Stan Parke - Rec/Indoor Commissioner - sparke@tinleyparkbobcats.org

Players must be in grades indicated for 2012 - 2013 School year

• Freshman Division - Pre-K (Minimum 4.5 years old) and K
• Sophomore Division - 1st and 2nd Grade
• Junior Division - 3rd, 4th and 5th
• Senior Division - 6th, 7th and 8th

The Tinley Park Bobcats Soccer Program is to provide a well rounded soccer experience for all of its participants. We will strive to promote confidence and self-esteem through an emphasis on individual skill development, the spirit of teamwork, and sportsmanship in a positive atmosphere. We want to create a community that has a passion for the game of soccer and a lifetime of fond memories for our players and their families who participate.

Our goals to achieve this are:

• First and foremost, we want to make soccer fun, exciting and rewarding.
• To invest in the development of soccer skills which will enable each player to achieve their personal best while emphasizing sportsmanship and team play.
• To remember that wins, losses and competitive successes are a by-product of our philosophy, not a specific goal.
• To understand that we are developing far more than soccer players and that soccer is only one of life's experiences.
• To provide our coaches and players with the opportunity to expand their knowledge of the game through clinics and camps.
• To provide a mentor program, provided by travel coaches and other experienced Bobcat coaches, to aid in the growth and knowledge of our recreational coaches.
• To provide a competitive travel program for those players that want to take their game to the next level while following the Bobcat mission. This is a new change implemented by the Bobcats to allow the players in this division more touches on the ball, thus enhancing their learning experience. The Bobcats also offer growth opportunities for those who want a more competitive and in-depth experience in soccer by the means of travel teams and professional trainers for soccer.

The Tinley Park Bobcat Board of Directors has been asked by several Bobcat Members to review the organization’s policy as it relates to assembling teams. It has become apparent over the last few years that a great deal of emphasis has been placed on honoring requests rather than creating a equitable and competitive league. This has happened in all of our sports and has resulted in teams being unbalanced, either very weak or extremely strong, and subsequently a great number of players, parents and coaches being totally frustrated. This goes against the main objective of the Tinley Park Bobcats which is to provide positive experiences and “organized fun” for the members of our organization.

With this said, the commissioners and league reps for each sport will review their ratings systems and assemble teams based on the ratings and creating a competitive balance rather than honoring all requests, In all cases the “ratings” of the respective players will take precedence over a request.

Please note that a request is just that, a REQUEST, and not a guarantee. Please beware of this before you register your child for any of the Bobcats sports.

In the past few years the Bobcats have had a number of incidents where conduct has not been appropriate for our youth sporting activities. This poor conduct has been displayed by players, parents, coaches and game officials in all of our different sports. It has reached a point where this conduct can no longer be tolerated nor accepted in this organization.

As a board we have decided that it is time for the Bobcats to adopt guidelines similar to “Zero Tolerance Policies” in an effort to preserve and maintain a positive experience for all of our participants. We feel that by creating these guidelines, it will provide our members with an atmosphere that will be more desirable and rewarding for all.