Rainbow
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Q: What are the different leagues within Rainbow? How should I choose which league is most appropriate for my child?
Rainbow
offers several different levels of play, to best fit your situation. There are recreational leagues (regular
Rainbow and Wisely), and competitive (Triangle
United, Sunset). The recreational
leagues have volunteer coaches and referees.
Teams are mixes of players of different abilities. Players get equal playing time. In the 2nd grade and younger many refs and coaches are parent or UNC students. 3rd grade and older leagues have jerseys, more experienced referees, and
volunteer coaches. More emphasis is
given to developing soccer skills, and improving play. In competitive leagues, the referees are
certified and the players must be part of the state soccer organizations. Triangle United players must tryout for teams. The emphasis is on player development and
competitive play. In 2003 we began offering the Advanced Development Program for younger players (pre-Triangle United ages). The ADP leagues goals are similar to Triangle United. Sunset and Triangle United play their
games at local fields (mostly middle and high schools). All the other
leagues have their games at the Rainbow fields.
Triangle United teams also travel for their away games to sites within
about an hours drive. Complete details on all leagues can be found at the
Rainbow web site (http://www.rainbowsoccer.org/divisions.html).
More information about the competitive leagues can be found on the Triangle United website. Another good way is to ask parents of children on teams in the leagues you are
interested in.
Q: How do I know what
team my child is assigned to?
The only notification is that team rosters are posted at the Rainbow soccer fields. Some coaches may call players to let them know, but this is optional and voluntary on their part. We tried listing them on the web once previously, but have not continued this due to concerns raised by parents about making this information available on the web. Beginning in the fall of 2004 we are emailing each team member a roster listing. We think this will facilitate parents knowing other families on the team for communication (car-pooling, snack duties, etc), while not disclosing the team player information to everyone on the web.
Q: How do you decide
what team to put my child (or me) on?
Rainbow works very hard to try to please everyone, as much as possible. We ask for your preferences on your registration form. We then try to match players and teams by hand for ~1500 players, given the preferences they have indicated. While it is impossible to make everyone perfectly happy :-), we want to come as close as we can. We welcome your input, and your calls if you have concerns about your team assignment. Please call ASAP after teams are assigned when we may have more flexibility to move players.
Q: How do I know whether
games or practice are on due to weather conditions?
The weather phone hotline is updated to let you know whether
fields are closed. Players or their
families are responsible for calling.
Call 990-3036 for Rainbow,
Q: How does Rainbow
decide whether to hold practices or games?
The Rainbow staff goes and physically checks the fields, and several weather forecasts. If the fields are to wet to be playable, or it is heavily raining or lightning (or a high probability of these two in the near future based on the weather forecast), then the practices or games are cancelled. Our first concern is safety of the players, and also of the fields. The fields are our prime resource, and can be easily ruined by play when the fields are too wet. Please do not play on the fields, even informally, if the fields are closed.
Q: Why are my child’s games in a 7v7 format instead of 11 v 11? Is this still “real”
soccer?
Beginning in 2003, recreational leagues within Rainbow changed to a 7v7 format to more closely follow the national and state youth soccer guidelines (references, US Youth Soccer guidelines). Smaller sided games offer more action for players, more touches on the ball, more play on both offensive and defense sides, more scoring, and in general more of a “soccer” experience.
Q: How are my fees spent?
Different leagues have different fees and expenses. One of the goals of the Rainbow board in 2003 was to accurately establish an accounting of Rainbow expenses, and to begin making projected budgets. Beginning in the summer of 2004, thanks to the volunteer efforts of Pam Hemminger, and our new bookkeeper (Claudia Kapler), we have our first accurate annual expense accounting, and a projected budget for the next year. We try to produce reports at least annually (sometimes twice a year). Available reports include 2003 summary, spring 2004, Fall 2004, 2005-2006 1st half. Primarily, your fees goes towards fields (maintaining, renting, staffing), equipment, uniforms, and operational expenses (office, personnel). For more details on specific leagues and their expenses see the pie chart reports in the fall 2003 open house meeting slides.