FAQ

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Here are some answers to frequently asked questions.

GENERAL QUESTIONS →

  • Our recreational program (Tier 4) is built for players as an introduction to the sport. The schedule is less intensive, allowing for multi-sport athletes, extra-curricular activities, or just a basic soccer experience. Our competitive program (Tiers 1/2/3) is built for athletes who want to commit and develop in the sport of soccer, with a more intensive training schedule and more focus being put into tournaments and league-play. All our programs are built around the core tenets of Joy, Player Agency, Community Connection, and Skill Development. 

  • A: All players require their own surface specific soccer shoes and shin pads.

    For younger ages (U4-U7) running shoes will be a suitable choice.

    For older players (U8-U19) it is recommended players wear purpose-built soccer cleats (studded for outdoor/indoor turf facilities, non-studded for indoor felt-turf facilities)

    Players in our recreational leagues (Tier 4) are provided with a jerseys, shorts, and socks.

    Players in our competitive program (Tiers 1-3) will receive their jersey from Phoenix FC for the season. Shorts and socks will need to be purchased separately on our Adidas store.

  • Phoenix FC is proud to work with JumpStart, KidSport, and our First Call Plumbing and Heating Inclusion Fund!

    Click here for more info.

  • Clubhouse is an opportunity to engage in free play and build individual soccer skills at our Phoenix FC Facility. This membership perk is a free, after-school drop-in program which runs Monday to Friday from 3pm-5pm every school day. Bringing friends, siblings and/or parents is encouraged! Our facility address is 170-3001 Buckingham Drive, Sherwood Park.  Learn More

  • Bonds are not fees.

    They are delayed charges that are only processed if specific commitments are not fulfilled. For most families, bonds will never be charged.

    For 2026, bonds include:

    • Volunteer Bond – released once volunteer hours are completed

    • Uniform Bond – only charged if team jerseys are not returned (Applies only to Competitive Program)

    • EMSA League Bond – incorporated into our U15, U17, and U19 Recreational programs and charged in the case where our teams must play in the EMSA league instead of our own house league.

ASSESSMENTS QUESTIONS →

  • Short answer - no.

    Assessments are designed to give assessors the best look at players amongst their peers.

    Opportunities to play up at an older age group exist through our Trialist Program throughout our club!

  • Assessments are designed to take the stress off by utilizing small-sided games (3v3, 4v4, etc.) to encourage a fast pace-of-play, touches on the ball, quick decision-making, and showcase 1v1 ability.

    To know what to expect at Assessments for the upcoming season, click here.

  • Our programs are built to judge players by their body of work over the course of the full season. We do this by looking at Trace Camera Highlights, practices and trainings, coach recommendations, and technical director recommendations.

    We have also implemented a Trialist Program. If you are interested in the possibility of playing at a higher tier or older age group. Assessments are just a small piece to the overall picture.

    Have fun and try your best!

  • Don’t sweat it!

    The best thing you can do is keep practicing and make use of things such as Clubhouse and Habit Trackers.

    Consider registering for Academies, camps, and clinics if you want additional coached sessions. We have also implemented a Trialist Program if you are interested in the possibility of playing at a higher tier or older age group.

    Most importantly, we will always have a team for any player that wants to play soccer. 

VOLUNTEER QUESTIONS →

  • A: Our volunteer bonds are not fees.

    Bonds are delayed charges that are only processed if specific commitments are not fulfilled. For most families, bonds will never be charged.

    The Volunteer Bond is assessed to families with players in U8-U19 programs. This is a per family bond, meaning families with multiple players would only receive one bond assessment.

    Volunteer hours can be earned through taking on team positions such as Coaching, Managing, Referee Liaisons and more. Volunteer hours may also be earned by taking on club opportunities such as helping with tournaments, clubhouse, and other events.

    Volunteer opportunities are updated as the season progresses.

    We rely on and value the contributions of the many incredible volunteers in our organization and we participate to build this connected soccer community together - dedicated to developing our future leaders. Volunteers make our community better and together, we can achieve remarkable things.

    For more information on volunteering, click here.

  • A: Volunteer bonds are charged at the end of a season to the credit card used at registration, only if volunteer hours haven’t been completed by the season deadline.

    Club volunteer hours are tracked by Phoenix FC administrative staff, and use Sign-Up Genius to record the volunteer opportunity.

    Team volunteer hours are submitted either by the Team Manager, or the Team Volunteer Tracker, by keeping a spreadsheet of the team’s volunteer hours, and submitting the document at the end of the season, or when everyone has completed their hours via team roles and opportunities.

  • A: Volunteer roles are divided into two categories: Team Volunteer Roles, and Club Volunteer Roles.

    Team Volunteer Roles include: Head Coach, Assistant Coach, Team Manager, Team Treasurer, Volunteer Time-Tracker, TRACE Camera Operator, Rule of Two Volunteer, Referee Liaison, Equipment Volunteer, Fundraiser Volunteer, Game Photographer, Bench Attendant, and Game Leader

    Club Volunteer Roles include: Clubhouse Leader, Clubhouse Sign-In, Facility Maintenance, Assessments Attendants, and more!

    Club Volunteer opportunities update as the season progresses. For a complete list click here.

  • A: We rely heavily on our volunteer coaches, especially in the younger ages (U4-U11). Often times, the responsibility of coaching can be a shared role and utilize multiple volunteer coaches. This helps spread the workload between volunteers, and ensures the team is looked after.

    Volunteer coaching is a full-season commitment and automatically qualifies for a Volunteer Fee refund (U8-U19).

PLAYER QUESTIONS →

  • When building our teams in our Recreational program, we will take reciprocal friend requests into account.

  • Players on the recreational side generally get equal playing time, providing they come to practice and contribute positively to the team (attitude). On the competitive side, players get significant playing time (minimum 40% of the game), but more minutes can be earned through extra hard work, great team spirit, extra practice on own and terrific appetite towards learning.

PARENT QUESTIONS →

  • Costs are dependent on the level of programming chosen. Click on the program outline for your desired program to view the cost breakdown.

  • We set tentative days of play for each program before the season. Depending on the number of registrants, we may need to make some adjustments to days of play or add days in the case of odd numbers of teams.

    For competitive programs, game days are set by EMSA and while we set initial training schedule based on their tentative days, we may need to make adjustments once EMSA shares their verified schedule.

  • We try to get rosters set and shared with coaches at least one week prior to season start. Each team’s coaching staff will be determined after the assessment period is over and teams have been assigned.

  • Edmonton Minor Soccer Association (EMSA) fees apply only to our Competitive Program. EMSA fees are league fees that we need to pay to play against other teams in the Edmonton area. The exact cost of these fees is determined each season by EMSA.

  • The EMSA Portal is a separate registration that is needed for Phoenix FC teams playing in the Edmonton Minor Soccer Association (EMSA) Leagues.

    How to register

  • Athletic Development is the overall development of the physical body, functional strength, endurance, repeated sprint ability, flexibility, agility, and balance. Injury prevention is an added focus of Athletic Development. Mental Fitness will be delivered through workshops, either online as a group or as a recording. Topics may include “Building of Confidence”, “Reaching your Potential”, “Visualization”, “Goal Setting and the use of the Habit Tracker”, and more!

  • Cohort Training is a practice session consisting of at least two teams within an age group (example U13 Team 1 and U13 Team 2). These sessions are coach-led with a member of Technical Staff helping to run these sessions. The benefits of the Cohort Training Model are that it creates an inspired environment, people work together, learn from each other, and it builds the idea of community and togetherness under the Phoenix badge.

  • We love it when parents are engaged with their kids! We offer many volunteer opportunities throughout the year with our tournaments, events, and general upkeep of our facility. Clubhouse is a great way to get involved with your kid’s soccer experience by joining them on the field! Get out and play!

COACH QUESTIONS →

  • Thanks for your interest in coaching! We appreciate our volunteers! Follow the steps below:

    1. CRC with VRC must be completed. Get a copy of a letter from the club.

    2. Respect in Sport

    3. Complete the age appropriate online NCCP course

    4. Complete the "Coaching Soccer in Canada" module

    5. Complete the "Understanding the Rule of Two" module

  • Of course! We offer many supports including curriculum, on-field mentorship with directors, online resources coaching community shared in Google Classroom, coaching courses, junior coach support, and a ton of resources on our website. 

  • Apparel/coach honorarium are available. Personal growth, and growth within the role is an important aspect. Coaching can be a very rewarding experience. At Phoenix FC we aim to create the best possible environments for players AND volunteer coaches through ongoing support and education.

  • Cohort Training is a practice session consisting of at least two teams within an age group (example U13 Team 1 and U13 Team 2). These sessions are coach-led with a member of Technical Staff helping to run these sessions. The benefits of the Cohort Training Model are that it creates an inspired environment, people work together, learn from each other, and it builds the idea of community and togetherness under the Phoenix badge.

  • You can find all of this on our website as well as the “Coaches’ Corner” Google Classroom. Our 4 Pillars of coaching are based on what young athletes consider fun, joyful, and what keeps them in the game. The 4 Pillars are:

    1. Hard Work,

    2. Positive Team Spirit,

    3. Positive Coaching (“Catch them doing well”)

    4. Learning and improving

  • Sessions will be provided by the club, including short animation videos. Ongoing Coach education is provided through Coaches’ Corner Google Classroom and workshops (on field and online) are also part of the offering. We encourage each team to have multiple parents involved to share the work and the experience. Successful kids have positively involved parents or guardians.