FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Where do Canaries SC teams practice? Canaries SC teams practice locally in Thousand Oaks at a few locations, including Lynn Oaks, Rancho Conejo, Pepper Tree, Old Meadows, and other parks in the local community.
What league does Canaries SC play in the Fall? Canaries SC teams play around 10-12 games (on Saturdays and some Sundays) in the Coast Soccer League, which has over 180 clubs and more than 2000 teams participating yearly. The Coast Soccer League is affiliated with Cal South (California State Soccer Association- South), the official youth soccer association of the United States Soccer Federation and US Youth Soccer. Coast Soccer League splits the soccer clubs by geographical regions and into multiple competition levels. These skill levels are divided into three lower divisions: Championship and Premier. Generally, Canaries SC teams play teams mostly from Ventura County- Thousand Oaks, Simi Valley, Oxnard, Ventura, Moorpark and Newbury Park. If a Canaries SC team is competing at a higher level (Division 1, Championship & Premier), your team may have to travel further during the Fall Season to include LA County and Central California. The Coast league usually starts the first week of September and ends before Thanksgiving.
What league does Canaries SC play in the Spring? Canaries SC teams have a few options in the Spring, ranging from the Coast Soccer League, the Newbury Spring League, the Oxnard Youth Premier Soccer League (OYPSL), and the Oxnard Soccer League (OSL). Spring leagues are generally 10 games long and played mainly in Ventura County. Each league might have a different starting date from late February to the second week of March.
Does Canaries SC require parent volunteering? No, there is no parent volunteering required for your child to play on our teams. This is a major advantage for your family! No painting fields, no snack bar shifts and no information stand hours.
Are tournament fees and club uniforms included in the yearly payment? No, these are in addition to the annual payment. Depending on the number of tournaments your team goes, the families will split the tournament fee, ref fees and coach hotel stay (if required). It also depends on the number of players, per team, but usually its an average of about $130-$200 (State cup fees are not included in this estimate) for 4-5 tournaments per family. Teams can fundraise to reduce tournament fees per family and fundraise for Canaries SC pop-up tents, benches, and Canaries SC backpacks or warm-up apparel.
Are the uniforms included? No, parents will also be required to purchase the Canaries SC uniform and Canaries SC training gear through the Canaries SC soccer store on Soccer.com. Uniforms to include 3 different colored jerseys, 1 pair of shorts and 2 pairs of socks is currently estimating $114 thru soccer.com. Training gear consists of 1 light shirt, 1 pair of shorts and 1 pair of socks estimating $40. Please allow approximately 2 weeks for the training gear to arrive.
What is the general game schedule of a tournament? Soccer tournaments are in round-robin play, most always consisting of two games on Saturday (one in the morning and one in the afternoon) and one guaranteed game on Sunday. Teams can play a fourth game if they make it to the championship game for their bracket/division. A few exceptions exist in certain tournaments, like the Cerritos Cup, where each team is guaranteed four games—two on Saturday and two on Sunday.
What is the State Cup, and are there multiple weekends involved? State Cup is the large tournament sanctioned and sponsored by Cal South at the culmination of the Fall Season. State Cup tournament locations can be at soccer complexes from San Diego up to Bakersfield. The different age groups play on different weekends starting the last weekend of January (for younger age groups U-8, U-9, U-10) while older age groups (U-11, U-12, U-13, U-14) start their State Cup tournament in mid February. The high school age groups begin their State Cup tournament from mid-March to April. The first weekend is round robin play in your first bracket and if your team plays well, they move on to the next round and next weekend of play. Depending on how many teams are in your overall division, this can last multiple weekends if your team continues to win!
Over the year, will I need to pay for a hotel room for any planned tournaments? Yes, there will most likely be one Summer tournament that will require a on night hotel room stay and most likely a State Cup weekend that will require 1 night in a hotel. Some families decide to drive down, play the games on Saturday and drive back to Ventura county the same day, in order to avoid staying near the tournament fields and other families decide to stay the night. This depends on how far away the tournament fields are and if you have multiple kids playing for Canaries SC.
Do the parents need to pay for the coaches gas and hotel fee if stay and travel is needed? Yes, parents will pay for the coaches gas and hotel fee.
How are the age groups defined in club soccer and how many players play on the field for each age level? Age groups are defined as per the Coast Soccer League and Cal South rules as the year the player was born. So if your son or daughter was born sometime in 2014, you will locate the 2014 team for schedules and hear coaches and parents talking about the 2014 team. Age groups can still be referred to as 2013/9U, 2012/10U, 2011/11U and on. All age groups younger than 10-Under play with seven players per side, 7v7. Age groups 11-Under and 12-Under play with 9 players per side, 9v9. And all age groups older - 13U, 14U, and 15U play with 11 players per side, 11 v 11. The field size and goal size differs per the 7v7, 9v9 and 11v11 rules.
What types of payment do you accept for the yearly fee? Payment is accepted via credit card, Apple Pay and Contactless Tap processing. Payment can be made in full by April or you may chose to do a monthly auto-debit for 12 months.
What other soccer programs do you have available to supplement my child's play on the team? BOZZI SOCCER provides weekly afternoon clinics to help better technique, endurance and tactical training. BOZZI SOCCER also offers private and small group training as well as seasonal soccer camps that the players can sign up for to excel in their skill level. All seasonal soccer camps are typically held in the mornings and offered when schools are on Fall Break, Winter Break, Ski week and Spring Break. BOZZI SOCCER summer camps are run almost every week of the summer in the morning at the YMCA or local Thousand Oaks field. Occasionally, BOZZI SOCCER offers a few free Fridays academy clinics for our local community kids.
Do the Canaries SC coaches give private lessons, or do you recommend specific trainers to use for private or group lessons? Yes! Most Canaries SC coaches offer private lessons and small group training (2-4 players) for their set fees per half-hour or full-hour. These can all be booked through www.bozzisoccer.com. Private lessons are a great way to get a jump on your competition and get the attention needed to work on and improve specific skills. Whether you want to polish your skills the day before a match, improve your fitness, or learn new fakes and techniques, we can help you develop the skills needed to be successful. Please contact your Canaries SC coach and Rafa Bozzi for more information and trainer recommendations.