Do you haved a Question?
If you have a question that is not listed here, please email info@nvfc.ca with your enquiry.
Frequently Asked Questions
General Questions
- What are the club area boundaries for the NVFC?
- How old does my son have to be to join the NVFC?
- How long does the soccer season last?
- What equipment does my son need to play soccer?
- When do the boys play their soccer games?
- Where do the boys play their soccer games?
- When and where are the team practifces held?
- Do you accept late registrations?
- How do I contact our Insurance provider about a claim?
Team Questions:
- Can my son play with his friends?
- Can my son play with his school team?
- How many players are on a team?
- When do we find out what team my son is on?
- What happens if my son cannot make the practices due to other commitments?
- What is a SELECT team?
- Can you have a Silver Non-Select team?
Game Questions:
- How long are the games?
- What does it mean to be the HOME team for a game?
- Are games ever cancelled?
- When do we find our our game schedule?
Field Questions:
- Where can I find directions to the different fields?
- What are ALTERNATE FIELDS? When do you use them?
- How can I check to see what fields are "open" or "closed"?
- How do I get to Bowen Island to play?
Coach Questions:
- What is CUP play? How do I know which CUP my team will play in?
- Where do I find information about upcoming Coaching Clinncs?
Other Resources:
General Questions
What are the club area boundaries for the NVFC?
NVFC players live in North Vancouver District or North Vancouver City. Special circumstances exist where players go to school outside the boundary and wish to play soccer there.
How old does my son have to be to join the NVFC?
The NVFC starting age is the U6 (under 6) division which will accept players at 5 years of age (as of Dec. 31) registered for Kindergarten in September. We have soccer for boys from 5-18 (U6 - U18).
How long does the soccer season last?
For U6 - U18 players, the soccer season runs from September through to the 2nd weekend in March. Our winter break runs from the 2nd weekend in December until the weekend after the New Year's statutory holiday in January.
What equipment does my son need to play soccer?
Soccer cleats and shin guards are mandatory for soccer. They can be purchased at any sporting goods store or used equipment can be found at sports swaps or used equipment stores. The club provides a uniform consisting of a jersey, shorts, and socks. The jersey and shorts must be returned at the end of the season.
When do the boys play their soccer games?
Game time depends on the HOME team's field. Most Mini (U8-U11) games are played on Saturday mornings. Divisional teams (U12-U18) play in a 4-District League and can play any time on Saturday. Some older U17-U18 teams play on Sundays.
Where do the boys play their soccer games?
All Mini (U8-U11) games are played on the North Shore (West Vancouver to Deep Cove). Divisional teams (U12-U18) play in a 4-District League, and will play in Richmond, Burnaby, Vancouver, and the North Shore. Some BCYSSL (U14-U18) teams can play beyond the 4-Districts, depending on the teams in their division (e.g., Coquitlam, Surrey, etc.)
When and where are the team practifces held?
Practices are held on weekday evenings, Monday - Friday, from 5:00 pm - 9:00 pm. All First Kix (U6-U7) temas practice in a gym. Some Mini (U8-U9) teams practice in a gym and all other teams (U9-U18) practice outside on gravel fields. The day of your practice is selected to accomodate your coaches availability. At the beginning of the season, all coaches wanting to practice in a gym must submit a "Gym Request Form" with their 1st, 2nd & 3rd choices for practice night, time and location. Similarily, those wishing to practice outside must submit a "Lit-Field Request Form" listing thier preferences for practice. Earlier times are allocated to the younger teams. Our volunteer schedulers work very hard to accomodate each teams preferences.
Do you accept late registrations?
We will accept late registrations if there are teams that are still looking for players. U11-U18 players currently playing with the NVFC must have their re-registration form submitted by May 1st if they want to keep their spot on their existing team.U6-U10 players must re-register by June 1 to keep thier spot on their existing team. Any registrations received after June 1 are put onto a waitlist subject to space availablility within the age group.
How do I contact our Insurance provider about a claim?
Insurance claim forms and information can be found on the BC Soccer website: BCSA Member Services-Insurance.
Players/families should contact the Insurance provider directly.
Team Questions
Can my son play with his friends?
On the registration form, there is a space to list the
names of a couple of friends that your son would like to play with. At the
PeeWee level we realize that playing with a friend is very important to new
soccer players. If your registration form is received in the spring we will
place him with one of his friends providing space is available on the requested
team.
At the divisional level, Select teams are chosen by ranking of the
players at a tryout and no consideration is given to play with "friends". For
the non-select divisional teams, playing with friends cannot be guaranteed as
many teams have been together for a few years and new players will be assigned
only if space becomes available. If spots do open up, we will certainly try to
accommodate a players placement request.
Can my son play with his school team?
We do not create "school teams" within NVFC. Our PeeWee teams are created by mixing kids from 2 or 3 schools onto a team. This allows us a better chance of placing any new kids onto a team where he knows a school friend as we will have several teams to look for open spots.
How many players are on a team?
The team size varies with the age of the players as the field size increases with their age. U6-U7 will have a minimum of 9 players and a maximum of 12 players. U8-U10 will have a minimum of 11 players and a maximum of 13 players. U11-U12 will have a minimum of 12 players and a maximum of 14. U13-U16 will have a minimum of 16 players and a maximum of 18 players. U17-U18 will have a minimum of 16 players and a maximum of 20 players. .These number are guidelines and exceptions do exist.
When do we find out what team my son is on?
We tell parents of PeeWee players that they should receive a call from their team coach or manager by Labor Day or the week after. Many people are away on holidays until after Labor Day. Pee Wee games do not begin until the 2nd or 3rd weekend in September. Divisional teams may hear from their coach or manager earlier as they sometimes like to start their practices and maybe enter a tournament over the Labor Day weekend. Divisional games usually begin games the weekend after Labor Day.
What happens if my son cannot make the practices due to other commitments?
You should contact your age group coordinator. Although the teams are probalby full at this point, the age group coordinator will try to see if there is another team where your son can play.
A select team is formed through a series of in-season evaluations along with end of season evaluations in the Spring . The end of season evaluations are usually done over several nights or it may be just one night depending on the age group. At the end of the evaluations, the highest ranked players are chosen to play on one of the select team. There can be many select teams at one age group playing in the Gold & Silver divisions.
Can you have a Silver Non-Select team?
Yes. There are non-select and select teams that play at the Silver level. The silver non-select team is known as a house team that has the skill & abiity to play at the silver level of competition and the league has moved them to a Silver level. However, the Gold level of play is reserved for Select teams only and the Bronze level is reserved for non-select teams only.
Game Questions
How long are the games?
U6-U7 play mini-scrimmages within their 75 minute session on Saturdays.
U8 will split their team in half and 2 games are played simultaneously. Each game is 2 x 15 minute halves.
U9-U10 plays 2 x 25 minute halves.
U11-U12 plays 2 x 30 minute halves.
U13-U14 plays 2 x 35 minute halves.
U15-U16 playe 2 x 40 minute halves.
U17-U18 plays 2 x 45 minute halves.
What does it mean to be the HOME team for a game?
If you are the HOME team you are responsible for contacting your oppositions to confirm game time & field, lining the field, putting up the nets & corner markers(for U11-U18 only), providing the game ball, wearing the pinnies if both teams have the same colours, and paying the referee (PeeWee games only).
Games are cancelled if the field is snowy, icy or frozen and too dangerous to play on. Games are played rain or shine. Sometimes the grass fields are closed in which case the games are moved to the alternate all-weather fields.
When do we find out our game schedule?
An initial four week schedule comes out the week before play begins. After that a new schedule is issued that covers to the end of the season.
Field Questions
Where can I find directions to the different fields?
A great field finder is located on the BC Soccer Central website at www.bcsoccercentral.com. Click on "Fields".
What are ALTERNATE FIELDS? When do you use them?
Divisional teams that play on grass field are assigned
a Home field at the beginning of the season as well as an Alternate all-weather
field. Because of the heavy volume of rain during the soccer season, the
District & City of North Vancouver sometimes close the grass fields because
of the poor drainage and the possibility of water collecting on the field. If
your grass field is closed, YOU MUST NOT PLAY ON THAT FIELD. You move the game
to the Alternate field.
It is up to the Home field to check if their
grass field is closed and notify their opposition that the game has been moved
to the Alternate field.
How can I check to see what fields are 'open' or 'closed'?
The status of North Vanouver playing fields can be found on the NV Recreation website at http://www.northvanrec.com/facilities/fields/policies-conditions/locations-conditions.aspx OR you can call the NV Field Closure line is 604-983-6444 ext 503. Both are updated by Friday at noon. If the weather turns bad over the weekend the line will be updated with new closures before 8:00 am on Saturday and Sunday mornings.
How do I get to Bowen Island to play?
Soccer games on Bowen are usually scheduled around the ferry schedule. Players age 18 & under can travel for free to Bowen for a sporting event. You must contact the Horseshoe Bay ferry terminal BEFORE you travel & present them with a letter listing the players names & ages. Players must travel together. Parents must purchase a ticket (it is cheaper to purchase a BC Ferries Experience card for all parents travelling with the team) The field is within walking distance - off the ferry and up the hill.
Coach Questions
What is CUP play? How do I know what CUP my team will play in?
CUP play exists for Divisional (U11-U18) teams only.
Beside the 4-District League & BCYSSL (Metro) league, there are a variety of
CUP competitions. All CUP play is a single knockout competition.
| North Shore Community Cup | U11 U13-U18 |
Introduction to CUP play for all North Shore U11 boys teams. For all teams who played at the Bronze level of teh 4-District league. |
| North Shore 8v8 Cup | U11 Streamed U12 |
For all U11 Streamed teams and all U12 teams who played at the Gold, Silver & Bronze level of the 4-District league |
| 4 District Pioneer Cup | U12-U18 | For all teams playing at the Gold level. |
| 4 District Commonwealth Cup | U12-U18 | For all teams playing at the Silver level. |
| 4 District Burrard Cup | U12-U18 | All teams playing at the Bronze level. |
| Provincial "A" Cup | U13 | All teams playing at the Gold level. |
| Provincial "A" Cup | U14-U18 | All teams playing at the BCYSSL (Metro) level. |
| Provincial "B" Cup | U13 | Any team that wishes to enter. Usually teams playing at the Silver level enter. |
| Provincial "B" Cup | U14-U18 | Any team that wishes to enter. Usually teams playing at the Gold level enter. Silver teams can enter but usually opt for the North Shore Silver Cup below. |
| North Shore Silver Cup | U14-U18 | For all North Shore teams playing at the Silver level. |
Where do I find information about upcoming coaching clinics?
All coaching clinics are listed on the BC Soccer Website. Click SOCCER , COACHING DEVELOPMENT then COACHING CLINICS.
If there are any clinics offerred locally, your age group coordinator will notify you.
Other Resources
Looking for additional information?
If you cannot find the answer to your questions ,
check out the following links:
| North Shore Youth Soccer www.northshoredistrictsoccer.com |
| 4 District Soccer League www.4districtsoccer.com |
| BC Soccer Central www.bcsoccercentral.com |
