White Bear Soccer

We have received a number of questions regarding the new training program.  We will try to address some of these questions here.  If you have a question that you would like addressed that we don't cover here, please post it below and we will provide an answer.

Q: I thought the cost of the training was covered in my registration fees.  Why am I charged $40 when I register?
A: The increase in your registration fee goes to subsidize the cost of the dome facility.  In essence, your registration gains you access to the training facility as a member of the club.  The $40 cost charged for age level group training is to cover the cost of the hired trainers.

Q: Why did the club decide to add this indoor training program and make it part of my registration fees?
A: The club has made a decision to invest in this program to help build the club.  Too many players are starting in WBL, only to move on to other clubs due to the fact that they have programs just like this.  This investment in training will help to build the skills of our players, making our teams more competitive and successful.  Over time this will help to keep our players in WBL, and possibly draw other neighborhood players in as well, further building the club.  This program is an investment in the future of the WB Soccer Club.

Q: How does the cost of our training compare to other training options available?
A: You can expect to pay anywhere between $10-$18 per hour for similar academy style training in other programs.  In comparison, our training costs about $5 per hour.

Q: Why do C1 teams get more dome training time than C2 and C3 teams?
A: All players have equal access to training time in the dome.  We have assigned one hour per week for the top level team in age levels U11-U17 to use for training as a team during the winter and spring sessions .  However, this does not mean they have more total training time available to them.  All players, regardless of playing level have access to as many training sessions as they want to sign up for.  A C3 player could sign up for one or more hours per week while a C1 player practices with their team for only one hour each week.

Q: Why don't U9 and U10 teams get an assigned team training session?
A: There are no tryouts at these age levels, and therefore, no top team.  However, the U9/U10 age levels have the highest number of open sessions available to them for academy style training.

Q: What if I don't find a session that I can sign up for because of other conflicts?
A: Our goal is to provide all players access to the dome for training.  We have tried to offer a variety of dates and times to choose from for each age level.  You should be able to find one or more that will work in your schedule.  If you don't, contact the club and we can place you in another session that is appropriate based on age and skill level.  We want all players to be able to take advantage of the training, but we also expect that players and parents are willing to place a level of priority on soccer training and balance it with other winter sports activities.

Q: What if the sessions I want are full?
A: The number of sessions have been carefully balanced based on the number of players at each age level.  We expect to be able to accomodate all players that want to participate.  That being said, if a session you want is full and there are not other alternatives, use the waitlist feature on the registration site.  We will monitor registrations and may be able to open another session, or adjust the number of sessions for each age level to accomodate the number of interested players.  This is our first year with this program, and we know we will need to make adjustments as we go.  We are willing to be flexible to accomodate as many players as possible.

Q: What if my coach wants team training time at the dome?
A: Again, as we monitor registrations and interest in the group training sessions, we may find that sessions will need to be canceled.  That will open up hours at the dome that can be used by coaches for team training.  If that happens, we will communicate this information and develop a system for reserving this time.  We don't have enough hours to guarantee all coaches a spot for team training, but we will make all unused hours available for use so that we get full use of our investment.

Q: Why do we have to pay for soccer registration so early in the year?
A: This training program comes at a cost to the club.  In order for us to offer this training program and meet our financial obligations we need to collect the fees necessary to do so.  This means partial payment earlier in the year when the costs are incurred.

Q: How does the cost of WB Soccer compare to other clubs in the area?
A: Compared to other clubs in our area, White Bear charges significantly less for registration fees (anywhere between $100 to several hundred dollars less).  These clubs are either including winter training in their registration fees, or charging extra for winter training.