United DFC Need to Know - September 4th - September 10th, 2024
Welcome to United DFC’s weekly Need to Know newsletter. Our aim is to keep you informed about everything that is going on inside the club. Watch for your update every Wednesday.
Dear Coaches, Managers, and Key Volunteers,
This fall, we are excited to announce the United DFC Awards Night, where our U10 and older players will gather to celebrate an outstanding season. The event will take place at a local high school auditorium, with the exact date and location to be confirmed once the facility is booked. We’re aiming for a Thursday in early October.
Major Award Nominations:
This form has been shared with the membership and accepts nominations for the MAJOR awards like coach of the year, player of the year... etc. We invite everyone to fill this out to nominate for the major awards. Deadline for nominations: September 15th at midnight
As we prepare for this special night, we invite members to share their favorite memories, photos, and highlights from the season to help us recognize teams and create a memorable slideshow. Additionally, we encourage everyone to complete the UDFC Award Nomination Form to nominate players, volunteers, and coaches for various awards. The nominations collected will be used to determine the UDFC Annual Awards, HRM volunteer award nominations, and Soccer NS award nominations.
Our goal is to foster a culture of excellence, appreciation, and community within the club. We believe that coming together to celebrate a fantastic year will help us achieve this. A detailed email will follow once all the event details are finalized, but we wanted to give you as much time as possible to submit your nominations.
United DFC’s Fall Skills & Scrimmage Sessions- NEW PROGRAM
United DFC is excited to launch our new Fall Skills & Scrimmages program! Over five sessions, players will learn soccer fundamentals with plenty of time for fun, game-based play.
This program is perfect for young players who are new to soccer or those looking to develop their understanding of the game's basics. By the end of the five sessions, players will have been introduced to a number of soccer skill techniques and age appropriate game concepts, increased their confidence on the ball, and experienced the fun of playing in real-game situations.
Dates: Sundays - September 15, 22, 29, October 6, 13
Location: Portland Estates 2, grass field
Schedule:
- 1:30-2:15 PM - Active Start U5 & U6 (born 2019 & 2020) - $50
- 2:20-3:15 PM - U7-U9 Fundamentals (born 2016-2018) - $60
- 3:20-4:45 PM - U10-12 (born 2013-2015) - $60
Visit HERE for more information on the program.
* Coaches from our summer program are invited to register their player for free. Reach out to susans@udfc.ca for more information.
AAA/AA ASSESSMENTS
We will open ASSESSMENT registration on September 9th. All U12-U18 players must register for this assessment so they can be offered a place on a winter program. Players should register for the highest level they would like to be considered for.
Assessments will take place for AAA/AA/A beginning September 30th and there will be a $15 registration fee.
Have 3 or more children playing at UDFC?
Check out our payment policy and contact the office to receive a $35 discount on player 3, and a registration value up to $300 for player 4.
Intro to Goalkeeping (U10-12)
Targeted Goalkeeping (U13-18)
GK Academy (AAA + invites)
The Intro and Targeted programs are open registration programs meant to enhance the overall experience of our club GK’s by providing an open and inclusive environment to learn the specialized techniques and training to safely and effectively take on the highly specialized and important position of Goalkeeper.
The academy program is an additional session included in the AAA program and can be accessed by other up and coming, dedicated GK’s that are invited by the UDFC Technical Staff. For more information about the program and the cost please click here.
AAA/AA Playoffs and Provincial Update
Congratulations to our teams who participated in the NS Provincial Championships over the past 2 weekends
Summer Participant Survey
We value your feedback and use it to make improvements on our programs and their delivery. We would welcome your input on this survey regarding your experience with this summer’s soccer at United DFC.
Survey participants are eligible to win Halifax Wanderers tickets by providing your contact information at the bottom of the survey!
Thank you!
Halifax Tides FC Season Tickets
We’re thrilled to share that Halifax Tides FC season ticket deposits are now available!
You can reserve your place in line for the Tides’ inaugural season with a $50 deposit. This deposit will be applied to the total cost of one Tides Season Ticket Membership. Act quickly—submitting your deposit early will influence the order in which you select your seat.
How it works:
Be a part of the movement. Place your deposit today.
Shop Now: https://www.ticketmaster.ca/event/3100610FD9FD5401
Sign up for more info: https://shop.tidesfc.ca/pages/newsletter
Halifax Wanderers FC - Discounted Tickets for UDFC Members
The Halifax Wanderers have partnered with local clubs to provide discounted tickets to home games! United DFC members can purchase tickets to upcoming games through this link.
Timbit Mini Medals
Timbit Mini Medals can be picked up at our office during office hours in case you missed the last session.
Address: 75 MacDonald Avenue #4, Dartmouth.
Office Hours: Monday to Thursday 10 am to 5 pm.
Jersey 4 Life Memo to Members
For more information click on the link: jersey4life
Any questions may be directed to fawnm@udfc.ca.
PROGRAM SPONSORSHIPS
UDFC's greatest strength is its community. The club is actively looking for Sponsors or Partners to help reduce the cost of delivering - or enhancing - programs. Sponsorships support events like Soccer by the Sea, teams such as our Skill Center teams, and initiatives like Special Olympics and Women in Coaching. For known potential Sponsorship opportunities, please reach out to fawnm@udfc.ca.
Our club has ~3,500 members over the course of the year, with weekly Need-to-Know emails received by more than 4,000 individuals on a weekly basis.
True Sport Campaign: NoRefNoGame
As part of their commitment to True Sport, Sport Manitoba developed the #NoRefNoGame social media campaign to bring awareness to the maltreatment of officials in sport. Officials play an essential role in sport, and due to increasing incidents of maltreatment, their participation is declining at an alarming rate.
Please share this campaign with your friends and family as a reminder of UDFC's commitment to sportsmanship.
Tri-Preston Mini Soccer
We are excited to announce our Tri-Preston Mini Soccer Program started last week in North Preston. This FREE soccer program has been created to bring soccer to the communities of North Preston, East Preston, Cherrybrook/Lake Loon and beyond. We are looking for volunteers to coach on Friday evenings. Please reach out to Susan Steele at susans@udfc.ca if you are interested.
Sign up for Summer Goalkeeper Training with Keith Partridge or Yann Fillion
For more info click on the link below:
Gear Collection
We are currently accepting new or gently used gear at our office that you no longer need.
Any gear dropped off will be offered to any members who are in need.
We will accept cleats, shin pads, gently used socks, shorts, training shirts, jerseys (GK jerseys too!) , tracksuits, hoodies, etc. as long as it is still in good condition.
Social Media Campaigns - We need your help!
United DFC is launching social media campaigns for coach and player recruitment. The most effective way to spread the word to the audience we want to attract is for our members to INTERACT with our posts. On Facebook, it is as easy as commenting or sharing and the post will show up in your feed for others to see. On Instagram, please view, like and comment. We can't express our appreciation enough for members who do this. #UnitedDFCFamily
Please remember to tag us in your United DFC social media posts! Photos can also be sent to katies@udfc.ca to be shared with our community.
Looking for Testimonials - SHARE YOUR STORY
We want to hear YOUR story! Share your experience as part of the #UnitedDFCFamily and let's celebrate the #UnitedDFCExperience together! Plus, as a big thank you, we're giving away awesome gifts to those whose stories we feature! Don't miss out on your chance to share the love and snag some sweet swag. Let's make memories together! #ShareYourStory #GratitudeGesture. Send a few sentences and a photo we can use on social media to katies@udfc.ca or click here to fill out the form. (along with the gift you would prefer).
Summer Office Hours
Our office hours will be changing over the coming months. We will be moving to a Monday-Thursday schedule.
Check out our partner, OK Tire:
Read more about our partnership here.
Social Media Channels
Please follow our social media channels and like/tag/share/comment on any posts that resonate with you. This is a small thing you can do that will help the club a great deal.
Instagram: @UnitedDFC
Facebook: @UnitedDFC
Twitter: @UnitedDFC
TikTok: @UnitedDFC
YouTube: @United DFC