1. Update from Peter Strazdas (PSC President)

2. Uniforms, apparel, and backpack update (Greg Murray, VP Uniforms)

3. Fundraising the easy way (Kathy Brown, VP Fundraising)

4. Winter comments from Bruce Bejcek (VP Coaches)

5. Portage Soccer Classic June 12-13 (David Rice, Tournament Director)

6. Coach/Manager meeting March 10

We are past the half-way mark for Winter. That means Spring soccer is around the corner. I hope everyone is starting to think about warmer weather and outdoor soccer. This communication is a new format for the Club. In our effort to communicate more frequently with Club members, we will be issuing three hard copy Newsletters as usual, and three short electronic newsletters. This is our first electronic Newsletter. It will also be posted on our web site.

Your Board of Directors continue to meet every month to plan and organize the many aspects of a quality soccer club program. Evelyn is doing a great job with registration. Greg has the uniforms scheduled for timely delivery. Kathy continues to do wonders with fund-raising for the Club. Our Parent Reps, Steve, Dave, and Betty are fielding your questions and being responsive to their respective team contacts. Deb meets with WMYSA and keeps communication flowing both ways with this group. Bruce has scheduled training opportunities for coaches and is organizing the coaching group for the spring. Bob recently reported the positive financial health of the club and the clean review from our accountants at year-end. Cathy keeps our secretary records well organized. Gordon is looking forward to opening our soccer complex facility this Spring. Dave and the rest of the tournament committee have spent a lot of time with the preparations for another first class PSC Tournament. Special thanks to Norm for his time with the Newsletters. Finally, Silvia continues to update one of the best soccer web sites around. The web site is kept up to date and you should find everything you need 24/7. Please go to it often.

Other news of interest is we have a large Portage Soccer Club bulletin board inside the Soccer Zone facility. Thanks to Betty and Sharon for their time to create a great information board for our club. We are nearing closure on the Lease Agreement language with AYSO Region 74. Please continue to support and help your team coach, team manager, and your Club Board. We all have one common mission...the best soccer experience for your child.

Uniform orders for the spring season have been placed with The Back of the Net. The new SZ manager is working hard to make sure that the uniforms arrive on time for the season opener. Prior to receiving their uniforms, each player must have paid the player & USF fees.

Any players filling vacant positions on spring teams should have already ordered a uniform, working through their team manager or coach. Managers/Coaches are reminded to contact not only Evelyn Flynn about roster additions, but also Greg Murray for the uniform.

There are still backpacks, socks and shorts on back order. All those items are expected to arrive in February.

A special thank you to the families who are participating in the Meijer Community Rewards Program.  All proceeds will benefit the Portage Soccer Community Complex.

More participation is still needed in the program.  Please visit www.meijer.com/rewards and complete the on-line form with PSC's code number, 103058, and your card will be mailed to you within a few weeks.  Remember, you may pay for your purchase any way you choose:  cash, check or credit card. You do not need to request a Meijer credit card for this to work. Simply request a guest card when you sign up so you can contribute a share of your purchases for PSC without spending any more money.

Thank you for your support!

If they have not already done so, please ask the parents and players on your teams to fill out a coach’s evaluation form which is located on the Portage Soccer Club web site at . Have the form sent to Bruce Bejcek, 7072 Hickory Point Drive, Portage, MI 49024. Their responses will be kept confidential but will be compiled to identify any areas of concern and discussion with coaches, and for selection of coaches for the 2004-2005 seasons.

If you or anybody you know wishes to coach for the 2004-2005 season please contact Bruce Bejcek at bruce.bejcek@wmich.edu. Please indicate which team(s) you are interested in and if you have had any coaching and playing experience.

Please remember to create a plan for the coming season. This should be based on what you think the team needs to work on the most, whether it be passing, trapping, shooting and finishing or dribbling etc. If you are looking for something to read before the season starts I would highly recommend "Catch Them Being Good" by Tony Dicicco, Colleen Hacker and Charles Salzberg. It is available through amazon.com (as well as others) as a paperback. Dicicco was the head women’s coach for the National team when they won the Olympic Gold Medal in 1994. In this book he outlines his philosophy of relating to players and the team as a whole, a philosophy that works well at any level and with either boys or girls. It also has some team building exercises that I haven’t tried but they look like fun.

The 18th Annual Portage Soccer Classic will be held on the weekend of June 12-13, 2004. This year’s tournament will be our third at the Portage Community Soccer Complex. We received many compliments from the teams who competed in the tournament the last two years on our new home.

Applications have been mailed to all of our teams and are also available on our website, www.portagesoccer.com. The deadline for the early registration discount is March 27, 2004. Team entry fees are $325 ($275 for U-10) up to that date and $350 ($300 for U-10) for later registrations. You only need to send your application at this time.

Our Tournament Board has been working hard to make this year’s event bigger and better. But we need your help to make it a success! Over 200 volunteers are needed from our teams to staff various positions. The time commitment is not great and our volunteer coordinators, Dawn Huczek (329-2503) and Daphne Walker (321-9309) will do their best to coordinate your work shift with your child’s game so as to minimize conflicts. Your team manager will be contacting you about volunteering for the tournament. We’re counting on you!

Did you know that the profit generated by the tournament is earmarked for debt retirement at the complex? In the last two years we earned $28,000 all of which was used to pay down our mortgage. The tournament also contributed $272,000 raised throughout the years to the cost of developing the complex.

Coaches, managers, and fundraising representatives from all teams will be attending a PSC kickoff meeting on March 10 to review Club information about the upcoming spring season and the Portage Soccer Classic Tournament. More information about these and other items will be available from your team leaders after that meeting.

New players are reminded that they will not be issued a uniform until all fees are paid, including the USF fee for the soccer complex.

Before long, practices will be moving outside. Let the games begin!