• The club names “Chilliwack FC”, “CFC” and “Chilliwack Football Club” as well as the official logo of the Chilliwack FC are the property of the Chilliwack FC and may not be used or reproduced in any manner without the express written consent of the Chilliwack FC.
• The Chilliwack FC official team apparel and brand as well as authorized suppliers shall be approved yearly by the Chilliwack FC Board of Directors.
• The official Chilliwack FC team apparel supplied through player registration fees consists of one pair of shorts, a jersey (rep teams U11 to U18 will receive 2 jerseys), and one pair of socks. Additional team apparel which may be purchased over and above the kit supplied by Chilliwack FC may include a training top, a warm-up suit and a jacket.
• Chilliwack FC official colours are navy, red and white.
• Chilliwack FC official team apparel for U11 and older must be approved by the Chilliwack FC Board of Directors or designate, before purchase.
• It is the obligation and responsibility of each coach to ensure his/her players wear approved apparel at all times when representing the Chilliwack FC.
• If a team wears non-approved apparel the coach may be required to appear before the Chilliwack FC Board of Directors or the discipline committee of the Chilliwack FC.

Disclaimer: The Chilliwack FC Executive reserves the right to make amendments to this document if it is deemed that it is in the best interest of the club and or team by doing so.

PRELIMINARY STATEMENT:
Chilliwack FC is adopting this policy as part of its obligation to provide a safe playing environment for its players.

Awareness of concussion and effects of concussion on players, especially youth players, has increased over the past decade. Medically, a concussion is a form of traumatic brain injury. Because it is a brain injury, a concussion is not a visible injury, such as a broken arm. It requires time to heal properly, involving both physical and mental rest. Consequences may include loss of coordination or memory, vision problems, learning issues and changes in emotions and behavior.

A concussion may result from a direct blow to the head or from an indirect blow to the body that causes various forces to affect the brain within the skull. Signs and symptoms may appear immediately or may be noticed hours or days (or longer) later. There are a wide variety of symptoms which are possible. Loss of consciousness is not required to be diagnosed with a concussion. Adolescents require more time to recover from concussions than adults.

APPLICATION OF POLICY:
This policy applies to all Chilliwack FC coaches, team managers, officials and players who are involved in Chilliwack FC programs.

REQUIREMENTS:
All Chilliwack FC coaches, team managers and club officials are required to take the free CDC (Center for Disease Control) online training course “Concussion Training for Coaches” before they may coach. This rule goes into effect with the start of the 2015 spring soccer season. The certificate of completion at the end of the online course is proof the course has been taken. This course takes approx 35-40 mins to complete.

The training course can be accessed by clicking this link: http://www.cdc.gov/concussion/HeadsUp/online_training.html

Parents and players may also complete the course for their own information.

THE POLICY:

During practices or games coaches or team officials shall remove a player from active participation if the player exhibits the signs, symptoms or behaviors consistent with a concussion, as outlined below, or is suspected of sustaining a concussion.

In the event of suspected concussion during a match or practice the team coach or official shall inform the parent/legal guardian about the possible concussion and the event surrounding the possible concussion.

Once a concussion has been diagnosed by a physician, a player may not be allowed to return to play until cleared in writing by their family doctor.

SYMPTOMS INFORMATION:  

If a player is experiencing ANY of the following symptoms as a result of a collision or impact with the ground DO NOT LET THEM PLAY.

• Confusion, foggy/groggy feeling, sluggish
• Dizzy, poor balance
• Sensitivity to noise or light, blurry vision
• Headache, feeling of pressure
• Poor memory: can’t remember what they ate earlier that day, the score of the game, what happened, etc.
• Poor coordination and concentration
• Nausea/vomiting
• Males typically experience more cognitive symptoms such as fogginess and lack of concentration.
• Females typically experience more somatic symptoms such as drowsiness, sensitivity to light, headaches, and nausea.

Players who have a suspected concussion should not be given pain relievers to mask symptoms (headaches). In addition, athletes should be supervised hourly for 24-48 hours following a suspected concussion to monitor for worsening symptoms. Do not leave them alone.

SIGNS OF A MEDICAL EMERGENCY:  

The following symptoms qualify as a medical emergency and beyond just removing the player from the field, it is required that the player is to be admitted to the emergency ward of the nearest hospital…

• Headaches that worsen  
• Repeated vomiting  
• Severe neck pain  
• Seizures  
• Increasing irritability
• Weakness/Numbness in arms or legs  
• Unable to recognize familiar faces/things  
• Loss of consciousness or unable to be awakened easily.

PREVENTATIVE MEASURES

USE OF PROTECTIVE HEADGEAR:
Does head gear work? The jury is out. One study that tested the head gear on mechanical models concluded that although it does not prevent concussions from ball to head contact it does significantly reduce concussions for head to head contact. At this time there are no conclusive studies on the effectiveness of head gear during actual soccer activities with players. The United States Soccer Federation medical staff has even voiced concern that head gear may actually promote head injuries via the superman effect or feeling like players are invincible to injury as a result of using the gear.

TIPS FOR COACHING THE CORRECT HEADING TECHNIQUES:   
Effective 2015 Chilliwack FC will be adopting a policy of using only lightweight soccer balls or volleyballs while coaching the proper heading technique.

• Learn proper heading technique with contact with the ball at the hairline/forehead NOT the top of the head. 
• Learn to properly prepare for contact with the ball and a mentality of initiating contact with the ball instead of letting the ball hit you. This will prepare the neck and postural muscles to help absorb impact and force to the body and head forward and make you a more effective player.
• Use slightly under-inflated soccer balls with younger kids (U12 and younger) until they get comfortable with heading and learning proper technique.
• Limit the amount of repetitive heading at practice to 5-10 minutes.

All selected team players will be placed based on the result of the player evaluation and team selection process.

• All players registered within Chilliwack FC must play within their appropriate age group. Exceptions will be made on a case by case basis providing the player meets the following criteria:
  • • The player will be playing at the highest level offered at the older age group.
    • The player is technically capable – the player must be able to show that their skill set both in training and game meets or exceeds the skill set of those currently in the older age group.
    • The player is physically capable of playing in the older age group. Physically capable includes but is not limited to physical strength, technical skill and speed.
    • The player is mentally capable of playing in an older age category.

• The process of requesting to play up:
  • • All players who have not been approached by Chilliwack FC’s technical staff but wish to play for an older age group must request an evaluation be conducted. It is the sole responsibility of the individual to make this request, not Chilliwack FC. All requests should be forwarded to Chilliwack FC’s Head Coach and Technical Glenn Wilson  and Chilliwack FC Chairperson Andrea Laycock.

Disclaimer: The Chilliwack FC Executive reserves the right to make amendments to this document if it is deemed that it is in the best interest of the player, the team, and or the club by doing so.

Click here to read the policy.

Adult Player Disclaimer:
I consent to my participation in all Chilliwack FC club activities for the Season or Event for which I am registering and agree to abide by any rules or policies established by the club. I understand that the Club or its Coaches will not be liable for any player conduct or injury during the season, including to and from games. I also hereby accept my placement on a team and understand that there are no changes made after teams are assembled. Should it be discovered after teams are assembled that I have incorrectly entered my birth date then a refund will be issued and I will be placed on a waiting list for my proper age group with no guarantee of being placed on a team. I will make every effort to attend all games and practices.

Refund Policy:
Refund requests should be directed to the CFC Treasurer. All refund requests will be handled according to the chart below. Note that the refund fees are cumulative (i.e. a U14 Rep player will have both $40 deducted from the registration portion and $50 deducted from the rep fee portion). All refunds will be returned within 30 days of notification to the Treasurer. Refunds will be withheld if CFC property (uniforms or other equipment) are not returned. Once the property is returned, the refund will be remitted within 30 days. It is up to the player/parent to ensure that CFC has current contact information (phone number and current mailing address) so that refunds are not delayed. CFC will not accept responsibility if contact information is incorrect.

*Refunds may be possible under “extraordinary” circumstances but only after review by the Refund Committee.

To download our refund policy as a printable PDF click here.

During the summer of 2017 British Columbia and the Lower Mainland saw increased forest fire activity that affected the air quality in Chilliwack. Under the guidance of BC Soccer and based on readings from the City of Chilliwack’s website CFC has implemented the following guidelines.

BC Soccer Air Quality Safety Guidelines:

• Player health and safety is a high priority for BC Soccer, thus it is recommended to err on the side of caution if ever in doubt in any situation regarding the health and safety of players.
• Click here for BC Soccer Guidelines
• Click here for Current Chilliwack Air Quality Readings

If the reading is 7 or above, practices/training cancelled by CFC.

Chilliwack FC reserves the right to cancel training if they feel it’s in the best interest of their members to do so despite the readings not meeting the “recommended” standards.

Please contact your coach if you have questions about training sessions.

Current Chilliwack Conditions

Information on Weather Related Cancellations