What is the FC Alliance Premier Soccer Club?
The FC Alliance Premier Soccer Club is the Advanced Development Program affiliated with the Northshore Youth Soccer Association (NYSA).   FC Alliance offers an unrivaled program for boys and girls ages 10-18 to play competitive soccer.  FC Alliance teams are formed through player tryouts.  A team consists of 15-18 players for full field 11-a-side soccer, except U11 which fields 9-a-side with a roster of 12-14.  Formal player tryouts are generally held in early March of each year.

What happens at tryouts?
Our teams are formed through a player tryout process.  Each player will be assigned a numbered tryout jersey to be worn at each tryout session.  Players will be identified by that unique jersey number during the course of the tryout.  FC Alliance Coaching Directors and Coaches and guest evaluators will base their selections on player skill and athletic ability demonstrated during the tryouts.  Players will receive notification of their tryout results after the conclusion of the last tryout session.

How long is the season?
Premier soccer can be a year ‘round activity.  Teams generally start practicing in April.  They generally attend 3 to 4 summer tournaments which may be local or out-of-state.  The league season begins the weekend following Labor Day and runs through the middle of December.  All U-11 teams enter the Fred Meyer Commissioner’s Cup or the Challenge Cup tournament.  U12-19 teams may elect to participate in the Washington State Youth Championship Cup, the Challenge Cup, or the Commissioners Cup.  Both begin in January and finish with State Final games in February and March.  FC Alliance has one or more teams entered in the most competitive division or tournament in each age group each year.

Where/when will the teams practice?
FC Alliance teams practice and play on grass fields owned by the Northshore School District or local municipalities. When the grass fields close in the fall, practices and games move to the lighted turf fields at Inglemoor, Bothell, and Woodinville high schools, Pop Keeney stadium and the North Creek turf fields. Teams will be assigned a Mon-Wed or Tues-Thurs practice schedule. FC Alliance also offers Club Training, an optional training program conducted by various FC Alliance coaches. Club Training is typically divided by age. It’s a great opportunity to learn, get more touches on the ball, and to meet other FC Alliance players in a unique Club atmosphere.

Where/when will the teams play?
FC Alliance encourages teams to participate in 2-3 summer tournaments around Western Washington. Tournaments are a great opportunity for the team to bond and get to know each other better, and they are an important tool in gauging the team’s ability and development. All U11 teams will be playing 9-a-side games beginning in 2006. U12 Select Program teams will play 11-a-side and participate in the fall competitive leagues run by WSYSA District 3. The Districts offer several levels of competition at each age, so teams can be placed at a level where they will find both challenge and success. Playing at the District level does involve more travel for away games…but keep in mind that half of your games will be at home!  About midway through the fall season, each team will need to decide if it wants to enter a state cup post-season tournament. Cup play begins in early January with a guarantee of at least three games; after that, you keep playing until you lose. Finals of the Cups are held in February and March.

What about other sports or family vacations?
Participation in other sports is encouraged at the younger ages – we only ask that you keep in mind that your player’s development, and the development of the team, is impacted by missed practices and games. Coaches will request that soccer be your first priority sport during the fall league season and state cup.

What participation is expected of parents?
FC Alliance  is run totally by volunteers, and each family is expected to volunteer at either the team or club level – or both, if you wish! We prefer that our coaches concentrate on coaching and training and leave the organization and management of the team up to the parents. There are a wide variety of volunteer positions available with each team, so there’s bound to be something for everybody.

What are the benefits of playing premier soccer?
The benefits are professional coaching, higher level competition, more intensive skills development, longer seasons, more playing opportunities, more training sessions, teammates who share a common commitment for becoming high level soccer players.  Players who strive to play on their junior high, high school or college soccer teams will benefit from the high quality soccer training they receive from playing premier soccer.  in fact, most all of today’s high school teams are comprised of players that play at a premier level.  The simple truth is that soccer requires advanced foot-eye coordination which is only mastered by putting a lot of touches on the ball at a relatively young age. Many coaches believe that proper "feel" for the ball must be learned before the age of 14. In countries where soccer is the primary sport, the game is played early and often by young players. Premier soccer gives an aspiring player more opportunities to develop their skills at a young age so that they can reach their true potential. 

What is the difference between select and premier soccer?
These terms are often used interchangeably, but there are some key differences. Premier soccer is the highest level of amateur soccer in the state. It involves playing soccer year around, paid professional coaching, 2-3 practices per week, 2-5 tournaments per year, and multi-state travel in the older age groups. Select is a step down and involves training half of the year, volunteer/semi-volunteer coaching, and travel limited to King/Pierce counties. Again, FC Alliance offers only premier level development programs and we are the only premier club designated as such by the Northshore Youth Soccer Association. 

What is the difference between premier and recreational soccer?
Premier soccer is a year long commitment involving professional coaching, training with the best players in the region, and playing against the best players from other regions. Players are selected based on the skills they exhibit during the tryout process. Registration for recreational soccer is open and does not involve a tryout process. A recreational coach is not permitted to "select" players. The recreational season is 2-3 months in duration, including the city rec league tournament in the Fall. Recreational coaches are parent volunteers.

What are the fees and costs for the Program?
The fee level is higher than for the recreational program, primarily to cover the additional costs of fields for practices and games and to pay referees.  For individual players, you can expect to pay $1,400 - 1,800 a season, which includes NYSA,  FCA and coaching fees.  In addition, there are uniforms and team members share the costs of tournament fees, league registration fees and any other expenses incurred during the season. Over the course of season, players will be required to contribute an additional $50-$100 to cover these team fees.

Aren’t you making money?
No, FC Alliance is a 501(c)3 nonprofit. All proceeds go directly towards coaching fees, field rental, equipment, and operating expenses. Escalating fees are a concern of all of us, which is why our leadership team includes a strong group of parent volunteers to provide a system of checks and balances. If you share these concerns, please attend club meetings and become involved in the process!

What are LPT’s?
Beginning with U14, teams participate in the League Placement Tournament. The purpose of this tournament is to determine the appropriate level of play for each team. Teams are allocated to various leagues depending on their performance in the LPT’’s. Teams are designated, Division 1, Division 2, Classic, WSYDL or District Level.

How far do they travel?
Practices will be held at any one of a network of fields in Northshore School District area.  All teams participate in an end of season state-level championship, which may involve travel across the state.  Beginning with U13, teams can potentially travel across the state during regular league play. Beginning with U14, depending on league (LPT) placement, older teams can expect multi-state travel, and, occasionally, may play outside the country. Our teams tend to do quite well in the LPTs, and, consequently, can expect to travel greater distances for their away games.

Are returning players given preference during tryouts?
No, the tryouts are an open process and selection is based on the skills that a player demonstrates on the tryout dates. Current players are specifically requested to not wear FCA clothing so as not to influence the selection process. While it is true that returning players have an advantage due to the fact that they train almost year around with professional coaching, there are no guarantees. Each year, some returning players are not selected and they return to recreational soccer.

I wasn’t selected.  Does that mean that I’m not a good soccer player?
The selection process isn’t perfect;  each year there are very good players who are not selected. Players should not get down on themselves. They should continue to play the sport for the love of the game and tryout the next season.  Just because a player isn’t selected one season, doesn’t mean that they should give up.

What is the difference between gold, white and blue?
Traditionally, the club selects two or three boys teams and two or three girls teams to represent each age group. The "A" team is usually designated as gold, while the "B" team is designated as white, and the "C" team is designated as blue. The makeup and character of each team is at the discretion of the coaches. Teams often train together and coaches pool their resources to meet the needs of the players.  Many "B" team players develop into "A" team players during their playing careers with FC Alliance.  Both "B" and "C" teams play a full schedule of tournaments and train as often as their "A" team counterparts. The "B" teams are frequently very good and it is not unheard of for them to beat the "A" team in scrimmages. The club strives to provide equal training resources for all teams in an effort to help each and every player reach their potential.