All Club Weekly Updates will be posted online here as well as sent via email to your Sport Ngin account.

Winter training cancelled

As you know we paused all planned winter training activities around Thanksgiving when Illinois moved into additional mitigation measures for COVID-19. With mitigations still in place as we are now approaching late January, the Board made the decision to formally cancel our plans for indoor winter training and focus our attention on the Spring outdoor season (more on that below). For those families who had signed up and paid for winter training, refunds will be processed this coming week. (Please note that for those who elected to pay in advance online via SportsEngine we are not able to credit those payments forward to the Spring season, hence the refund.)

Lyle and Luis will be providing regular at-home training ideas to help keep players active and hopefully kickstart conditioning in advance of Spring. If you did not receive the first training email, please contact Lyle (lylebarreiro@gmail.com).

Please note that our friends at Soccer Planet are currently offering options to rent time for individual training during the current mitigations. When/if our region is moved back to Tier 2 mitigations, small groups will again be permitted. We will keep you informed about this and also provide a list of IFC coaches who will make themselves available for individual or small group training sessions.

Spring Training

Per our normal schedule, we will plan to begin outdoor training at Dodds the week of March 22nd. At this time our approach will be as it was in the Fall, keeping the same training groups and following the same COVID-19 safety protocols. Specific details concerning practice times, costs, registration, etc. will finalized in the weeks ahead.

IFC Board membership 2021

There are a couple of changes to the make-up of the Board to share with you. I am very pleased to announce that Chad Slack (father of Austin, U10 boys) has joined the Board in 2021 as a Member Director-at-Large and agreed to serve through 2022. A single vacancy was created when Katherine Galvin stepped down from her position, which was to run through the end of 2021. She has, however, graciously agreed to continue to support the Board in a non-voting role. At the January meeting of the Board it was agreed that Board officers would stay the same as in 2020. A full updated listing can be found at our website.

IFC Administrator

I am pleased to announce the hiring of a new part-time club Admin to start in early February:  Long-time club member/parent Kim Dahl. Please keep an eye for a formal announcement in the coming weeks.

New Tournament site / Spring Invite

IFC has signed an agreement for our next tournament to be hosted at the brand new Rantoul Family Sports Complex, which is due to open in March. We saw many advantages to working with the Village of Rantoul to host our next event, including full lighting on all fields, artificial turf to ensure very few (if any) weather-related cancellations, overall reduction in field rental costs, and an enhanced level of support provided by the village/complex.

Our Spring Invite is currently slated for May 7-9, pending of course the lifting of current Illinois state restrictions that at present do not allow for this type of event. If we are unable to host the Spring Invite due to ongoing concerns related to the pandemic, we will plan to host the Fall Cup at the Rantoul Complex.

Please note that due to the updated tier 3 mitigations announced by Governor Pritzker that will go into effect Friday, November 20, winter activities that were planned to start in early December will be postponed. We will keep you posted when/if we are able to reschedule. Illinois Alliance tryouts, which were originally set for Nov 21st at Soccer Planet, have also been postponed.

For those who have already registered for a winter training session, we will keep your registration active.

If you have any questions, please send them to admin@illinoisfc.com.

Weekly Update-Week of Nov 9th- Nov 15th  

Dear IFC families

Kindly note that the winter schedule is up on the website. Dates for the season are as follows:

U8 - U14: Jan 11th - March 14th, 2021
U16 - U18: Dec 2nd - Dec 17th, 2020 & Jan 6th - Feb 14th 2021

We are greatly limited by the lack of access to facilities we have used in past winter seasons due to COVID-related restrictions, but are very pleased that our partner Soccer Planet has been able to accommodate us. Thus all winter training sessions will be held at Soccer Planet. With that being the only facility, however, the 2nd weekly training sessions for most age groups will take place on the weekends. 
 

*Please note that all trapped players born in 2006 fall in the U16 category and will start on Dec 2nd  

With practices moving indoors, we've had to update our return-to-play guidelines. Please ensure that our players are familiar with all the protocols. That newest version can be found at https://www.illinoisfc.com/clubinfo

The curriculum will, again, aim to improve individual play. The emphasis during winter will be on technical skills and decision making.  

Registrations for U16 - U18 will open on Nov 16th and all others are encouraged to register as of Dec 8th. Please use this link: https://illinoisfc.sportngin.com/register/form/938323661

We look forward to another successful season! 

Weekly Update-Week of Nov 2nd - Nov 8th  

NEW IFC gear is now available (Just in time for holiday shopping!):

• Hoodies, Sherpas, Joggers, Shoebags and more: https://www.europeansports.com/#/clubs/ifc
• Order by November 15 for guaranteed delivery around December 4!

Last week of Fall season training!

• Friday Focus Group 
• Saturday Scrimmage

Weekly Update-Week of October 26th - Nov 1st 

As we plan for the IFC winter program, health and safety regulations remain top of the priority list. The guidelines set out for the fall season have served us well. We have, therefore, included additional protocols for the winter program and adapted curriculum accordingly. The final schedule will be sent out as soon as our indoor practice facilities have been confirmed. Please keep an eye out for more details over the next 2 weeks.

Scheduled dates are:

U16 – U18

·      Practice Dates: Nov 30th 2020 – Feb 11th 2021 (break: Dec 18th 2020 – Jan 3rd 2021)

·      Registrations: Nov 16th – Dec 5th

·      Practice frequency: twice/week

·      Program cost: $150 for the winter session

U8 – U14

·      Practice Dates: Jan11th – March 11th 2021

·      Registrations: Nov 16th – Dec 5th

·      Practice frequency: twice/week

·      Program cost: $150 for the winter session

Additional return-to-play protocol that IFC has added for indoor practices are as follows:

• In conjunction with our practice facility, we will ensure that signage is displayed at entry with face covering requirements, social distancing guidelines, cleaning protocols, and any reduced capacity limit.
• We will ensure that we do not exceed 20% capacity or 50 individuals (whichever is less) within the facility.
• Squad sizes will be limited to no more than 18 per group.
• Should we have 2 or more groups practicing within the facility, we will maintain a 30 feet distance between groups. In this case, groups will also be dismissed separately.
• Non-competitive activities (activities in Level 1) will be set up to allow for 6-ft of distancing between participants whenever possible. If social distancing cannot be maintained during activity, participants will still maintain 6-ft of distancing while on the sidelines/ not directly involved in the activity.
• Scrimmaging rules will be adapted to meet activity level 1 standard. Tackling, as a form of gaining possession of the ball, will therefore be excluded.
• Spectators will be limited to 1 immediate household member or guardian only.
• Additional facility guidelines will also be adhered to. This will be made available once practice facilities have been finalized.
• All other existing guidelines remain in place and can be found on our website (https://www.illinoisfc.com/covid19)

We are now seeking a part-time Club Administrator. 
The Administrator plays a critical role in supporting the Club’s day-to-day operations. Responsibilities include, but are not limited to: 

•    Managing player registrations. 
•    Managing payment collection. 
•    Customer service (e.g., fielding parent questions). 
•    Light bookkeeping (writing checks, recording transactions in QuickBooks, reconciling Club bank accounts, etc.) and prepping of tax documents (working with club accountant)
•    Assisting with tournament and league registrations. 
•    Managing the Club’s calendars and schedules. 
•    Arranging facilities rentals. 
•    Sending out weekly Club updates. 
•    Assisting with Club marketing and promotions. 
•    Updating the Club’s website. 

The ideal candidate must be friendly, reliable, organized, and have excellent verbal/written communication skills. Familiarity with QuickBooks, Google Docs, and Google Sheets is desirable but not required. 

During normal times, this is a part-time position of approximately 20-25 hours per week. At present, with a lower level of membership, no competition or travel, and limited activities due to the pandemic, only 8-10 hours per week are needed. 

The work can be done remotely, although some occasional work from the club office may be necessary. Pay is hourly and dependent upon qualifications and experience. Interested candidates should contact Skip Maier at president@illinoisfc.com as soon as possible. 

Illinois FC is an equal opportunity employer. All applicants will be considered for employment without attention to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, national origin, veteran’s status, disability, or any other non-merit factor. 

Skip Maier
Illinois FC Board of Directors President
president@illinoisfc.com

Weekly Update-Week of October 19th - October 25th

• Panda Express Fundraiser TONIGHT! (10/23)
  • Support the league community and order in-store or online for takeout, delivery, or dine-in from the Panda Express at 2521 N. Prospect Ave Champaign, IL on . Use the online ordering code 316947 at order.pandaexpress.com (Fundraiser online ordering instructions:http://bit.ly/Online-Ordering-Instructions) or show the flyer in store so that 20% of your purchases are donated back to Illinois Futbol Club!
• All team scrimmages at Dodds Park (10/24)
• LAST All team scrimmages at Dodds Park (11/7)

Weekly Update-Week of October 12th - October 18th

Upcoming

• All team scrimmages at Dodds Park (10/17)
• Panda Express Fundraiser (10/23)
• All team scrimmages at Dodds Park (10/24)
• LAST All team scrimmages at Dodds Park (11/7)

Weekly Update-Week of October 5th - October 11th

Dear IFC Members

Just a reminder that focus group practice and scrimmages are not scheduled for this weekend. We will regroup at practice next week. On that note, we would also like to remind everyone to continue to follow the health and safety guidelines. All queries, concerns, suggestions and or compliments  can be addressed to Kaleigh Evans at admin@illinoifc.com

Regards,

Lyle

Weekly Update-Week of September 28th - October 4th

Payment and Final Team Acceptance 

Our final team acceptance form can be found at https://illinoisfc.sportngin.com/register/form/653353989. If you intend on joining us for the remainder of the Fall Season you MUST fill out this form and pay in full immediately. 

There are three ways to pay (outlined within the registration) online in full, online with a payment plan, or offline. If you are choosing the offline option you must either hand in your payment in full to Luis, our interim DOC, directly or mail it to our offices at 2310 N. Willow Rd. Urbana, IL 61802. Please confirm via email your intended plan If opting to pay via offline processing. 

All scholarship athletes have been notified and should complete the registration accordingly. At checkout, choose the offline option. Payment must be made in full. Please follow the same methodology outlined above. 

Upcoming

• SportsEngine teams will be created upon the final deadline of the team acceptance registration and payment. I will notify our members when official teams are up and running (tentatively 10/5)
• An all-team scrimmage will take place at Dodds Park on Saturday 10/3. You can find the schedule at https://www.illinoisfc.com/clubinfo. 
• Friday, 10/23, Team Fundraiser at the Panda
  Express location at: 2521 N. Prospect Ave Champaign, IL during store
  hours. More details to come!

Weekly Update-Week of September 21st - September 27th

Payment and Final Team Acceptance 

Our final team acceptance form can be found at https://illinoisfc.sportngin.com/register/form/653353989. If you intend on joining us for the remainder of the Fall Season you MUST fill out this form by 9/20. Additionally, all payments must be processed by 9/20 as well.

There are three ways to pay (outlined within the registration) online in full, online with a payment plan, or offline. If you are choosing the offline option you must either hand in your payment in full to Luis, our interim DOC, directly or mail it to our offices at 2310 N. Willow Rd. Urbana, IL 61802. Please confirm via email your intended plan If opting to pay via offline processing. 

All scholarship athletes have been notified and should complete the registration accordingly. At checkout, choose the offline option. Payment must be made in full by 9/20. Please follow the same methodology outlined above. 

Upcoming

• Payment and Final Team Registration due 9/20. Athletes will no longer be able to attend training sessions until this process is complete. 
• SportsEngine teams will be created upon the final deadline of the team acceptance registration and payment. I will notify our members when official teams are up and running (tentatively 10/5)
• An all-team scrimmage will take place at Dodds Park on Saturday 10/3. You can find the schedule at https://www.illinoisfc.com/clubinfo. 

Weekly Update-Week of September 14th - September 20th

Webinar Series

Tonight IFC will be hosting a virtual leadership webinar. The first webinar will take place at 5 pm for all our U8 to U12 players. It will last approximately 40 minutes. 

To attend please Join the Zoom Meeting by following this link:
https://us04web.zoom.us/j/79410942339?pwd=bllDcTZEUnlBREpoSkNVaVhDeEZqdz09
Meeting ID: 794 1094 2339
Passcode: Q2bafM

The second webinar will commence at 6 pm for all of our U14 to U18 players and will last approximately 40 minutes.  

To attend please join the Zoom Meeting by following this link:
https://us04web.zoom.us/j/79785401171?pwd=UzBQWTcra2lxY05tK3VrZ25rRjR2UT09
Meeting ID: 797 8540 1171
Passcode: HU3RXL

If you have any specific questions regarding this series please feel free to reach out to our host Teddy Dondanville at twdondanville@gmail.com. 

Payment and Final Team Acceptance 

Our final team acceptance form can be found at https://illinoisfc.sportngin.com/register/form/653353989. If you intend on joining us for the remainder of the Fall Season you MUST fill out this form by 9/20. Additionally, all payments must be processed by 9/20 as well.

There are three ways to pay (outlined within the registration) online in full, online with a payment plan, or offline. If you are choosing the offline option you must either hand in your payment in full to Luis, our interim DOC, directly or mail it to our offices at 2310 N. Willow Rd. Urbana, IL 61802. Please confirm via email your intended plan If opting to pay via offline processing. 

All scholarship athletes have been notified and should complete the registration accordingly. At checkout, choose the offline option. Payment must be made in full by 9/20. Please follow the same methodology outlined above. 

Upcoming

• Zoom Webinar Series 9/18 at 5 PM and 6 PM. 
• Payment and Final Team Registration due 9/20. Athletes will no longer be able to attend training sessions until this process is complete. 
• SportsEngine teams will be created upon the final deadline of the team acceptance registration and payment. I will notify our members when official teams are up and running (tentatively by 9/25). 
• An all-team scrimmage will take place at Dodds Park on Saturday 9/26. You can find the schedule at https://www.illinoisfc.com/clubinfo. 

Weekly Update-Week of September 7th - September 13th

Scrimmages

• IFC will host a scrimmage tomorrow at Dodd’s park for all participating age groups (this will still be the case whether or not a specific coach is able to attend)

• The schedule for all our scrimmages can be found at https://www.illinoisfc.com/clubinfo. Take note that the column header is not directly associated with a specific team. It simply lists all the scrimmaging dates. The specific time slots for each training group on those days will be found on the bottom half of the schedule.

• While at Dodds Park, please be mindful of our biosecurity protocols. They can be found on our website at https://www.illinoisfc.com/covid19.

• We hope to see you and your athlete there!

IFC Team Acceptance and Payments

• At this time we ask that all Fall 2020 season participating athletes, fill out their team acceptance form to show their final commitments to IFC. 

• To complete the final registration process please follow this link: https://illinoisfc.sportngin.com/register/form/653353989 

• Upon completion of this registration, you will have the option to pay for your membership. 

• There are 3 options available: pay online in full, pay online via payment plan, and pay offline. 

• If opting to pay offline, all required fees are due in full by September 20th

• Payments online are currently set up in two ways: Online in full by 9/20 or Online Membership + 1 month by 9/20 with the remaining amount due 10/15. 

• Take note that if you are registering more than one athlete you will have specific instructions to follow via the link (on the final "review" page, you'll see an option to register another player). 

• If you are owed a season credit from the Spring 2020 season, I will contact you personally regarding the processing. Do not complete this process until you received my email.

• If you have been selected for a scholarship, you will be required to pay our membership fee offline in full. I will reach out to you personally regarding that process. Upon filling out this registration please selected the offline option. 

• After this processing is complete, I will then create final rosters on SportsEngine where parents and coaches can easily communicate.

Weekly Update-Week of August 31st to September 6th

Registration

• Fall 2020 Season Registration closes Friday 9/4. 
• Fall 2020 Season Team Acceptance Registration will open sometime shortly after. Please stay tuned for further information.

Payments 

• The Fall 2020 Season membership fee structure can be found at https://www.illinoisfc.com/clubinfo.
• The membership registration fee will be due on September 15th while the remaining balance must be paid in full by October 15th.
• Electronic payments will be processed through sports engine upon filling out the Fall 2020 Season Team Acceptance form. 
• All scholarship applications must be filled out accordingly beforehand and can be found at https://www.illinoisfc.com/clubinfo.

Focus Groups

• Focus group sessions begin Friday 9/4 starting with IFC goalie keepers. Members who did not receive a formal invitation for this session do not need to worry about attendance. 
• The schedule can be found at https://www.illinoisfc.com/clubinfo.

Saturday Scrimmages

• On Saturday (9/5), IFC will commence its Fall 2020 season with its first intrasquad scrimmage. 

• Remember to check the time schedule on the website and to bring a white and black t-shirt.

• Notify your coaches personally if you cannot attend. Their information can be found at https://www.illinoisfc.com/staffcoaches. 

Weekly Update-Week of August 24th to August 30th

Registration:

• IFC's Fall 2020 season registration is currently still open. If you know of anyone that may be curious or enthusiastic about club soccer we ask that you encourage them to give IFC a try.
• For those of you that have not submitted your IYSA and Covid-19 documentation please do so now. The forms can be found on https://www.illinoisfc.com/registration. Athletes are not allowed to participate until these forms are completed. You can submit a virtual copy to admin@illinoisfc.com or hand a physical copy in with your coach. 

Friday Focus Sessions:

• Friday focus sessions are slated to tentatively begin Friday, September 4th with goalie specific training. Specific scheduling and information regarding these sessions will be released soon. 

Inclement Weather Policy:

• Please be mindful when inclement weather is in the forecast, and familiarize yourself with Dodds Park's rainout process.
• Specifically, the Champaign Park District will check the fields in the late afternoon and make a decision on whether or not they will close the fields. They will post this decision via the "Rain Out" line.
• The "Rain Out" line and any subsequent information can be found at: https://rainoutline.com/search/dnis/2178054100. They also have an app that you can download for your convenience.

Coach Communications:

• Please visit www.illinoisfc.com/staffcoaches  for IFC coach contact information.
• Sportsengine training groups for messaging will be created after team rosters are finalized. I will provide more information at that time. 
• At this time, we highly encourage you all to reach out to your coach via email for initial contact. Each coach has their preferred method of communication that they can share with you personally. 

Payments:

• IFC will not be collecting Fall 2020 season dues until labor day weekend (tentatively). Final payments are due September 15th and more information will be given closer to that time. 
• For those of you interested in scholarship opportunities, please be sure to submit your application to admin@illinoisfc.com by next week! Information regarding scholarships can be found at https://www.illinoisfc.com/clubinfo.

Gear:

• IFC has "in-house" training t-shirts available in limited inventory. They are available for $5 per shirt. 
• New members should submit their training t-shirt size to Kaleigh Evans at admin@illinoisfc.com. 
• New Member Packets are still available for purchase with our vendor European Sports (http://www.europeansports.com/#/clubs/ifc) At this time, members will receive everything in their packet excluding the uniform. Uniforms will be shipped once team allocations are finalized and rosters are complete (tentatively next week.) 

Fall 2020 Micros:

• The Champaign Park District has released their Fall 2020 Micro Season Information. I have updated our website accordingly and that information can be found at https://www.illinoisfc.com/fallmicro. For all micro questions please refer to the Champaign Parks Department at 217.398.2550. 

Questions/Concerns?

• Please feel free to email me (admin@illinoisfc.com) at any time with any questions or concerns you may have. I ask that you please bookmark our website and familiarize yourself with its components as it provides a lot of elaborate and thorough information. I know that this information can be overwhelming and I am always available to answer questions on anything that seems unclear. 

1. Please arrive at Dodd's park 10-15 minutes prior to the start of your sanctioned practice session. Dodd’s park is located at 1501 N Mattis Ave, Champaign, IL 61821. See picture below:

• Parking is available at the yellow x’s
• IFC administration will be housed at the black circle near the pavilion
• Field allocations are labeled accordingly. Please see the training schedule for your specific athlete’s practice location

2. Upon entering the facilities, we ask that you wear a mask and maintain social distancing. IFC administration will be located at the center walkway to lead you through any necessary procedures. 

3. IFC asks that members familiarize themselves with our return-to-play guidelines prior to attending their first practice session. After athletes are escorted (or directed) to their respected field, we ask that all parents return to their cars. Only IFC staff and sanctioned volunteers are permitted on the fields at this time. 

4. All fields will be evaluated and cleaned prior to the start of practice

5. Sanitizer stations and disposal sites will be set up near Field 4

6. As outlined in our Return-to-play guidelines, all athletes will undergo a pre-screening process via coaching staff

7. If you have any specific questions please refer to the administration at our welcome table at the entrance. 

• Coaching  curriculum questions will be noted and directed to Lyle
• Administration matters will be directed to Kaleigh 

Weekly Update-Week of August 17th to August 23rd

Reminders

Practice is slated to begin August 24th at Dodd’s Park. Please see the practice schedule below. Take note: your athlete’s birth year indicates their selected practice group. Please attend the training session that is associated with your athlete’s birthday. You will also want to note what practice field your athlete’s training group is associated with. The layout of Dodd’s Park is also pictured below. More specific information regarding Dodd’s park can be found at https://champaignparks.com/park/dodds-park/. 

ALL athletes must be completely registered prior to the start of practice. This means that the IYSA and Covid-19 medical consent waivers must be completed before we allow any athlete to participate. If your athlete has a medical condition, IFC also requires a certificate of approval from a doctor before participating. Your athlete will not be allowed to practice until these items are filed accordingly. 

IFC has recently updated our Return-to-Play guidelines. We encourage you all to look over these amendments prior to the start of practice. This information can be found at https://www.illinoisfc.com/clubinfo. 

IFC hosted a town hall meeting this past Tuesday (8/17) at 7PM. We had an amazing turn out with over 60 participants. We want to thank you all for your open communication and valuable feedback. The recording if this virtual meeting can be found at: https://illinois.zoom.us/rec/share/9-B3BKjC305LYq_O-Hv2XKd_PIvsX6a8hiUc_qIFzB6CKZU6tizG4SZeFrXPtpR_

IFC New Members: Please reach out to Kaleigh Evans at admin@illinoisfc.com with your athlete’s t-shirt size and information. Other information about gear expectation can be found at https://www.illinoisfc.com/clubinfo. 

IFC Fall 2020 Season Fee Structure and Scholarship Information has been made available on our website (https://www.illinoisfc.com/clubinfo). More information regarding the payment process will be made announced at a later date. For scholarship inquiries, please submit your application materials to admin@illinoisfc.com in a timely manner as fall 2020 season payments will be due September 15th.

Weekly Update-Week of August 10th to August 16th

Upcoming Events

1. IFC will be hosting a virtual town hall meeting Monday 8/17/20 at 7 pm. To attend please use the following link: https://illinois.zoom.us/j/92485414837?pwd=R3hmVXNWdnpOUk52bTFyRWJwRjJwZz09. The password is 188039. We hope to see you all there. Come prepared with your questions and concerns. 
2. Team practice is set to begin on August 24th. Location and schedule can be found at https://www.illinoisfc.com/tryouts 

General Considerations:

1. All athletes must be registered through SportsEngine before practice begins on August 24th. 
2. All athletes must submit a COVID-19 waiver and an IYSA medical release form to Kaleigh Evans at admin@illinoisfc.com prior to practice on August 24th
3. If you are registering a child with a preexisting condition IFC must also receive a medical certificate of approval from your physician or doctor consenting to participate in physical activity with IFC
4. For more information please visit https://www.illinoisfc.com/registration

Finances

1. Information regarding Fall 2020 program fees and scholarship processing can be found at https://www.illinoisfc.com/clubinfo
2. Please note that we will not collect payment until after teams are allocated and memberships are accepted (tentatively 9/15/20)

Gear

1. Information uniforms and gear can be found at https://www.illinoisfc.com/registration and https://www.illinoisfc.com/clubinfo
2. Please note: athletes should wear their IFC training shirts to practice starting August 24th. 

Practices

1. Slated to begin August 24th
2. Use the schedule posted above. Take note: your athlete's birthday will now dictate their practice group. Please ensure your athlete is attending the appropriate session based on those parameters as they coordinate to a specific coach and time frame. 
3. Practices will be held at Dodd's park. Information regarding directions and field lay out can be found here: https://www.illinoisfc.com/tryouts
4. All athletes will undergo a biosafety prescreening process prior to the start of practice. Please familiarize yourself with our Return-to-Play guidelines found at https://www.illinoisfc.com/clubinfo (they have been recently updated)

Weekly Update-Week of August 3rd to August 9th

Registration

• Please continue to register your athlete for the Fall 2020 Season and send their signed medical documentation to me at admin@illinoisfc.com. Information regarding this process can be found at: https://www.illinoisfc.com/registration

• Please note: if you are registering an athlete with a preexisting condition, IFC must receive supporting documentation from their doctor of their attendance. 

Tentative Scheduling

• A modified practice schedule has been emailed out to our membership. It can also be found at https://www.illinoisfc.com/clubinfo and https://www.illinoisfc.com/tryouts

• Please note: this is a projected schedule and notifications will be sent out to the affected age group should any changes occur

Uniforms and Gear

New Members: Being part of a Club Team, IFC members are required to dress uniformly at all IFC practices and competitions. Typically, at this time we would ask you all to purchase an Illinois FC Fall 2019 Mandatory Player Uniform Kit found at https://www.europeansports.com/#/clubs/ifc.

This is the mandatory kit that includes the uniform and practice shirts that all IFC players will wear through the Spring 2021 Season. However, given the current state of youth programs and games, we understand if new members want to wait to purchase kits until games are scheduled. But with practices starting August 24 where the training shirt is required, I wanted to make you aware of 2 alternative means to obtain the practice shirts:

• You may purchase only the ILLINOIS FC COTTON TRAINING SHIRTS at the website listed above. European Sports charges $10 per shirt and usually has a 2-3 week shipping process so please plan accordingly.
• IFC has an inventory of shirts available for purchase "in house" upon request on a first-come, first-serve basis. These are available in limited sizes at $5. Please reach out to me at admin@illinoisfc.com to order or for more information.

As a recommendation, with practices twice a week, most members have at least 2 shirts to avoid doing extra laundry.

If any returning member needs new practice shirts, these options are also available to you.

Gear Considerations:

Masks are required at all IFC practices and training sessions. Our distributor, European Sports, has graciously added a 3 Ply Facemask with IFC's logo on the corner into our team's online store (https://www.europeansports.com/#/clubs/ifc) If you would like to purchase this item or any other additional gear you are more than welcome to on an individual basis. It is not required. Please note that it can take up to 3 weeks for delivery. 

Finances

• For information regarding IFC's program costs please see https://www.illinoisfc.com/clubinfo and https://www.illinoisfc.com/tryouts.

• IFC does offer scholarship opportunities to our members. Please see https://www.illinoisfc.com/clubinfo and https://www.illinoisfc.com/tryouts for more information regarding the requirements and application process. 

Weekly Update-Week of July 27th to August 2nd

July 31st: IYSA has released their official guidelines and adaptions to the recent restrictions put on youth soccer this pdf can be found at https://www.illinoisfc.com/covid19 ; https://www.illinoisfc.com/clubinfo; https://www.illinoisfc.com/registration. 

IFC will be reviewing this information over the next few days, and will then adjust our plans if needed. A more official statement will come out in due time.

July 30th: IYSA is working diligently with the Illinois Department of Public Health to further clarify the restrictions on youth sports and will develop a new plan accordingly. See announcement below: http://campaign.r20.constantcontact.com/render?m=1108959632472&ca=2a78e0f5-262e-4c3f-b19b-dc4b65dee9ac

IFC will be working rigorously with IYSA during this time and will contact our membership once we have more details.

More information can be found here: https://www2.illinois.gov/Pages/news-item.aspx?ReleaseID=21872

July 29th: By now you may have heard some rumblings regarding Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker's most recent COVID-19 update in today's afternoon press conference. His announcement addressed the fate of high school sports, youth sports, and adult recreation sports in Illinois. Specifically, starting on August 15th, Illinois will ask these groups to adhere to new restrictions amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. You can find the information regarding this announcement here: https://www.news-gazette.com/sports/pritzker-restrictions-on-ihsa-youth-sports-and-adult-recreation-sports/article_00ddeca2-efbf-524b-afdd-3c3948ba6c22.html 

In his debriefing, Pritzker cited three tiers of risk when categorizing sports — lower, medium, and higher. Pritzker's guidance also incorporates "Type of Play Levels," which are four levels of action permitted as "dictated by current public health conditions."

• Level 1: No-contact practices and training only
• Level 2: Intra-team scrimmages allowed, with parental consent for minors; no competitive play
• Level 3: Intra-conference or intra-EMS-region or intra-league play/meets only; state- or league-championship games/meets allowed for low-risk sports only
• Level 4: Tournaments, out-of-conference/league play, multi-team meets, out-of-state play allowed; championship games allowed.

According to the document, lower-risk sports currently can be held at Levels 1, 2, and 3 awhile medium-risk sports are able to occur at Levels 1 and 2. Higher-risk sports can only happen at Level 1 right now. Soccer was rated as a medium risk that operates under level 1 and 2 meaning that intra-team scrimmages are allowed with parental consent for minors; and no competitive play.

Take note that we now will be adjusting our plans as needed for the fall season, but this certainly means no CIYSL or organized League games for the fall until we hear otherwise. IFC plans to take advantage of all permitted forms of competition.

Please stay tuned for further information. We thank you for your patience at this time. 

July 27th:

Return-to-play: IFC is committed to the welfare and security of our athletes and the surrounding communities. As many of you may know, we have been working diligently researching biosafety to formulate our own covid-19 biosecurity recommendations. I am happy to report that these guidelines have been finalized and can be found disseminated throughout our website at https://www.illinoisfc.com/clubinfo; https://www.illinoisfc.com/registration; and https://www.illinoisfc.com/covid19. We encourage you to thoroughly read over these expectations and note any concerns or questions you may have. You can send your inquiries to me, Kaleigh Evans, at admin@illinoisfc.com. We will then address your questions in an FAQ on the site (https://www.illinoisfc.com/clubinfo) or at our virtual town hall meeting. Please note that we want to give you all enough time to digest this information and formulate questions accordingly, so specific details regarding that session will come at a later date.

Please note: IFC will amend and adapt these guidelines to better suit IDPH's restrictions on youth sports once we have more information. 

Fall Season Logistics:

1) Members of the Board are currently working on a revised dues structure for the fall season to reflect a reduction in activities from prior years; members will only be asked to make a financial commitment once teams are finalized at the end of August. 

2) As we are quickly approaching the fall season, we understand that many of you have questions/concerns regarding what our fall season might entail and "return to play" means. IFC wants to ensure you that we are planning for a regular training schedule. This would include 2x/week for u8 - u12 and 3x/week for U13 and up) from Aug 24th through the first week of November. We have been told the CIYSL games are planned as of now, though no firm details are available. IFC is not planning for any teams to attend out of town tournaments during the Fall season. Further details on the first two weeks of training, which will also serve as tryouts this year, will be coming soon along with coaching assignments for the fall season. We appreciate your patience. 

Weekly Update-Week of July 19th to the 26th

Registration:
1) Please continue to register your player(s) for the Fall 2020-2021 season at the following link: (https://illinoisfc.sportngin.com/register/form/725113225). Details on this process can be found at https://www.illinoisfc.com/registration. In order to compete in practice/tryouts, players must also fill out and submit two forms: the IYSA Medical Release Form and the IYSA Covid-19 waiver. These forms can be found at the link noted above.

2) We are also opening up these first few weeks of practice/tryouts to IFC Juniors. If you know of any U7-U8 athletes that would be interested in playing, we encourage you to forward this information along.

3) For any athletes with a preexisting condition that plans to join us for the season, you must submit a letter of confirmation and approval from your doctor to IFC at admin@illinoisfc.com. This is required and athletes are not permitted to participate until we receive this validation.

Illinois Alliance:
1) Illinois Alliance Tryouts have been canceled. Please visit their website for more information: https://www.illinoisalliance.club/ You can also
find information regarding this decision at https://www.illinoisfc.com/illinoisalliance. Refer to the documentation labeled "Illinois Alliance Update."

2) Please note that IFC and Illinois Alliance registrations are two entirely different processes. If you want your athlete to play for IFC you must register them for IFC separately.

3) If you are looking for reimbursement for the Illinois Alliance tryouts please refer to them directly as IFC is not handling those processes.

COVID-19:
1) We are currently in the process of finalizing IFC's own official back to play guidelines. We are currently taking into consideration all of the suggestions and guidelines outlined from the IYSA, IHSA, The Illinois Department of Commerce & Economic Opportunity, The Champaign County Health Department, and The Champaign County Park District to make our own informative protocol. This documentation will be released soon. Covid-19 resources can be found at https://www.illinoisfc.com/covid19 and https://www.illinoisfc.com/registration.

Tryouts/Practices:
1) Previously organized tryouts scheduled for this week (July 22-24th) were canceled, but all interested players are invited to the first week of training in late August where a player assessment will take place, and team assignments will be made soon after.

2) The first day of practice is tentatively scheduled for August 24th. We are awaiting confirmation from the Champaign Park District and once that information is finalized IFC will send out an official action plan.

Communication:
1) After the scheduling is confirmed and our biosecurity protocol is finalized we will set a date for a virtual "town hall" meeting. Please be on the lookout for that.

2) For more information regarding IFC, tryouts, registration, COVID-19 etc please refer to our Q/A page found at https://www.illinoisfc.com/clubinfo.

In an effort to improve club communication, we are pleased to announce that the Weekly Updates will now be delivered directly to you via your Sport Ngin account.  Weekly Updates will also be posted online at www.illinoisfc.com/WeeklyUpdates.

If you would like to receive the weekly update at an alternate/additional email address, please login to your Sport Ngin account and select the Account Settings option.  Instructions on how to add/change your email address in your Sport Ngin can be found at:http://guide.sportngin.com/

Parent reps and/or coaches may still send out team-specific (and often very important) information as well, so please make sure to add those individuals to your address books!