Welcome to the Steel Valley Soccer Club, proudly serving the youth of Munhall, Homestead, West Homestead and neighboring communities.
Spring 2012 Registration. Registration for the Spring 2012 Season opens on January 1, 2012 at 12:01 a.m. Registration is exclusively online. Registration closes at midnight on February 10, 2012. Late registrations will NOT be accepted except for travel players recruited to complete rosters. To access the online registration site, visit pa-steelvalley.affinitysoccer.com (click on registration); or click on the SVSC Logo immediately below which will link you to the online registration site:
Public Registration Session. If you are unable to register online or are uncomfortable with the process, a public registration session will be held on Saturday, January 14, 2012, at Panera Bread at The Waterfront from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Computers will be available for your use and Club directors and committee members will be on hand to answer your questions.
Open Forum. On Thursday, January 19, 2012, the Club will hold an open forum beginning at 7 p.m. Do you have questions about the Club? This is your opportunity get answers. The forum is ideal for new players, for players considering travel soccer, for those considering coaching or volunteering, and for those who have questions about why the Club does what it does. The Open Forum will be held at St. Rita (in the school building), which is at 219 W. Schwab Ave., in Munhall Gardens (off of Whitaker Way).
Uniforms for Sale. Uniform shirts, shorts and socks will be available for sale on Thursday, January 19, from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m., at St. Rita, 219 W. Schwab Ave., Munhall Gardens (off of Whitaker Way). Each in-house player must have a maroon t-shirt and a gold t-shirt; the cost is $8 per shirt, and the shirts are reusable in subsequent seasons. Shorts and socks are optional, but maroon shorts and socks are often hard to find at local stores, so the Club has them available for sale. The shorts and socks offered for sale are the same as will be used by SVSC travel teams, so if you buy shorts or socks for in-house play, you can also use them for travel soccer as well.
Coaches Needed. When you register your player, please consider volunteering to coach. SVSC continues to need inhouse coaches at all age groups. Please consider volunteering your time. Many parents are already attending games and practices, so the time commitment is only marginally greater. SVSC has a number of resources available to coaches, including free coaching courses, the availability of experienced coaches to help run initial practices, coaching manuals, practice plans, soccer coaching videos, and so forth. Every year is a struggle to find interested parents to coach. Please be part of the solution, not the problem.
Parking Area. As a convenience to parents and fans, SVSC has created a parking area at St. Therese Field. SVSC hopes that the parking area adds to your enjoyment of SVSC soccer. However, drivers are cautioned that the gate to the field is generally locked and may not be open, especially for practices, thereby preventing access to the parking area. If the gate is not open, please DO NOT park in front of the gate, so that if the gate is opened later, cars can get through. Also, do not park on the access road, as it is a fire lane. Every effort will be made to open the gate and the parking area but SVSC cannot guarantee that on any given day at any given time the gate will be open.
Smoking Policy. At the SVSC Board Meeting on Thursday, April 16, 2009, the Club adopted a new policy on the use of tobacco products, alcohol, and illegal drugs at St. Therese Field and Campbell Field. The new policy provides: "The use of tobacco products, alcohol or illegal drugs is strictly forbidden at St. Therese Field and Campbell Field while Steel Valley Soccer Club games and practices are being held. Adults may smoke beyond the tree line at St. Therese Field or outside the fences at Campbell Field during games and practices. Steel Valley Soccer Club thanks you for helping to maintain a healthy and safe environment for our children." SVSC thanks you for your anticipated cooperation with this policy, as we strive to provide a positive and healthy environment for the children who play for the club.
Playing Up Policy. To play up (that is, playing in a higher age group than is otherwise dictated by the child's age), the child must have demonstrated superior playing ability, and must have the approval of his or her coach, the Age Group Commissioner, and the President of SVSC. Otherwise, play up requests will be entertained only upon demonstration of special circumstances. All players playing up will have to execute a play up form, which can be downloaded from the Registration page of this website. This policy does not apply to travel players; travel play ups will continue to be determined by the travel coaches.
Volunteers Needed. Please consider volunteering your time to help the Club this Spring. A number of volunteer opportunites are available, including coaching, refereeing, concessions, field maintenance, fundraising and sponsorship of travel teams. The Club can only be as strong as the commitment of its volunteers.
Equipment Requirements. All players must wear shin guards to practice and games. THE SHIN GUARDS SHOULD BE COVERED WITH SOCKS. Additionally, all in-house players must have maroon and gold t-shirts for games. T-shirts (as well as maroon shorts and socks) are available for purchase from SVSC. Please contact Uniforms Manager Nashaun Forney at 412-736-3883 for additional information. While not mandatory, it is recommended that players wear soccer cleats and have a soccer ball for practices (Size 3 for U6, Size 4 for U8 and U12).
Background Checks for Coaches. All coaches, both head and assistants, 18 years and older, must register with PA West for a background check. The background check is completely confidential - no one from SVSC will have access to your results - and is good for two years. Background checks are now done online through the Affinity registration system. You may also go to www.pawest-soccer.org, scroll your cursor on "Youth Div." at the top of the page (horizontal menu), then click on "Risk Management" from the drop down menu. Click on the link provided on that page and follow the directions. The whole process only takes a few minutes. Note that as part of the registration process, you will be asked to identify how you wish to pay. Indicate you will pay by check, provide a fictitious check number (e.g., 9999), and upon receiving notice that you applied for the background check, SVSC will pay the $10 fee.
Board Meetings. SVSC Board meetings are held the third Thursday of every month at 7 p.m. at St. Rita in the school building. St. Rita is at 219 W. Schwab Ave. in Munhall Gardens (off of Whitaker way). Everyone is invited to attend, and please consider doing so, as your input is needed to make SVSC the best it can be.
Steel Valley Soccer Club (SVSC) is an all-volunteer association providing children in Munhall, Homestead, West Homestead and adjacent communities the opportunity to play and experience the “Beautiful Game” of Soccer. It is affiliated with the PA West Soccer Association (PA West), the United States Youth Soccer Association (USYSA), the United States Soccer Federation (USSF), and FIFA.
SVSC sponsors an in-house soccer program for children as young as 4 years old and as old as 13 years old. It also sponsors a travel team program for children 9 years old and up.
The SVSC in-house soccer program consists of a U6 (Under Six Years Old) coed league, a U8 (Under Eight Years Old) coed league, and a U12 (Under Twelve Years Old) coed league. Two separate seasons are held: Fall (which usually starts in early September and runs through October) and Spring (which usually starts in late March and runs into late May). Players must register separately for the Fall and Spring seasons. Teams in each of the in-house leagues play games on Saturdays during the season.
The SVSC travel soccer program is defined by a number of factors, not the least of which is player interest, but generally speaking, SVSC sponsors in any given year travel teams for boys and girls in age groups from U10 to U19. SVSC travel teams play in the PA West South District for both the Fall and Spring seasons. As with the in-house program, players must register separately for the Fall and Spring seasons. Games are held Sunday afternoons. Play culminates for each team with participation in June in the PA West Open Tournament (held in recent years at Edinboro University). Children who play on travel teams may also play in-house if they are age-eligible.
In addition to programs for soccer players, SVSC has a vibrant program for youth and adult referees.
The Steel Valley Soccer Club is an all-volunteer organization, and its ability to provide opportunities to area youth is directly tied to the kindness, talents, and dedication of its volunteers. You are greatly encouraged to volunteer. Simply put, the more volunteers the club has, the better the programs it can offer, and the more the children benefit. Volunteer opportunities are available for coaches, referees, field maintenance, fundraising, concessions, sponsorship and so forth. Training opportunities and materials are provided for coaches and referees, at no cost to the volunteer. Please consider volunteering!
Please note that SVSC, for the protection of its players, is firmly committed to PA West background check program. As such, volunteers who will have regular and direct contact with the players will be asked to register for a background check. All costs associated with this program are borne by SVSC.
If you have an interest in volunteering, please contact Mike Pavlick (412-462-4253; pavlick.svsc@comcast.net).