LCFC Frequently Asked Questions
1. When is my child old enough to start playing ‘soccer’ football?
Lane Cove FC encourages the development of football skills at a young age, therefore we accept players that are turning 5 to play in the Under 6 Small Sided Football (SSF) competition.
At Lane Cove you are never too old to start, as we offer teams right through to Over 35 and 45!
2. What Age Groups are there?
The Small Sided Football competitions span the U6 to U11 age groups. SSF games use a modified set of rules with small teams, playing on small fields, and offering plenty of time on the ball for all players.
The Junior Competition spans the U12 to U18 age groups (including girls teams), using full size fields and conventional 11-a-side team structure.
Adult football spans the All Age Men’s and Women’s competitions for 18 – 35 year olds, along with Over 35 and Over 45 age groups for Men and Over 35 for our Women players.
3. Can my child play with friends?
Lane Cove FC regards the grading process as being an important part of the season’s preparation. We have found that players who are not graded properly do not have as much fun playing as they otherwise could. Our emphasis in the junior age groups is very much on fun, but we also like to make sure the players are given every chance to improve their football skills and to try to make sure they come back to football year after year.
There is some leeway in the Under 6 and Under 7 age groups to play with friends, but only if they are not graded in the top teams in the age group. To organise your U6 or U7 child to play with friends please email the club administrator at admin@lcfc.com.au with the request or inform the club at time of registration or grading.
4. Does my child have to play in his or her own age group?
Lane Cove FC prefers that players stay in their correct age group – it is usually best for the player! We do make exceptions where the Club may ask a player to play up an age group to balance player/team numbers, or if their skill level indicates that they would be better placed in a higher age group.
5. Where are our games played?
LCFC home grounds are:
Blackman Park
Lloyd Rees Drive
Lane Cove West NSW 2066
For Map Click Here
Pottery Green Oval
Little Street, Lane Cove NSW 2066
For Map Click Here
The Ku-Ring-Gai & District Soccer Association (NSFA) stretches from North Sydney to Brooklyn. The younger SSF age groups are unlikely to travel too far, as they are grouped into the southern area of NSFA. Younger SSF age groups play at Blackman Park in Lane Cove West, or Burns Bay Reserve in Riverview.
The Junior and adult age group “home” grounds are Blackman Park and Pottery Green, with alternate week “away” games further afield.
6. What times are the games?
Most SSF and Junior games are played on Saturdays between 8.30am and Noon. The all-girls teams play on Sunday mornings.
On application to NSFA some high-school age teams may nominate Saturday afternoon and even Sunday morning games where there is likely to be a conflict with morning school sport for team members. This enables players to play for both school and Club, which we believe is an important option.
Senior Men’s teams play on Saturday afternoons with some games scheduled on Sundays due to either ground congestion or wet weather.
Women’s teams play on Sunday afternoons.
7. Who is my Coach?
Lane Cove FC is run by volunteers. Junior teams need parents to volunteer as Manager, Coach and assistants. Coaches and Managers are nominated after the grading process is complete.
Please note that training is not a ‘babysitting’ service and parents should be available to help the coach at training. This is particularly important in the younger age groups.
Training for coaches is provided by the club, via ‘Grass Roots’ and Junior Licence courses.
8. When is grading?
Grading is in February as per the Lane Cove FC Key Dates calendar. In addition, trial games against other Clubs will be arranged prior to the start of the season.
9. What day and where will training be?
Training evenings are confirmed after teams, coaches and managers are finalised. Generally speaking:
· U6’s will train on Tuesday from 5pm-6pm,
· U7’s will train on Tuesday nights from 6-7pm,
· U8’s will train on Wednesday nights from 6-7pm
· U9’s will train on Thursday nights from 6pm to 7pm.
· Older age groups generally train on a Tuesday or Thursday evening.
Please note that these days are subject to change as we try and fit all the teams onto the training fields.
All SSF and most Junior and senior training is at Blackman Park, Lloyd Rees Drive, Lane Cove West. Girls teams generally train at Pottery Green.
10. What size team will my child play in?
NSFA has fully endorsed the Small Sided Football (SSF) philosophy adopted by Football Federation Australia (FFA) and Football NSW:
U6-7 play 8-12 a side games on roughly quarter sized pitch with no goalies,
U8-9 play 7-10 a side on roughly one third size pitch with goalies,
U10-11 play 9-13 a side on roughly half size pitch with goalies
From U12 onwards, teams play conventional 11-a-side on full size pitches in the NSFA Junior and adult competitions.
11. What if I’ve never coached before?
LCFC is run by volunteers and we are dependent on parents to coach our SSF and Junior teams. We recognise that many parents are new to football, especially to coaching. Lane Cove FC arranges and subsidises all coaches and interested parents into Football NSW Grassroots and Junior Licence courses.
Lane Cove runs these at Blackman Park with the first one scheduled soon after grading is complete.
The better our coaches are trained the better our players will be trained so all coaches are strongly encouraged to attend Grassroots and Junior Licence Coaching courses. More experienced coaches can go onto Senior Licence courses and beyond.
Players who also coach a team may be eligible for a registration fee rebate at the end of the season.
12. What if my child has never played before?
Lane Cove FC is a community club and we cater for players of all standards across each age group. Our grading process helps to ensure players in a team are of a similar standard and that they play in an appropriate division within the NSFA competitions.
13. Do you have Girl’s and Women’s teams?
Following on from the enormous success in recent years with our Girl’s and Women’s teams, we aim to field teams from the U14, U16 and U18 age groups plus Women’s All Age and Women’s Over 35 age group. These competitions play on Sundays.
14. What are the fees for playing?
The fees are found under the Registration tab on the left side of the Lane Cove FC home page or click here.
Fees comprise NSFA registration, a compulsory FNSW fee and insurance levy, and a LCFC component which goes towards our administrative and equipment expenses on a ‘cost recovery’ basis.
15. How do I register?
Playing for Lane Cove Football Club is easier than ever. On-line registration and payment is the preferred option, via the LCFC homepage Register Here tab. Any questions can be directed to the Lane Cove FC administrator.
ALL PLAYERS MUST BE REGISTERED AND PAID and will not be permitted to participate in games until registered and paid.
16. Who can register on-line?
Any player, whether new or a re-registration, can register on line. If you register on line you should pay by credit card at the time. Manual payments can be accepted by the Lane Cove FC administrator.
17. When can I register on-line?
Registration generally opens during January for the season. Registrations close progressively during March as teams and age groups reach capacity.
New registrations may be accepted during the course of the season subject to places being available in teams.
18. Who should come to Registration Day?
Lane Cove FC runs a Registration Day during February each year. You should attend Registration day if:
· if you have questions,
· if you do not want to register on-line
· if you want to pay your fees by cash or cheque (although we will also accept credit card payments at Registration Day),
· if you would like to talk to one of the committee about how the Club operates
· if you want to assist with a team or join the volunteer committee,
· if you want to buy equipment (shorts, socks, shin pads and boots),
19. What equipment does the club supply?
Lane Cove FC supplies a club shirt which remains the property of the Club. This needs to be returned at the end of the season and must be worn for each game throughout the season.
Coaches are supplied with balls and training equipment but you are encouraged to purchase the right sized football for your child to bring to training.
20. What will I have to supply for my child to play?
All players must be registered, wearing boots and shin pads in order to train. Full club uniform must be worn to play on the weekend, therefore you will have to purchase club socks and shorts.
All this equipment is available from our Club’s clothing partner, Kingsgrove Sports Centre, located on Pacific Highway (southbound) next to Bob Jane TMart and BBQ’s Galore.
21. What happens at the end of the season?
NSFA run a gala day between teams of similar skill level one week after the end of the season.
The week after that Lane Cove FC runs a Club Day where trophies are handed out to SSF and Junior teams. All equipment is collected from teams (training equipment and playing shirts) at Club Day.
Further Questions?
Further questions can be directed to the relevant age coordinator or enquiries can be made directly to the administrator at admin@lcfc.com.au or Ph: 9431 8648