Good day and welcome to the NCAFA Summer Elite Team (SET) Program!
This email is being sent to all registered families and is designed to be an introduction to the Program and hopefully provide some answers to questions you may have. I'll break this up into bite-sized pieces, because there is a lot of information to share.
Coaches
The official announcement of the head coaches will be made. Jeff Koradi is the U15 Head Coach and Dan Lachance is the U17 Head Coach. Each staff is nearly complete and I can promise you that there will not be a more experienced collection of coaches anywhere. Coordinators and position coach announcements will be made in the days ahead. Please do not hesitate to reach out to your coach should you have any questions or concerns.
Coach Koradi can be reached at jeffkoradi@rogers.com
Coach Lachance can be reached at Knightspresident@outlook.com
Equipment
Equipment for the Program is the responsibility of your home NCAFA club. Please begin to make arrangements with your club for drawing the equipment. It will be required before Feb 16th. Practice jerseys will be provided by the SET program but please bring your own on the first night. In the event a player does not have an NCAFA Club or cannot draw equipment for any reason, please let me know and I will ensure equipment will be provided by Cumberland (a $600 deposit check is required for Cumberland equipment that is returned when the equipment comes back).
Try Out Dates
Our first sessions will be in the uOttawa Lees Ave gymnasium (next to the uOttawa dome). We will then have two sessions inside the uOttawa dome, and then another gymnasium session.
U15
Sun, Feb 10th - 10:00am - 12:00pm @ Lees Gymnasium - NO EQUIPMENT
Sat, Feb. 16 - 4:00pm - 6:00 pm @ U Ottawa Dome - FULL EQUIPMENT
Sun, Feb. 17 - 3:30pm - 5:00 pm @ U Ottawa Dome - FULL EQUIPMENT
Sun, Feb 24th - 10:00am - 12:00pm @ Lees Gymnasium - NO EQUIPMENT
Sun, Mar 3rd - 10:00am - 12:00pm @ Lees Gymnasium - NO EQUIPMENT
U17
Sun, Feb 10th - 12:00pm - 2:00pm @ Lees Gymnasium - NO EQUIPMENT
Sat, Feb. 16 - 4:00pm - 6:00 pm @ U Ottawa Dome - FULL EQUIPMENT
Sun, Feb. 17 - 5:00pm - 6:30 pm @ U Ottawa Dome - FULL EQUIPMENT
Sun, Feb 24th - 12:00pm - 2:00pm @ Lees Gymnasium - NO EQUIPMENT
Sun, Mar 3rd - 12:00pm - 2:00pm @ Lees Gymnasium - NO EQUIPMENT
These sessions are guaranteed for all registered players. Following these sessions, the Head Coaches may cut down their rosters depending on the number of players registered. Dome and gym sessions will continue through March and these dates/times will be made available in the coming days. In April, once the fields are clear, practices will move outside and both teams will begin regular practices on Tuesday and Thursday nights, usually located on the uOttawa Lees Turf Field. Additional practices may be added by the coaches as required and these practices may be located at other high quality facilities.Teams will be reduced to 44-player rosters by May 1st.
Program Details
In addition to the high-level training the players will receive, games will of course be played. The Spalding Cup (this name may be changing) will be held in Montreal July 5th through 15th. Each team will play three games in the tournament. These will be day trips and will be spread over the course of the 10 days. In addition, numerous options for competition are being considered. Games against OPFL, OFC and Montreal-area teams beginning in early May are being planned, but we are a bit early to confirm these games due to our partners not having firm schedules in hand. There will be at a minimum 6 full games in the Program, with the potential for more should our coaches and players wish.
The SET Program isn't just about practices and games though. We will be delivering learning opportunities, including sessions on "Getting to the Next Level" and "How to Improve Your Training". Through our staff members and partners, we have a wealth of experience to share with the player who has his sights on moving forward with his football career. We also have almost a dozen current and former football professionals, both players and coaches, who will be acting as guest coaches.
Fees
In addition to the $50 registration fee already collected, the season fees will be $425. These fees go towards the facility rentals, the purchase of equipment, transportation to and from games, player and coach apparel and tournament registrations. No one associated with the NCAFA SET program is drawing any salary, stipend or per diem. The full cost is invested into the Program and the players. The Program budget will be available to registered parents on request.
Season fees are playable as of March 1st though an online process similar to your registration process and must be paid in full by May 1st. Players who are not paid in full or who have not secured sponsorship (from their NCAFA team, for example) or a grant (from JumpStart, for example) will not be permitted to continue beyond the May 1st date. Special circumstances should be communicated directly to ncafashowcase@gmail.com
OFA Registration
All participants, players and coaches included, must be registered with the OFA before their first dome session. Registrations can be done at the following
link: https://site2075.goalline.ca/register.php?reg_form_id=27360.
Once the OFA number for 2019 is obtained, please email me for inclusion with your registration. Please note that 2018 OFA registrations must be renewed for 2019. The good news is that your number can carry over into your fall NCAFA seasons without any further action required on your part.
Program Branding
Shortly, we will be able to announce a major brand partner for our NCAFA SET Program. This is an exciting opportunity for the entire league and we will speak more of it in the coming days
