vary and coaches should explain their criteria/approach for playing time at the beginning of each season. 

Q.     What equipment is needed?

A.     With the registration fee a playing jersey, alternate jersey, and club shorts are provided, these are cared for by the player over the season and returned at the end of the season.  The player must be prepared with personal white and black soccer socks (Club socks with no brand markings) soccer footwear – an indoor or outdoor shoe, and shin guards; players must have personal shorts and t-shirt, white or club yellow preferred for practices.  Players are not to wear their club uniform for practices. 

Q.     Can my child play on a team with their friend? Or a specific coach?

A.     Players are evaluated and placed on a team appropriate to their skills, we ask they note a preference to play with a friend and we will try to accommodate these requests, however they may have to play on a Div II team regardless of the evaluation.

Coaches try to accommodate requests however players must be fairly placed on teams as sometimes our teams face each other in league play and we try to keep these teams evenly split.

Q.     What happens if a player misses the evaluations?

A.     Players who played the previous season should have an evaluation from their coach to assess their placement; a new player is placed on a team that is in most need of players.  The Technical Director will look at the player and try to influence with the coaches the most appropriate placement.

Q.     Why do you evaluate players?

A.     Players are evaluated because everyone we want to make sure players are playing at a level that will ensure they are challenged and have the most rewarding experience.  Soccer is tiered in the RSA league, so some teams play at a more competitive level and some players have been playing longer or have chosen soccer as a sport they are dedicating more time and effort to, other players may be involved in many other activities and take soccer less seriously, every player is different and we try to place players on teams where they will learn, be challenged and have fun.

Q.     Who evaluates the players?

A.     Players are evaluated at the evaluation by 3 coaches who will not be coaching the age division, overseen by Pancho Bravo our club Technical Director.  The coaches of the team will take the evaluators input and meet with Pancho to make the final team selection.  If the player played the previous season, the evaluation for their coach will also be considered.  We have tried several ways to run evaluations with the goal of providing every player with a fair opportunity to be assessed, we constantly looking to improve the process so your comments are welcomed.

Q.     If a player doesn’t want to play Div I what do they do?

A.     Players do not have to play Div I.  Players are selected to the Div I teams because of the skills and potential they exhibit, however if for reasons of commitment or personal reasons they do not want to play Div I, the coaches would like to know before the teams are selected, and they can play on a Div II team.

Q.     Why is soccer zoned, why can’t a player play anywhere they want?

A      Soccer is zoned in Regina to encourage the depth of players evenly across the city, zoning has been in place since about 2001 and there seems to be an increase in competition across the 5 zones and more players coming into soccer at the lower age groups.

Q.     What are the skill development sessions and why would a player take them?

A.     Skill development sessions are offered to give players the chance to work on their skills and tactics beyond what is available in the limited practice time players have with their teams, the club ensures all U10 players participate in these session to give them strong fundamental skills, they are open to coaches.  Pancho Bravo leads the sessions and he is a highly recognized qualified coach and does great work the players.  We strongly encourage all players take advantage of these sessions if they want to improve.

Q.     Can a player play Rec/ Community soccer and R E United soccer?

A.     No, since Rec is an uninsured league and players in the Regina Soccer Association (RSA) are insured they are not supposed to play in an unrecognized, uninsured league.

Q.     Do I have to buy club socks?

A      You do not have to buy club socks, you may have sufficient socks, however all players must have a pair of solid white and solid black socks with no brand markings and bring these to every game.  The club purchases these socks in bulk at a discount and therefore offers them to members of the club at a reasonable price, usually below what any retail store, so if you need socks they are a good deal.  White and black socks are as important part of the uniform as the jersey and shorts and if a player does not have these at a game they will not be able to play that day.

Q.     How do I get involved if I want to volunteer or coach?

A.     We are run by volunteers, and every team has a volunteer coach manager and many tasks for parents as volunteers to take care of from organizing wind-ups or team photos to tracking equipment or uniforms.   

We have positions on our executive that are filled by volunteers and ask everyone to consider what they can do to give back to the soccer club.  Coaches are a very special and valuable group of volunteers and we encourage anyone interested in pursuing coaching to get in touch with our Technical Director and take a coaches course.