The Orland Park Soccer Club mission statement is to provide a quality opportunity for the youth of Orland Park to play soccer. The Recreational Soccer program is open to boys and girls from first through eighth grade. Dependent on interest, teams can be developed for ninth and tenth graders. Separate leagues are established for boys and girls. The Recreational Program provides the player an opportunity to be a member of a team, develop their soccer skills and encourages the concepts of teamwork and fair play.
Each year, teams are assembled based on the prior year's individual player ratings. This allows the club to evenly distribute players on teams to achieve skill and experience parity between all of the teams. Every participant receives a uniform jersey, shorts and socks, and a participation trophy. Shin guards, safety glasses and soccer cleats are mandatory.
The Recreational Program is held each fall. The Volunteer Coaches are assigned their teams in late July, and practices can begin in early August, depending on the coach. Teams typically practice twice a week. The games start the last weekend of August and continue to approximately November 1st, with the Orland Cup, a tournament for all recreational teams starting with the third grade. Scores or standings are not recorded for the first and second grade teams. Volunteer Coaches are the backbone of this program, so please consider getting involved!
Registration for this program is held in the spring and requires membership in the Orland Park Soccer Club.
If the Village of Orland Park's hotline cancels soccer games at Centennial Park, then all soccer games at all parks are cancelled. Most soccer games are played unless there is a threat of lightning.
Bill of Rights for Young Athletes
The OPSC Board of Directors support these rights for young athletes:
Children have the right to participate in sports:
- At a level commensurate with their maturity and ability.
- With qualified adult leadership.
- As a child and not as an adult.
- With some leadership and decision-making opportunities.
- In a safe environment.
- With good preparation for soccer.
- With opportunities to experience improvement and success.
- And be treated with dignity.
- And have fun with soccer.
Code of Ethics for Coaches
- I will treat each player, opposing coach, official, parent and administrator with respect and dignity.
- I will do my best to learn the fundamental skills, teaching and evaluation techniques, and strategies of soccer.
- I will become thoroughly familiar with the rules of soccer.
- I will become familiar with the objectives of the Orland Park Soccer Club, which I am affiliated. I will strive to achieve these objectives and communicate them to my players and their parents.
- I will uphold the authority of officials who are assigned to the contests in which I coach, and I will assist them in every way to conduct fair and impartial refereeing of games.
- I will learn the strengths and weaknesses of my players so that I might place them into situations where they have a maximum opportunity to achieve success.
- I will conduct my practices and games so that all players have an opportunity to improve their skill level through active participation.
- I will communicate to my players and their parents the rights and responsibilities of individuals on our team.
- I will cooperate with the Orland Park Soccer Club in the enforcement of rules and regulations, and I will report any irregularities that violate sound competitive practices.
- I will protect the health and safety of my players by insisting that all of the activities under my control are conducted for their psychological and physiological welfare rather than for the vicarious interests of adults.
Updated: 1 January 2008