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Introduction

In the late 1990’s, I became involved with competitive or “select” soccer in North Texas.  By the early 2000’s, I became President of a local competitive soccer club named Fort Worth United Soccer Club (FWU).  I served in that capacity for several years, reaching the maximum term allowed by the Club’s bylaws.  An agreement was reached for me to serve one more year but by that time, my boys were aging out of competitive soccer and I was worn out and ready to get back to a more normal life.  I agreed to stay one more year and assist with the transition to new leadership.  And then I was gone.

During my tenure as President of the Club, we grew the organization from a small, 5-team club to the 5th largest competitive soccer club in Texas.  The accomplishments we made were great but I was also exposed to the ugly side of competitive sports which pretty much soured me on the whole concept of competitive sports for kids.  Regardless, I ran across these archived pages and thought I would throw them online for some of the old club members and for the next wave of Fort Worth United administrators.  I also included some of the old organizational documents (bylaws, action plans, contracts, etc.) for any new clubs that might need some help getting these things together.

Fort Worth United Soccer Club website content

Below is the “About Us” page that described Fort Worth United Soccer Club and its objectives.

About Fort Worth United

imageFort Worth United Soccer Club, Fort Worth’s oldest and largest competitive soccer club, is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization, dedicated to the ongoing development of soccer skills for both young men and young women. To reach that ultimate goal, FWU provides skilled and nationally licensed professional coaches, year-round skills development, superior training facilities, and more at a reasonable fee.  For additional details on the history of Fort Worth United (and it’s original 1951 boys team), please visit the Fort Worth United Soccer Club History page.

Why should I choose Fort Worth United Soccer Club for my player?

Focus on Development
imageFort Worth United believes strongly in bringing out the best in each player, and that each player is an integral part of the team.  Although there’s no denying that winning is desirable, the Club’s focus remains on the development of each individual player.  As the oldest and largest Club in the Fort Worth/Tarrant County area, years of established experience and demonstrated accomplishments have proven this philosophy successful.

High-Level Competition
imageBy nature, competitive soccer inherently provides a high level of competition – both in the club training and development program and in the competitive games and tournaments that the players compete in.  At FWU, we provide three “team models” that allow for varying degrees of competition depending upon the needs and goals of each particular player.  From the “Colors” team model for players wanting to focus intensely on development, to the “Metals” team model for players that desire to compete at the highest level of play, FWU’s team models provide a level of competition suitable to each individual player.

Club and Coach Integrity
imageThe most important ingredient of any mutually beneficial relationship is a shared sense of trust.  You will never be able to establish or develop a successful relationship without it, for trust is the foundation for reliability, dependability, honesty and good faith.  The key to building trust is to be upfront and honest from day one.  At Fort Worth United Soccer Club, it’s quite simple – integrity is our highest priority and we make a great effort to cultivate honesty and integrity in our organization.  In fact, our coach’s contracts bind them to this philosophy and ensure that they adhere to FWU’s high professional standards.  You can expect FWU coaches to always be upfront, honest, and open – they will demonstrate excellence through action and not empty words.

How do they go about bringing out the best in each player?
Fort Worth United provides regular skills sessions, goalie schools, speed, strength, ACL injury prevention, and agility training in addition to the individual team practices.  Fort Worth United also uses Futsal, the indoor soccer game, to further increase our player’s skill level.  These sessions are provided at no additional costs over the standard fees.  In addition to regular training sessions, Fort Worth United also hosts various camps and clinics throughout the year for our club members.  Fort Worth United’s comprehensive player development programs ensure our players receive the highest quality training regime possible.

What other benefits does Fort Worth United Soccer Club offer for my player?
In addition to specialized skills and tactical training from our nationally and internationally licensed professional coaches, Fort Worth United provides various additional benefits to its members.  The Fort Worth United web site provides extensive club and player information, including individual player and team statistics, scheduling, account information, special downloads, training routines, and more.  Additionally, our newly constructed practice facilities, located in the southern area of Fort Worth, northern area of Fort Worth, and western area of Fort Worth, feature state-of-the-art practice fields (and further enhancements to our training facilities are in the works).

imageFort Worth United also assists our older players through the college recruitment process by providing information and assistance regarding collegiate scholarship opportunities, promoting our players to the top colleges in the country, maintaining close relationships with universities, working with universities to supply statistics and answers to questions about our players, and by “showcasing” our players in some of the country’s top tournaments.  In addition, the Club provides special speaking engagements for players and parents conducted by guests from the national or regional soccer community, work with local merchants to obtain discounts and special offers for our members, work with area corporations to obtain sponsorships and grants for our club and players, and by assisting parents and players with financing by providing quality, money making fundraiser opportunities, flexible payment plans, and individual scholarship opportunities.

Why should I choose Fort Worth United Soccer Club?
Simply put, Fort Worth United’s offers innovative, quality services.  Fort Worth United Soccer Club  is structured, organized, and efficient which means we can provide more services for less money than most other clubs.  FWU provides its members with the top coaches in the area.  And unlike some smaller competitive clubs who may offer no guidelines or guidance to their individual teams, FWU provides an inventive, organized development plan for our players.  Finally, FWU is a locally based club which means you won’t spend extra hours every day driving to out-of-town practices.

More precisely, what do I receive as part of my club membership?
FWU members receive:

  • Weekly team practices from your team coach
  • League fees – Spring and Fall seasons
  • Tournament fees – from 2-8 tournaments per season including “Showcase” tournaments for our older teams
  • Winter futsal/indoor
  • Private practice facilities – three professionally designed, lighted practice fields (a 4th field is planned) on the south side of Fort Worth, five fields on the west side, and 3 more fields planned for our new downtown Fort Worth complex.
  • Weekly goalie school
  • Weekly skills clinics
  • Weekly ACL Injury Prevention training, and Speed, Strength, and agility sessions
  • Week-long camps offered throughout the year
  • College placement and scholarships using our extensive academic network and Fort Worth United’s unique College Bound program
  • Exclusive access to the FWU web site and accompanying team management applications
  • Fundraising opportunities and sponsorships
  • Discounts from local vendors
  • 4 Payment plans to choose from including credit card payment
  • And More!!!

What should I choose Fort Worth United over a independent club?
imageFor the same reasons stated above.  In addition, independent soccer clubs are notorious for their short life – most lasting only a year or two before recognizing that their smaller size results in cost inefficiencies which in turn greatly limits what they can offer their members.  Opportunities with independent clubs are often limited and their lack of a “name” prohibits them offering their players benefits such as college scholarship assistance and financial support.  In addition, most independent clubs offer only one or two practices per week and the chance to participate in a lower level competitive divisions.

Who is the Board of Directors?
Each team has its manager or parent representative who serve on the board, as well as officers who are elected at the annual meeting in April.  All interested parties are welcome to attend the meetings, and the day, time, and location are published on the web site and in the Fort Worth United newsletter.

Is Fort Worth United really the oldest and largest select club in Fort Worth?
In 1965, Alexander Everett (1921-2005) formed and coached our first team under the Fort Worth United banner.  This team included several exceptional players including Dave Rubinson, former Head Soccer Coach at TCU.  This team played several years together in Dallas and traveled to compete against teams from all across the United States.  During their first three years of existence, the team dominated their competition and never lost a single game (including a 3-1 Texas Championship win in Houston in the Astrodome against San Antonio Saints and Devils).

Five years later an additional team was added – the Fort Worth United ’71 team was formed with local players born in 1971.  That group of 10 year-old boys stayed toimagegether until high school graduation in 1989, during which time the Fort Worth United Soccer Club, Inc. was officially incorporated (in 1980).  During their eight years together, the 71 team enjoyed much success.  The highlight of this team’s history came in 1987 when the team reached the quarterfinals in youth tournaments held in Sweden, Denmark, and Holland.

During those years, the Club expanded to include a new boy’s team each year.  In 1997, the Club was excited to begin a girl’s program with the first team being the girls ’81 team.  Thus, Fort Worth United not only pioneered girl’s select soccer in this area, but also has produced teams at all age levels competing in the most prestigious leagues in North Texas.

By the early 2000’s, FWU was a well established soccer club when they began vast organizational and operational changes intended to solidify the club’s presence and lay the foundation for future growth.  The introduction of many innovative training programs, development of superior practice facilities, and launching of several community initiatives served to fuel the Club’s fiery growth.  Today, Fort Worth United Soccer Club is one of the top 5 largest competitive clubs in Texas and fields some of the highest ranked teams in our area.

For more Fort Worth United Soccer Club history, please visit the Fort Worth United Soccer Club History page.

What are the goals and objectives of Fort Worth United?
Fort Worth United provides expert soccer training and instruction from qualified, professional coaches in a unique “team model” system of operation.  Our objective is to field teams that can compete with the best youth soccer teams in the state, the nation, and throughout the world, and to put our players in a position to promote their soccer skills and accomplishments to assist them in securing a higher education.  We are dedicated to helping our players achieve success by developing their skills, attitudes, and understanding of the game, as well as by encouraging their academic achievements.  Fort Worth United encourages sportsmanship, fairplay, and family involvement.

imageSome things to consider when choosing a team/club:

Here are questions you should consider:

  • Do you want a coach who exhibits the character and behaviors you would like your player to emulate?
  • How many teams does the club have at the same age level and how many coaches are assigned to run those teams?
  • How do the costs compare to the other clubs in the area?
  • How much playing time do you believe your player will receive on the team?
  • Where does the team practice?
  • What additional development opportunities does the club offer (e.g. skills sessions, specialized goalie training, Academies for younger siblings, etc.)?
  • Does the Club truly focus on player development or are they a “churn and burn” club that ignores development of their club players and instead compensates for underdevelopment by replacing those players each year?
  • What additional benefits does the club offer (e.g. assistance with scholarships, free access to club/player information via the web site, training library, etc.)?

How do I become a member of the Fort Worth United Soccer Club?
Club teams are formed each July through an assignment and selection process called July Tryouts.  Players are evaluated and assigned to a team based on their level of skill.  As a preface to the July tryouts, players may attend the June Open Practices with other players in their age group.  The June Open Practices give players the opportunity to meet the coach, get to know the Club, and of course, get a few extra touches on the ball.

Once the FWU competitive teams have been formed and rosters finalized, you may still have an opportunity to be placed on one of the FWU teams.  If space is available on a team, a player may request a private evaluation from the coach of that team.  Check the FWU Team list, find the team you are interested in joining, and email the coach for further instructions.

 

Fort Worth United Soccer Club was the oldest competitive soccer club in Fort Worth and the 2nd oldest in Texas.  Below is the history page that outlined how the club began.  Included on the page were pictures from the original Fort Worth United “˜51 team.

Fort Worth United Soccer Club History

imageIn 1966, Alexander Everett (1921-2005) formed and coached our first team under the Fort Worth United banner – the FWU ’51 Boys team.  This team included several exceptional players including Dave Rubinson, former Head Soccer Coach at TCU.  This team played several years together in Dallas and traveled to compete against teams from all across the United States.  During their first three years of existence, the team dominated their competition and never lost a single game (including a 3-1 Texas State Championship win at Houston in the Astrodome against San Antonio Saints and Devils).

Five years later an additional team was added – the Fort Worth United ’71 Boys team was formed with local players born in 1971.  That group of 10 year-old boys stayed together until high school graduation in 1989, during which time the Fort Worth United Soccer Club, Inc. was officially incorporated (in 1980).  During their eight years together, the 71 team enjoyed much success.  The highlight of this team’s history came in 1987 when the team reached the quarterfinals in youth tournaments held in Sweden, Denmark, and Holland.

During those years, the Club expanded to include a new boy’s team each year.  In 1997, the Club was excited to begin a girl’s program with the first team being the girls ’81 team.  Thus, Fort Worth United not only pioneered girl’s select soccer in this area, but also has produced teams at all age levels competing in the most prestigious leagues in North Texas.

By the early 2000’s, FWU was a well established soccer club when they began vast organizational and operational changes intended to solidify the club’s presence and lay the foundation for future growth.  The introduction of many innovative training programs, development of quality practice facilities, and launching of several community initiatives served to fuel the Club’s fiery growth.  Today, Fort Worth United Soccer Club is one of the top 10 largest competitive clubs in North Texas and fields over thirty competitive and Academy teams.

Fort Worth United’s First Team – 1968 State Champions
Email from Fox Guenter – member ’51 FWU Squad:

Hello my dear old soccer club! I could not believe that my good ol’ soccer club is such a successful club by now. Just for the start I want to tell you, that I was one of the playing coaches in 1967/68 when we played and won our first Texas Championship in Houston at the Astrodome against San Antonio “Saints and Devils” and won 3:1. – Fox

Fort Worth United Soccer – ’51 Boys
In 1966, Alexander Everett (1921-2005) formed and coached our first team under the Fort Worth United banner.  This team included several exceptional players including Dave Rubinson, former Head Soccer Coach at TCU.  This team played several years together in Dallas and traveled to compete against teams from all across the United States.  During their first three years of existence, the team dominated their competition and never lost a single game (including a 3-1 Texas State Championship win in Houston in the Astrodome against San Antonio Saints and Devils).

FWU ’51 Roster (known players)
Alexander Everett (Coach)
Jeffrey Lynn
Charles Schweitzer
Curt Griffin
Dub Ambrose
Richard White
David Rubinson
George Rojas
Mike Murphy
Tom Pocey
Duff Hallman
Bill Moore
Steve Herrick
Mark Evans
Robert Secrest
Doug Carvey
Fox Guenter

 

Below are photos and notations regarding the original 1951 Fort Worth United team, including pictures from their 1968 State Championship victory.  Click the image for a full-size view of the photo.

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Picture sign-in sheet listing players (and some girlfriends) on the 1951 FWU Team.  Names on the list include: Jeffrey Lynn, Charles Schweitzer, Curt Griffin, Dub Ambrose, Richard White, David Rubinson, George Rojas, Alexander Everett, Mike Murphy, Tom Pocey, Duff Hallman, Bill Moore, Steve Herrick, Mark Evans, Robert Secrest, and Doug Carvey.

 

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Players and their girlfriends relaxing by the pool before the big game.

 

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The team’s “lucky charm” relaxing by the pool before the big game.  Original team members report that this good luck token was kept behind the goal at every Fort Worth United game.

 

 

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Coach Alexander Everett (1921-2005) addresses the team with pre-game instructions in the Houston Astrodome stadium.  Note the horde of excited fans in the stands.

 

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FWU ’51 Boys State Championship game in progress.

 

 

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Coach Alexander Everett (with crutches) addressing the team.

 

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Preparing for the trophy presentation.

 

 

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Coach Alexander Everett giving the post-game speech, while team captain Richard White listens intently.

 

 

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The 1968 Fort Worth United State Championship Trophy

 

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Brief 1969 newspaper clipping describing the team, announcing league status, and advertising for openings on the team.

We included an introduction to competitive soccer on the site too.  Understand that this was pure “marketing” and I came to learn that the true purpose of competitive soccer was to feed the egos of parents, coaches, and club administrators.  Hey, I already said the entire experience really left a bad taste in my mouth regarding competitive sports and the impact on our children.

About Competitive/Select Soccer

Deciding whether or not your child should play recreational soccer or competitive (“select”) soccer is often a daunting task for parents not familiar with the world of competitive sports.  The primary deciding factor that you should consider when making the select vs. rec decision is whether or not you wish to accelerate your child’s soccer development in a professionally guided training environment.

What Is Select/Competitive Soccer?
In recreational soccer, the focus is most often on social interaction, “having fun” with friends, which often comes at the expense of instruction.  In select soccer, the focus in on teaching in an enjoyable manner that is appropriate for the child’s age level.  Individual skills and team tactics are taught by high-level, professional coaches in order to more fully develop the child’s level of play.  The end result – young athletes that know how to play soccer at a much higher level than their corresponding recreational players.

Coaches
imageSelect soccer differs from recreational soccer in several ways but the primary difference is in the level of coaching provided.  Coaching is like teaching – it requires extensive knowledge of the subject and the ability to communicate that knowledge to young athletes.  In recreational soccer, the coach is typically a noble parent with little or no competitive or high level soccer experience.  Select soccer differs from recreational soccer in that coaches are experts in their field, have the demonstrated ability to share that knowledge with their team, and are paid a professional salary.

Competitive soccer coaches have extensive playing experience – most at the professional level.  Select coaches are licensed at a national level, most at Grade D or higher, and many have college degrees in education or sports related degrees.  Their training will have included proper individual player and team techniques, how to conduct efficient practices, and how to motivate a young athlete.

Recreational coaches are volunteers and are restricted from accepting money by NTSSA rules.  Select coaches are interviewed and go through an extensive selection process before they are hired by the club.  They are paid from dues collected from the team and for many, coaching is their full-time job.

Clubs
In recreational soccer, the entity that encompasses a team is their “association” – for instance, Fort Worth Youth Association.  In select soccer, the encompassing entity is the team’s “club”, such as the Fort Worth United Soccer Club.  The “club” will contain many teams at various age and skill levels.  As the name implies, a “club” type atmosphere is promoted with clubs often hosting non-soccer related activities such as parties or extracurricular trips to promote bonding.  The club will also recognize many cost efficiencies, such as corporate sponsorships (e.g. Adidas, Pepsi-Cola) and increased buying power (clubs receive sharp discounts on things such as uniforms, equipment, and supplies).  These savings are passed on to the club members in the form of lower dues.

Games
Recreational and select soccer are the same in that the soccer year consists of 2 seasons (Spring and Fall) with each season containing a schedule of 10 games.  Select soccer teams usually play from 2-5 tournaments per season whereas most recreational teams do not play any tournaments at all.  Recreational soccer and select soccer are also the same in that many teams choose to play indoor during off seasons (although it’s usually optional for both recreational and select teams).

Tryouts/Team Selection
imageIn recreational soccer, teams are formed based on random selections from the player pool regardless of their level of ability or knowledge of the game.  In select soccer, teams are formed based on player “grading” during the club’s annual tryouts (which take place during the first week of July).  In many medium to large clubs (such as Fort Worth United), multiple teams exist in a single age group with players placed on a team appropriate for their level of skill.  In recreational soccer, children are placed on a team based on location (i.e. which neighborhood they live in) whereas in select soccer, placement depends upon the level of skill.

Costs
Costs differ widely depending upon the club you decide to play for.  In recreational soccer, costs cover league fees and uniforms.  Some recreational teams collect additional money for tournaments, indoor play, and special training camps and clinics. In select soccer, the club forms a budget for the year and the monies due are split amongst the members of the team.  A down payment is typically required and the remaining payments are stretched out on a monthly basis with a period of 5-10 months.

Select clubs are often a 501 (c) (3) non-profit organization (Fort Worth United is a non-profit organization).  All monies collected go towards team costs. Costs in select soccer will include things such as regular season fees, referee fees, tournament fees, indoor fees, camps and clinics. All of these costs, after being discounted as mentioned above,  are included in the member’s monthly dues.

Time Commitment
Recreational practices are typically held once a week with games played once a week on Saturday.  In select soccer, teams typically practice twice a week and sometimes three times a week before critical tournaments or games.  Select teams also typically play one game a week on Saturday.  The seasons in both consist of 10 regular season games.

Recreational games are usually held in the immediate community where the team is based.  In select soccer, where games are played depends upon which league you are playing in.  In the Arlington league, teams typically play half their games in their home organization’s community (which is usually Fort Worth or Arlington) and the other half are “away” games.  In the Metroplex, away games could be in Dallas or Fort Worth.  In the highest level leagues, games are played in Dallas.

Final Word on Scholarships
Soccer differs from other sports in Texas in the way that college scholarships are awarded.  In most sports, college recruiters attend the games of the top Texas high school teams and make selections from that pool of players.  In soccer, college recruiters attend select soccer games or competitive “showcase” tournaments to scout – they make little use of high school level games.  North Texas is considered to be one of the “hotbeds” of select soccer in the United States and the top competitive leagues in North Texas are considered the best in the country.  College recruiters from around the United States attend competitive soccer events in North Texas to make their selections for scholarship awards.  The Dallas Morning News recently reported that 1 in 3 girls and 1 in 5 boys that play competitive soccer in North Texas earn college scholarships.  For a player that wishes to play at a collegiate level or higher, competitive soccer is the only route to success.

Probably the greatest accomplishment we realized was building and acquisition of soccer fields for the players. Partnering with third parties, we were able to construct one full-size field ($100,000) and two smaller fields on the south side of Fort Worth.  In addition, we had covered seating areas, warm-up areas, a sand futsal field available for the players, and were in the process of building a permanent clubhouse structure on the property.  The campus we were located on provided us with indoor rooms for board meetings, parties, and classroom training.

After building the fields, we acquired a 5-field complex on the west side of Fort Worth.  The contract was signed and a few months later, literally minutes from our “move-in” date, we received a legal order from FWYSA that stopped us from moving in.  The party that “lost” the fields had begun a lengthy legal battle with the owners of the complex (Lion’s Club)  in an effort to keep them.  I left the Club during this time and did not get to witness the conclusion of the battle but given what I read in the legal order, would assume that FWYSA had no legal footing to stand on.

In addition, we had an agreement to construct a 3 field facility near downtown Fort Worth with the understanding we would look at expanding the facility at a future date.  The Trinity Valley Authority walked the proposed site and gave us their blessing.  We were reaching the conclusion of the contract negotiations when my tenure as President ended.

Fort Worth United Proper Facilities

imageFort Worth United proper has permanent practice facilities conveniently located at the Resource Connection Campus in Southern Fort Worth.  Featuring two full-size fields (lighted in the winter), a third lighted practice area, full size sand pit for speed/strength/agility training, a cross-country training trail, and hard surface areas for futsal training, the Resource Practice facility provides all the amenities needed to develop a superior soccer player.  In addition, FWU Board Room facilities, 300 person auditorium, indoor gym facility, and ample paved parking and more are also located on the Resource Connection Campus.  The facilities, available exclusively to Fort Worth United Soccer Club members, are easily accessible from I-20 providing convenient access to members from Fort Worth, Arlington, and surrounding areas.  Normal configuration of the fields provides 9-11 practice areas with ample room surrounding the fields to accommodate additional teams.

The Fort Worth United practice fields, designed and developed by Scott Peck, designer/developer of the new FC Dallas fields (Pizza Hut Park) in Frisco, are recognized as one of the highest quality practice facilities in Tarrant County.  FWU practice facility fields construction was based on the same field construction methodology and specs used in the FC Dallas fields construction – the end result being state of the art practice fields for your elite soccer player.  To put it bluntly, our practice fields are of a better quality than the league fields we play our regular season games on.

The Resource Connection soccer fields offer ample paved parking areas, covered seating areas with tables next to each field, and bleacher seating.  In addition, there are adjacent recreational activities located on the RC campus such as a bicycle racing course, walking trails, wilderness area, and lighted baseball fields, to keep parents and siblings occupied while the teams practice.  And of course, since the Resource Connection Campus provides primarily youth, sports related facilities, it is also patrolled and monitored by campus security 24 hours a day.

How the Fields were Built
imageThe Resource Connection soccer fields were constructed in 2003.  The first phase of the construction project consisted of two, professionally designed, regulation soccer fields.  Phase II consisted of refining and honing of the playing surface of Field 1.  Mortar grade sand was brought in and the fields “floated” and “laser graded” to produce a playing surface as smooth as glass.  The fields were then plugged with Bermuda Tiff 419, the same type of grass used on professional soccer fields and golf course fairways.  Permanent lights and additional fields are to be built in phase III.  The practice fields were expressly designed and constructed as regulation soccer fields and are professionally seeded, maintained, and irrigated by Fort Worth United supplied contractors.

Future Construction
Phase III will start during the Fall 2008 season or earlier.  Field 2 will be refined and an additional field (Field 3) will be constructed following the same design specs as the existing fields.  Temporary lighting has been installed for night practices and design and planning for permanent standards will soon follow.

Additional Facilities and Branch Facilities
In addition to Fort Worth United’s permanent practice facilities, FWU operates out of several branch facilities too.  Benbrook  facilities and North Crowley facilities are used as overflow facilities and for our West Branch teams.  Keller Central High School’s immaculate Central High soccer facilities, considered one of the top training facilities in our area, are used for our North Branch teams.  Harold Patterson facilities, located in southern Arlington, are occasionally used for our East Branch teams.

Facility Rules
FWU Club members are enjoying FWU’s new practice facility and are looking forward to putting field 3 online next year. With that in mind, we wanted to remind everyone that the practice field, which we have contracted, exclusive use of, is a partnership with Resource Connection and as such, we need to make sure we take good care of it and adhere to the campus rules that Resource Connection has put forward.

  1. Do not allow any objects other than soccer balls and players on the field surfaces. Especially be leery of bringing wire flags, bags, and other such items onto the surface. The mowers used to maintain these fields are specialized and items such as these can damage the reel mower blades.
  2. Please make sure all trash is picked up after each practice. This should be the last thing your team does when their practice concludes – pick up all trash (even if it’s not your trash). There is a trash receptacle next to the bridge and there are additional trash receptacles next to each of the covered pavilions.
  3. imageDon’t use the trash receptacles near the loading docs at the nearby school. These are for bagged trash only, and while Resource Connection sincerely appreciates our efforts at trash control, we need to use the trash receptacles located by our field.
  4. Before 6:00 PM, we are not allowed to use the building’s picnic tables by the softball field. These are FWISD buildings and they have tutoring sessions running until 6:00 – the noise on the patio disrupts their sessions.
  5. Do not allow any kids on the “bunkers” located between Field 1 and the Softball Field.
  6. Park only on the paved parking areas – do not park or drive on any of the grass surfaces.
  7. When setting the timer on the softball field lights, use a minimum setting. Otherwise, the lights can/will remain on all night.
  8. Do not use the bathrooms in the pool room. Tarrant County is liable for accidents in that building and use of that facility requires specific agreements be put into place first.
  9. Do not allow children to roam the campus unattended. The campus is patrolled 24×7 and officers pay particular attention to our children. They cannot keep an eye on kids that wander away from our practice areas.
  10. If furniture is moved around (particularly the furniture on the softball field porch), please put it back neatly when you are done. This furniture does not belong to FWU and we will only be allowed to use it if we ensure we put it back in its proper place.
  11. Respect team field reservations.
  12. Keep children off of the electrical/transformer boxes
  13. Obey the speed limit in the Resource Connection campus. The campus is regularly patrolled and monitored and tickets will be issued. Along those same lines, please treat the officers with courtesy and respect.

Thanks for helping us keep the Fort Worth United practice facilities in excellent condition!

Facility Reservations/Schedules
Coaches/Managers, you can view the field reservation schedules here.  For questions about field scheduling, please contact Mike King.

Here is a list of past Presidents that we kept on the site.  I had the pleasure to work with several of these fine people during my time with the Club.

Former FWU Presidents

2010-2011Leslie Lemke
2010Dawn Golf
2009-2010Chris Culver
2005-2009Brian Haddock
2004-2005Steve Suba
2003-2004DD Stringer
2001-2003Phyllis Wolfe
2000-2001Glen Anderson
1998-2000Terry Taylor

 

 

Soccer Club Organization Documents

Below are documents I had archived that might be useful to other startup soccer clubs.  Of particular interest are the “action plans”.  FWU operated all of its processes using action plans, of which we had dozens.  The action plans were electronic and presented on the club’s website.  Tied to the action plans was a status reporting system that allowed the club to tie a process task with a person and track the status of the task.  Below I included action plans for the more complex processes.  These are not the actual electronic plans but rather, early versions of the plans (so some may be incomplete).

Since 1971, FWU had gone through several “cycles” of growth.  I would assume at some point, another party will be interested in returning the Club to its glory days.  When that time comes, feel free to contact me and I can pass on literally hundreds of Club documents that will help get the Club re-started.

Notes on strategic direction
Original notes we created to define the strategic direction for development of the club.  The first step we took in the early 2000’s was to create a strategic plan.

Club Policies and Procedure
Our documented policies and procedures.  In prior years, solutions to problems and answers to questions was a lengthy process involving meeting, discussions, and a lot of wasted time.  In order to “pre-answer” questions to problems that competitive soccer clubs experience, we developed a formal set of policies and procedures to guide the leaders.  When a situation arose, we simply consulted the policies and procedures manual and there was our answer.

Club Bylaws
Fort Worth United Soccer Club’s bylaws.  We were in the process of changing these bylaws to allow the club to operate as its own home association (which included the creation of a new recreational soccer league for players in the south Fort Worth area).

Action Plan – Tournament
FWU operated an annual tournament at the Rolling Hills Soccer Complex that was one of the largest in the state.  In the early 2000’s, NTSSA refused to sanction the tournament because it fell on the same weekend as their State Cup.  Since our annual tournament had been running on the same weekend for over a decade, we tried to get NTSSA to grandfather us in.  They refused.  We spent years trying to find an alternative date (and started running a small-sided tournament in its place) that would satisfy NTSSA and on a weekend that the Rolling Hills fields were online and available.

Action Plan – Open Practices, Tryouts, and New Team Formation
One of the most complex processes for a soccer club is the annual tryouts and subsequent new team formation.  Retailers have their “Christmas Rush” season and competitive soccer clubs have their June Open Practices and July Tryouts rush.

Action Plan – College Bound Program
The College Bound program was a new program we created to assist players with the acquisition of college scholarships.  We conducted in-house training for the players to teach them how to create resumes, recruit themselves, write follow-up letters, etc.  I included this document even though it appears to have an incomplete schedule (the real document was an electronic form on the website).

Action Plan – Academy Program
The Academy program was a new development program we introduced for players younger than U11.  Later we introduced the Junior Kicks program for kids as young as 4 years old.  Competitive soccer clubs use the pre-select programs to recruit kids for their club.  Is 10 years old too young to recruit players for competitive soccer?  Absolutely.  But NTSSA turned their heads and allowed all the major clubs to continue this practice.  By the end of my tenure, pre-select programs were running all over the Metroplex.

Action Plan – Uniforms
The uniform process was one of the most frustrating processes of all.  Uniform vendors and retailers in our area were disorganized and a bit shady at times.  During my tenure as President I saw manufacturers attempt to bribe to gain our business, retailers bait and switch to get our contracts, retailers use our uniform funds to float their business when they didn’t have enough credit with the manufacturer (the manufacturer actually called me and tipped me off as to why our orders were arriving in small, incomplete batches, and most frustrating of all, retailers scrambling to our large fill orders.  And yes, I saw several of these retailers go out of business.

Coach Contracts – Contract, Schedule I, Schedule III, Schedule IV
FWU coach contracts included several added “schedules”.  Schedule I was a bonus pay addendum that allowed us to use bonuses as incentives for the coach and team performance goals.  Schedule III was customizable and used to specify the objective the coach must reach in order to receive the bonus compensation specified in Schedule I.  Schedule IV was an additional risk management document that was required to be completed for each coach that Fort Worth United Soccer Club sought to hire.  NTSSA conducted their own background search which had to be completed and approved before a coach would be “licensed” to coach for that year.  In addition to NTSSA’s background process, FWU conducted their own background check with the results documented in Schedule IV.  Vetting for coaches at FWU included redundant background checks and performance evaluations (which typically consisted of Coaching Directors contacting other trusted club coaches to see how a prospective coach had performed in the past).  Even with these additional layers of protection, we still had situations where an ex-coach was charged and convicted of possession of child pornography and a current coach was charged with indecency with a child.  Neither incidents involved club players and both coaches had clean records when hired which lead us to wonder, how do you vet a coach to ensure the safety of the children?  Answer: you can’t.  The creeps will always find a way in which means it’s imperative you have policies and procedures in place to protect the children.

FWU Academy Brochure
FWU used brochures for marketing with several types of brochures created for Academy, Junior Kicks, Open practices and tryouts, and general club information.  Brochures were to always be on hand for prospective new players and would sometimes be distributed at recreational facilities (much to the chagrin of the recreational associations and competing clubs).  Handouts were changed and updated each year with new information.  The document included here is an example of the FWU Academy brochure.

FWU graphics and logos
We of course accumulated plenty of professionally drawn graphics, logos, etc.  I’ve put all logo files on a separate page.

 

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