Mission Statement

It is the mission of Ames Soccer Club to foster the development of local youth through the sport of soccer. We are dedicated to providing our participants with a fun, high-quality soccer experience that encourages sportsmanship and a love of the game through the development of player, coach, referee, and team.

Corporate Statements

The Ames Soccer Club is a 501c(3) corporation: 
Ames Soccer Club Bylaws - September 2023

 

Policies

Iowa Soccer Governance Documents

 

• Child supervision policy, adopted Sept 25, 2007. This policy states that coaches must stay with players whose parents are late to pick them up from a practice or games, and gives procedures of what to do if the parents cannot be contacted/located after a reasonable period of time.

• Coach training policy, Adopted Oct 17, 2007. The goal of the club is that every coach within the program hold an appropriate USSF certificate or license. Toward that end, the club will sponsor appropriate clinics in Ames and pay for all licensures up through the USSF D License for all coaches. All coaches are expected to hold appropriate licenses by the beginning of their second year.

• Weather-Related Cancellations Policy. Soccer culture is that games are played in light to moderate rain. The club will occasionally cancel a set of games or practices for bad weather or because the fields are unplayable. The policies below outline when the club will shut things down, but parents (and coaches) are of course welcome to hold their kids out if that is their best judgment.

• Goal Safety Policy. Adopted in May, 2009. It is the responsibility of Club/Academy and Parent Coaches as well as referees to check that goals are safely secured before players are allowed to use or be near the goals and to allow no one to climb on the soccer net or goal framework.

• Concussion Policy. Adopted in 2017. The policy reflects the clubs desire to ensure that player safety is paramount. In addition to the strict enforcement of the policy, we have decided to be the leader of clubs in the State and are providing baseline testing for all of our players 11u and older.

• Oustanding Balance Policy Adopted in March 2021.

• U5-U10 Team Formation. Adopted in September 2010. This policy reflects the Club's desire to form teams in a fashion that respects the children's best interest and complies with Iowa Soccer Association (ISA) policies. The goals are that where possible players will be kept on the same team from season-to-season and that players will be put together based on elementary school attended. Obviously, as the players get older and roster sizes increase there will be need to join teams together.

• U5-U10 Registration Refund Policy. We realize that sometimes plans change and every season we get a few requests for refunds. In order to keep our fees as low as possible, we do NOT build in extra fund into the fees to cover the expenses incurred for players that ask for refunds after they have registered, such as the processing fee, the insurance fees, and the marginal costs of coaches we hire. Thus, the board adopted the following refund policy: (1) Requests for refunds before team formation will receive a full refund, less $10; (2) Requests for refunds between team formation and the first game will receive a full refund, less $25.; (3) After the first game of the season, no refunds will be granted, save in the case of season-ending injury or illness. Such refunds will come in the form of credits for registration for the following season.

• U11-U19 Registration Refund Policy. Signing up for a competitive soccer team is a complex thing, involving tryouts, verbal acceptance, and finally, a deposit (at the time of this writing, being $50). It at least potentially involves excluding another player if/when the small number of teams is full. Thus, the deposit is considered non-refundable for withdraw without exceptional circumstances. If the balance of fees has been paid, and the player withdraws before the first tournament or league game, the player will be entitled to a refund of the registration fee, less the deposit. A player that withdraws is entitled to receive back any pro-rated tournament fees that have not been used by the team already. In case of season-ending injury/illness, a reasonable pro-rated credit can be applied to the following season, or refunded in the case of a U15-U19 player.

• Summer Play Policy for U11-U19 teams. All teams may play in summer events, from the end of the spring season until August 15, but all teams that choose to do so must obtain the approval of the Director of Coaching because of ISL regulations. The DOC will have the discretion to approve coaching assignments for such summer events. Invitations to non-ASC players to participate as guest players should go through the DOC, as should requests for ASC players to participate on teams from other ISL clubs. Players wishing to participate on summer high-school-based teams (e.g., for Iowa Games) need not seek permission from the DOC, but those that would like to guest-play on teams from other CDL clubs need to go through the usual procedures of getting DOC approval.

• Summer Coaching Policy (U11-U19 teams). Teams participating in summer events may elect to ask the DOC for professional coaching. This policy governs how those coaches will be paid. Director of Coaching. If the DOC works with a team during the period July 1-August 15, he or she will be reimbursed for hotel expenses, given a food per diem of $30 per day on travel days, and given travel expenses of $0.25/mile for travel outside of Ames. Teams will be charged $30 per hour for training sessions and $100 per day at tournaments ($50 per day at local tournaments); these funds will be paid directly to the club. Assistant Director of Coaching and & Non-Contract Employees. If the Assistant DOC or a Non-Contract Coach works with a team during the period July 1-August 15, he or she will be reimbursed for hotel expenses, given a food per diem of $30 per day on travel days, and given travel expenses of $0.25/mile for travel outside of Ames. Teams will be charged $30 per hour for training sessions and $100 per day at tournaments ($50 per day at local tournaments); these funds will be paid directly to the club. The Assistant Director of Coaching and non-contract employee will receive 75% of the monies received for coaching at training and games, and the club will receive the remainder.

• Club Credit Card Policy. Adopted in December 2008. Ames Soccer Club has deemed it appropriate for the following positions to utilize an Ames Soccer Club business credit card hereafter known as ASC credit card to facilitate business operations of the Ames Soccer Club. These positions and their corresponding credit limits are as follows: Director of Coaching with a credit limit of $2000 and Director of Fields with a credit limit of $500. All ASC credit card charges must be supported by an itemized receipt. Purchases not properly documented will be the personal responsibility of the staff or board member that initiated the charge. All receipts and documentation must be turned into the Treasurer within 20 days of the purchase/charge. The Treasurer shall not hold a credit card and will serve as the individual responsible to ensure that appropriate documentation is received. If documentation is not provided as stated in this policy the Treasurer will notify the President and the Vice-President of the non-compliance. Increasing the limits of an ASC credit card can only happen by vote of the Ames Soccer Club board at a regularly scheduled meeting and appear as an agenda item prior to the vote. Additional ASC credit card can only be authorized by dual signature by the Treasurer, President, and/or Vice President. Cancelation of a credit card can be done individually by the Treasurer, President, and/or the Vice President. Misuse of the ASC credit cards or charge accounts may lead to disciplinary action up to and including termination or removal from the Board.

• Mileage Reimbursement Policy. Adopted in December 2008. Purpose: To provide for the appropriate reimbursement to employees for expenses incurred in the use of personal vehicles on Ames Soccer Club (ASC). Policy: The Internal Revenue Service has issued a standard mileage rate used to calculate the deductible costs of operating a personal car for business use. ASC mileage reimbursement rate shall be set annual on January 1st to reflect the Internal Revenue Services issued rate. ASC will reimburse employees for the use of their personal vehicle used for ASC business. Mileage reimbursement is meant to cover only those miles incurred above and beyond the employee's normal commute to and from HYSC and incidental driving within the city limits of Ames. Mileage is reimbursable for miles driven outside of the city limits of Ames for ASC business (such as ISA meetings, league games, tournaments, etc.) Reimbursement requests should indicate the date, points of travel and the miles eligible for reimbursement. Mileage reimbursement requests should be sent to Director of Coach who is responsible for verification and authorization of payment by the Treasurer. The Treasurer is responsible for reviewing the Director of Coaching mileage reimbursement requests.