Dear Players, Coaches and Parents,

I have been serving as your club president for almost 6 months now, and I imagine many of you are wondering how things are progressing.  This is the first of what I plan to be regular letters to the club’s community, with the goal of keeping as many people as possible informed about our activities.

Player development is first and foremost the goal of Santa Rosa United.  With that in mind, coaching is a natural focus, as our coaches have an incredible impact on our children’s soccer experience.  Over the last few months I have been researching other top soccer programs in order to develop a sense of ‘best practices’ for coaching development.  I have met often with representatives of our coaching group, and also with coaches and club executives from around the country.  Our board is committed to finding top coaching talent, and retaining them. 

The club is developing a coaches’ compensation scale that recognizes licensing levels, years of experience coaching, and loyalty to our club.  We also plan to provide employee benefits to encourage our coaches to make their coaching home SRU.

Our Executive Director search is coming to a close.  Over the last few weeks and months we have received resumes from many qualified candidates.  Our selection process has been thorough, and involved input from all areas of the club community.  Look for an announcement soon!

I recently returned from the US Soccer National Training Center in Bradenton, Florida , where our U16 Boys Gold Team participated in the Sixth Annual Boys Nike Friendlies.  This very prestigious event is an ‘invitation-only’ showcase of the top soccer talent in the country, and is well attended by college coaches and national team coaches who are scouting for talent.  The is a very real example of the value of our Nike Premier Club status, as it provides the entrée for our kids to this event, arguably the top college showcase in the country.  Our U17 Girls Gold Team also participated in the first ever Nike Friendlies for girls during September of 2006.  

The board of directors is very close to finalizing a slate of coaches for the 2007-2008 season.  This is always a tough time, as transitions are not always easy for coaches, parents or players, and yet change is often needed for a variety of reasons. Please remember that our goal is to create a staff of top-flight coaches in all age groups.  By finalizing next year’s selection soon, we will be able to provide ample opportunity for a smooth transition should a coaching change occur on a particular team.

As we finish the year and look to a new beginning in 2007, let us all hold the idea that we are committed to making Santa Rosa United a great place to play soccer!  With the advent of Trione Fields, a whole new era of soccer in Sonoma County is beginning! 

Yours in soccer,

Betsy Stewart