Letter to Parents

Dear Parents,

As you may know, the five soccer clubs in Bismarck and Mandan have worked since 2007 to find common ground and consolidate into one unified soccer club. The goal has been and will be to create more high-quality soccer opportunities for your kids.

To date, three clubs have voted to consolidate: Capital City Soccer Club (CCSC), NoDak Soccer Club, and Indoor Soccer Association (ISA). So, our new club - named Dakota United Soccer Club - has its foundation. Bismarck Soccer League (BSL) and Mandan Soccer Club (MSC) have not joined yet, but hopefully they will soon.

Dakota United has an active Board, President, Vice President, Treasurer, and Secretary. We also have Directors that oversee six program areas: competitive, recreational, indoor, referees, tournaments and special events, and fundraising and sponsorship. Finally, we have a Director of Coaching (DOC) Team, and will soon have a Program Administrator.

Our challenge is to launch a successful program that serves all soccer players this summer. The Competitive Committee and the DOC Team have worked together to achieve this. The attached Summer 2009 Program Description outlines an Academy Program and a Competitive Program. As shown, we will offer soccer for U6 through U8 players, which is a big change. For U9 through U12 players, we will offer local league play and several optional tournaments. For U13 through U19 players, teams will play in tournaments as they always have, but they may choose from a list of recommended tournaments.

The attached Summer 2009 Registration Form may be used to register your kids ... one form per kid please. The Fee Schedule near the bottom details the fees for each age group. At this point, we only require Club Fees for all players. Tournament Fees for U9/U10 and U11/U12 players will be paid later; however, please mark selected tournaments on your Registration Form. U13-U19 teams will pay Tournament Fees and Coaching Fees after choosing tournaments and coaches. All uniforms will be purchased separately. Please attach a check made out to Dakota United to your Registration Form. All checks already submitted to CCSC or NoDak will be refunded as soon as possible.

This will be a year of transition. We have a good plan, but it will be a challenge to implement. We ask for your patience and support. We will host informational meetings at the Bismarck Public Library, Room A. The U6-U12 meeting will start at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, February 3. The U13-U19 meeting will start at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, February 5. Also, information will be posted on existing club websites.

If you have questions about the Summer 2009 Program, please contact Jeff Jensen (471-5390) or John Evanson (391-5500). We are your Directors of Competitive Soccer.

If you have questions about Dakota United in general, please contact our President, Randy Baumgartner (319-5584), or our Vice President, Gail Anderson (226-6179).

Sincerely,
Jeff Jensen & John Evanson