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Upper Dublin Soccer Club
2022 Club Handbook
Updated: January 2022
COvid-19 policy Our History Weather alerts parking rules facility guidelines refund policy lightning safety CONTENTS training plans topsoccer offside rule coach clearances small sides games
The origins of the Upper Dublin Soccer Club date back to 1969 at Enfield Middle School (Springfield Township School District) in nearby Oreland, PA. A Renaissance man named Ronnie Tompkins had a passion for soccer. He played as a child growing up in Germantown and wanted to expand the game for local teenagers. Click here to watch and learn more about Ronnie.
In 1971, Ronnie brought his passion for the game of soccer to Upper Dublin Township. He shared his story with current Club president Bryan Pollack in 2013. "His recruiting techniques were legendary," says Bryan. "My favorite story is about how he was driving through Oreland and saw a young teenager sitting on a curb. His name was John McGlade. He asked John if he ever played soccer. John replied, "What is soccer?" Ronnie persuaded John to play, and he went on to become one of Enfield's first footballers."
Ronnie’s story and influence lives on with those who have had the pleasure of knowing and playing for him. One notable alumni player is current Upper Dublin High School Principal Bob Schultz.
The Club, then known as Athletic Union Enfield or just Enfield, thrived in the 1970s and 1980s. In the early 1980s, recreational soccer was started alongside the existing travel program. Enfield started as one team for teenagers and multiplied to many teams for both boys and girls of all ages and skill sets.
In April 1986, the Club earned IRS 501(c) (3) status. The legal name became Upper Dublin Enfield Soccer Club. The first president was Bob Danaher, known locally as a strong advocate for youth sports. Later that same year, the Club changed its name to Upper Dublin Soccer Club (UDSC).
By 1998, UDSC had over 2,000 kids in its program! Since then, the club has established many outstanding programs, events, partnerships, and has been recognized for its achievements. Highlights include:
Today, our Club continues to thrive with approximately 1,600 youth soccer players across all our programs.
Upper Dublin Soccer Club/Penn Alliance 2021
This section is frequently updated when there are new guidelines from the State, the County & EPYS.The current guidelines from Eastern Pennsylvania Youth Soccer can be found by clicking the image below.:
LIGHTNING SAFETY return to contents
Click on the image below to go the website where you can download the free Rainoout Liine mobile app. Once you've signed up you will receive relevant weather alerts from Upper Dublin Soccer club
weather alerts return to contentsYour continued assistance is needed regarding PARKING for games and other activities taking place at CHAC, EDWARDS, FIELD OF DREAMS, LOCH ALSH, MAPLE GLEN, MCINAW, and SPARK fields.
Coaches, parents, spectators and visiting teams are reminded that adequate parking for activities on fields is provided throughout the high school complex for Field of Dreams, Loch Alsh and Spark. There is also additional parking at Maple Glen Elementary School and the administration building for the Edwards, Maple Glen and McInaw fields. At CHAC, additional parking is available at The Founder's Building (580 Virginia Dr.).
Parking on grass is NOT permitted. Parking on streets in adjacent residential neighborhoods is strongly discouraged. Anyone parked on grass or on a residential street found to be in disregard of posted regulations and restrictions or PA law is at risk of receiving a citation issued by the Upper Dublin Police.
The School District of Upper Dublin and Upper Dublin Soccer Club appreciate your support as we strive to maintain our good relationship with our residential neighbors.
PARKING RULES return to contentsPine Run Park FACILITY GUIDELINES CHAC Complex Edwards Complex SPARK Cardinal Stadium return to contents
For Travel Tryout registrations. All players must pay a non-refundable tryout fee.
Any Upper Dublin Soccer Club registered TRAVEL player electing not to play MUST NOTIFY the Club in writing before May 15 in order to get a refund of the full fee less a $25 administrative fee. All requests for refunds must be made to udsc.info@gmail.com. Please state the reason for refund.
Any Upper Dublin Soccer Club registered REC player electing not to play MUST NOTIFY the Club in writing before June 30 in order to get a refund of the full fee. All requests for refunds must be made to udsc.info@gmail.com. Please state the reason for refund. Any refunds made after July 1st and prior to August 15 would be less a $25 administrative fee. There will be no refunds after August 31 unless we are unable to start the season as planned and then, the $25 administrative fee would still apply.
All refund requests must be submitted to udsc.info@gmail.com. The parent must request the refund. It is not a coach's responsibility to forward refund requests to the Club.
Upper Dublin Soccer Club travel program is a 10-month commitment and all travel players are responsible for paying these PDP trainer fees for BOTH the fall and spring seasons regardless of whether the players decide to fully participate through the end of the spring season (including any lost time for injuries) and regardless of whether all or any portion of any season is cancelled for reasons that are not in the Club’s control
REFUND POLICYUpper Dublin Soccer Club Refund Policy
return to contentsUpper Dublin TOPSoccer (The Outreach Program for Soccer) is a community-based training and team placement program for young athletes with disabilities, organized by UDSC volunteers. The program is designed to bring the opportunity of learning and playing soccer to any boy or girls, age five & older, who has a mental or physical disability. Our goal is to enable the thousands of young athletes with disabilities to become valued and successful members of the Upper Dublin Soccer Club family. Upper Dublin TOPSoccer is a member of the Eastern Pennsylvania TOPSoccer family.
For more information on EPYSA TOPSoccer activities see the EPYS TOPSoccer page.
Upper Dublin TOPSocceris always looking for students 8th grade and older to be buddies in our spring and fall seasons. The purpose of the program is to provide the opportunity to play recreational soccer to everyone who would like to try. Our players have a variety of challenges that make it difficult or impossible for them to participate successfully in an intramural program. These challenges include physical challenges, as well as impairments of attention or the ability to engage in social activity. Because of these individual challenges, the children need “soccer buddies” to stay with them during the games. The purpose of a soccer buddy is to provide each child individual attention. The soccer buddy keeps the ball at the child’s feet so s/he can have as many touches on the ball as possible, and can participate maximally. Because of the responsibility involved we require our soccer buddies to be currently in at least 8th grade. This is a firm requirement.
The program meets once per week for one hour on Saturday afternoons in Cardinal Stadium behind Upper Dublin HS. There are typically 6-8 Saturdays in each of our seasons. In order to participate you must be able to attend at least three of these sessions. No soccer experience is needed to be a buddy, only an ability to participate in light physical activity and be a friend to a special needs child. If you are interested in supporting this program of inclusiveness, please contact Bruce Buckman at buckman.bruce@gmail.com
TOPSOCCER https://www.epysa.org/topsoccer/ return to contents
Click on the image below to go to the Eastern Pennsylvania Youth Soccer (EPYSA) Pennsylvania Child Protection Laws & Clearances site. These are required for coaches and other club volunteers who are in contact with youth players.
COACH CLEARANCES return to contents
Click on the image below to go the Eastern Pennsylvania Youth Soccer (EPYSA) Pennsylvania website page which contains team training plans for both Travel and Recreational (Intramural) teams.
TRAINING PLANS return to contents
What does "Small-Sided Games" mean?
These are soccer games with fewer players competing on the field. These are fun games that involve the players more because fewer players are sharing one ball.
All ages can play "Small Sided Games", but it has a definite developmental impact on younger soccer players
Reasons why as soccer coaches, administrators and parents we need to encourage small-sided games:Because we want our young soccer players to touch the soccer ball more often and become more skillful with it! (Individual technical development)Because we want our young soccer players to make more, less-complicated decisions during the game! (Tactical development)Because we want our young soccer players to be more physically efficient in the field space they are playing in!Because we want our young soccer players to have more individual teaching time with the coach! Less players on the field and less players on the team will guarantee this.Because we want our young soccer players to have more, involved playing time in the game! (More opportunity to solve problems that only the game presents)Because we want our young soccer players to have more opportunity to play on both sides of the ball! (More exposure to attacking and defending situations)Because we want our young soccer players to have more opportunities to score goals! (Pure excitement)The "Small-Sided" environment is a developmentally appropriate environment that focuses on the young soccer player and it’s FUN.
It just makes sense doesn’t it?
SMALL SIDED GAMES return to contentsThe "Offside Rule" in soccer is perhaps the most confusing to understand for soccer players and soccer fans.
A player must be offside the moment the ball is played by a teammate. And to be called offside, the player must also be involved in an "active play" by gaining an advantage by being offside, or interfere with a play, or an opponent. To be offsides, the player must also be on the opponent’s half of the soccer field, being closer to the opponent’s goal line than both the ball and the next-to-last defender (the goalkeeper is usually the last defender).
A player is not offsides if he is on his own half of the field, or "even" with the next-to-last defender or the last two defenders. (The goal keeper is usually the last defender, or one of the last two, but not always; rules usually refer to the last two defenders and make no mention of the goal keeper). Offsides in soccer can be difficult to call. A player can be "even" with the next-to-last defender (not offsides), and run past the next-to-last defender immediately after his teammate makes a pass past the next-to-last defender. This is not offsides, because the soccer player was not offsides the moment the ball was passed.
OFFSIDE RULE return to contents