BRSC Competitive Update & Refund Policy
Dear Competitive Members,
BRSC has enjoyed seeing the smiling faces during our return to play. The health and safety of our BRSC family are at the forefront of our minds. Our coaches and staff have enjoyed seeing the players the past few weeks during training.
Many of you have asked if Baton Rouge Soccer will refund or credit dues and fees for the Competitive program. We want to confirm for our players and families that we are fully committed to offering alternative programming, other comparable services, credits, and refunds.
The Governor has extended Phase Two to July 24th. We will continue social distance training through Phase Two in hopes of advancing to small and full-sided games in Phase Three or Four. Our youth soccer governing body, the Louisiana Soccer Association (LSA) will continue to provide updates and we will keep you informed. Baton Rouge Soccer’s leadership is especially sensitive to the implications to players and their families. Likewise, it is imperative that we prudently manage our resources during this crisis to both allow for the refunds and credits, and ensure the continued operations of the club.
Credit/Refund/Donate Options for Members
The staff and the Board of Directors considered many variables and factors to develop a policy that is fair and reasonable for our Academy, Junior Competitive, and Competitive programs.
For Academy, Junior Competitive, and Competitive programs, BRSC intends to deliver all training and games paid for by its members. The BRSC credit/refund/donate options are:
1. Credit:
• Pro-rated credit based on a portion of the season that is delivered (includes training and games). The credit is valid for 1 year towards ANY upcoming programming.
• 25% of registration fees are non-refundable (this does not include pre-paid team fees. Unused team fees may be credited or refunded).
2. Refund:
• Pro-rated refund based on the portion of the season that is delivered (includes training and games).
• 25% of registration fees are non-refundable (this does not include pre-paid team fees. Unused team fees are refundable. There will be no refunds if we are able to deliver 75% of the Academy, Junior Competitive, or Competitive programs).
3. Donate:
BRSC is a 501-C3 not for profit organization. Donations will go toward member services, players in need of assistance fund, outreach, etc. We encourage you to consult with your tax professional as to deductibility.
Anyone with extenuating circumstances should contact the office or program director.
We hope you and yours stay safe and well during this time.
Best regards in soccer,
BRSC Leadership
Posted July 6, 2020
BRSC to partner in development with the Houston Dynamo
Baton Rouge Soccer Club has been working closely with the Houston Dynamo to bring enrichment opportunities to its members and coaches, including several programs to further enhance BRSC’s mission to provide and promote excellence in soccer and physical fitness programming to people of all ages and abilities.
“It has been fantastic to begin working more closely with the leadership of Baton Rouge Soccer Club,” said Houston Dynamo Academy Director Paul Holocher, “As we continue to formalize and develop our partnership, our goal will be to collaborate on several player and coach education initiatives that we feel can positively impact all the programs, boys and girls, and help these young players towards new opportunities and enjoyable futures in the game.”
The Houston Dynamo Talent Development Program is one such opportunity which will allow next-level programming for the club’s elite players within BRSC. Players will be invited to attend a series of pool training events for evaluation to participate in the elite select team tournaments and various showcases. The initial phase will focus on U13 to U19 with plans to grow the opportunity for the U10 to U12 groups.
BRSC Executive Director Louie Smothermon has been working diligently on the partnership for months, “The Baton Rouge Soccer Club is extremely excited to become Partners in Development with the Houston Dynamo. This partnership will foster opportunities for both male and female players, and from our three-year-olds through our men’s and women’s teams. The opportunity to work in these ways with a professional soccer organization so close to Louisiana is fantastic and we look forward to working closely with the Dynamo leadership on these programs for all our BRSC players.”
More details on these exciting player and coach education initiatives will be made available in the coming weeks.
Grambling Girls Elite Soccer Camp – POSTPONED
Elite Soccer Camp: August 1st-3rd for upcoming 8th-grade girls-JC transfers in college.
As of July 6, 2020, the Grambling Camp has been postponed. We will post a new date when it becomes available.
Join the Grambling State Soccer team for camp August 1st-3rd for a late summer camp. This will be a skill training and competition camp where participants will learn technical skills in competitive settings and then show off those skills in games.
Cost is $100 for the three-day camp which features just under 10 hours of soccer with one session on the first and last day, and two sessions on August 2nd.
The numbers will be limited to 25 to 30 participants. Sign up online by July 15th to avoid a $20 late fee.
BRSC 2020 Physicals Day Update
BRSC has discussed several factors and the proper protocols for conducting a mass physical day. We do not feel we could put on a physical day that is in a timely manner that is also following social distancing and other safety protocols. Rather than provide a subpar physical day and possibly risk public safety, BRSC has come to the conclusion that conducting a mass physical day this year is not in the best interest/safety of our membership and the BRSC and BROC staffs. Instead, we are asking our membership to have their player get their physical performed by their primary care physician or go to a clinic that provides physical services.
If a player does not have a primary care physician or if paying a fee for a physical at a clinic would cause financial hardship, please contact Santana Ruiz to set up an appointment with physicians at BROC who are willing to take any players in these situations.
Once a player’s physical is performed, parents may directly upload the form to Healthy Roster. In order to upload directly login to your Healthy Roster account, click on your child’s name, then click the DOCUMENTS button, lastly click on “BRSC Pre-Participation Exam Form”. You will have several options on how to upload the physical form. Physicals are due by team camp. If a player has a physical conducted during May 2020 that is not on the BRSC physical form (such as a completed LHSAA physical) we will accept it, but the legal/consent points on page 2 of the BRSC physical form must be completed/signed by a parent/guardian and uploaded with the completed non-BRSC physical form.
https://brsoccer.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/brsc-ppe-form.pdf
Parents may also upload the COVID-19 History form (page 4 of the return to play handbook & also attached) directly to Healthy Roster as well. Parents must log in to the Healthy Roster account, click on your child’s name, then click on the DOCUMENTS button, then click on “BRSC COVID-19 History Form”. There are multiple options on how to upload the physical form. The COVID history form is to be completed only once and is due prior to June 8, 2020.
Academy Return to Play Update
ACADEMY/REC PLUS UPDATE (Updated 5/29)
The decision to return to play is an extremely complicated one and we want to reassure you that the safety of each member is the top priority of our BRSC Leadership. We will adhere to the federal guidelines for states to resume business activities as outlined in the CDC Opening Up America Again Guidelines. In this three-phased approach, “schools and organized youth activities” – including sporting venues – are listed in the second phase, which is applicable for states that satisfy all established Gating Criteria.
PHASE ONE (Potentially May 15-31) – Per the Governor’s extension, Phase One will commence on May 15 and requires social distancing in public and avoiding groups of 10 or more. Phase One specifically states that “Organized Youth Activities that are currently closed should remain closed.” Obviously these criteria make it impossible for soccer programming and as a result, LSA’s suspension of ALL activities and events at all levels of play will continue throughout Phase One.
PHASE TWO and PHASE THREE – Optimistically we could possibly enter into Phase Two come June 8th and Phase Three June 22nd, providing the prescribed CDC Gating Criteria are met between each Phase. We are very hopeful that we will return to play during Phase Two with compliance with the LSA Return To Play Protocol and the Governor’s Opening Up America Again Guidelines for our state.
While doing all we can to ensure player safety, our ultimate goal is to resume play thus allowing our players some sense of normalcy in an aspect of their lives they are most passionate about. We will do our due diligence in following LSA’s COVID-19 Return to Play Protocol, which again adheres to the Opening Up America Again Guidelines.
We are hopeful that the continued suspension of activities until June 5th puts us in a position to begin Phase Two starting June 8th. We will continue to monitor the situation and follow up with any updates. Additionally, we will provide details the week prior to our return-to-play decision.
Academy/ Rec. Plus Spring season
We will provide our spring season delay and deliver training this summer from June 8 – July 23. The practice sessions will be modified to one hour each training day. Practice time will be from 5:00 – 6:00 pm on Tuesday and Thursday.
We will not have an Academy games day on Wednesday due to the contact restrictions in Phase two. We will inform you when we can incorporate this back into the schedule.
*Independence players will practice at Burbank during this delayed season.
Rec. Plus players will continue to attend the day or days that they were registered in for the Spring season. If you need to change and attend a different day that would be fine for this season as well.
Academy practice: 5:00 – 6:00 pm/ Tuesday & Thursday/ Burbank Fields 5 & 6
Rec. Plus practice: 5:00 – 6:00 pm /Tuesday & Thursday/ Burbank Fields 5 & 6
Safety information and Return to play forms
Information on the Return to play Spring season will be provided below. We are taking every precaution to make sure the players are in a safe and clean environment when they return to the field. Please take the time to read over the information and follow the instructions on attending practice each day. We believe these extra steps and precautions will help us to keep all of the coaches and players safe during the second and third phases of the guidelines.
Parents must complete the following before each player can participate in the Spring season:
*Please read the COVID-19 Return to Play Handbook and view the Return to Play video on the BRSC Website. (The practice times listed in the handbook do not apply to the Academy/Rec. Plus Program)
***Each parent must complete and submit the BRSC Return to Play questionnaire before a player is permitted to participate. (In the Return to Play handbook)
***Each parent must create a Healthy Roster account and complete a Safer Play survey on their practice days. (This information will be emailed to everyone registered in the Academy/ Rec. Plus program)
We look forward to having all of the players out on the fields again!