West Zone 'A' Teams - Information

Zone Boundaries:

The West zone is comprised of the Westlock Rock, West Edmonton Blues and the Parkland Posse.  In the divisions of 12U-Peewee and 14U-Bantam teams will compete in an ‘A’ division that includes teams from North, South, East Edmonton.  The 16U-Midget league is governed by the ALA as it is a Provincial league including teams from Edmonton, Calgary and Saskatchewan.  

Purpose:

To provide the most skilled players in our zone the opportunity to compete at the highest level of play available in the divisions of Peewee, Bantam and Midget.  A complementary result of this program also positively impacts the B/C divisions by pushing stronger talent onto these teams making for more skilled and competitive teams at the club level.

Program Guidelines:

Detailed information about the Zone team tryouts and coach selection process can be found HERE.  The current agreement between all three clubs is as follows:

• Practices and Home games will be scheduled equally between the communities of Parkland County and West Edmonton. Westlock will also host some practices and a regular season game.  This will be scheduled regardless of how many players from one organization make the roster.
• Coaching Selection will be done via applications and an interview process with a panel of board members from each of the three clubs. If a parent coach is named, they will be expected to recuse themselves from any discussion of their own child’s evaluation or team placement.
• The team will wear the jerseys of the host club.
• Hosting the team is purely an administrative act and currently resides with the Parkland Posse. We believe by embracing the ‘Zone concept’ and splitting all floor time across the zone, that “hosting” will become a less important factor moving forward.
• Evaluations will be conducted with Board members from each club at the venue for oversight and unbiased, impartial evaluators will be hired whenever possible.
• Proposed rosters will be presented to the panel of all three clubs for review/approval before final cuts are made and rosters announced.
• Final rosters will be posted no later than the Friday of Spring Break.

What your child should expect:

• Exposure to some of the best lacrosse coaches in the GELC.
• An expectation to attend all practices and games with a positive attitude and excellent work ethic.
• An expectation to be a team player. This is a zone team, regardless of the jersey on their back, players will be expected to make friends and to include everyone in team activities.  Club allegiances shall be dropped once making this roster.
• Have fun!

What the parent(s) should expect:

• To see their child challenged against the most skilled players in the GELC.
• A significant seed cheque to cover costs
• Additional travel; you will be practicing outside of your usual club facilities. 
• A one-time $40 tryout fee payable before your child’s first evaluation. Monies collected will cover the costs of floor time, evaluators and any leftover will be given to the teams once formed to offset the need to collect seed money from the parents.
• To be part of ‘Zone Team’, where club allegiances are dropped, and the parent group comes together to support their children playing with former rivals working towards a common goal.
• Have fun and enjoy watching your kids play.

Miscellaneous

• An intent form is required to register for the A Tryout.  Please follow the link below to complete it.
• If a player will be absent from a tryout, you must inform your Club President via email as well as President@parklandposse.com to be recorded to ensure your player is not released without two tryouts.
• Volunteer commitments remain due with your home association. There will be no additional volunteerism required to the Zone team, other than what is required to operate the team i.e. Team Manager, Time Clock duties etc.  Fundraising is not considered a volunteer commitment and zone teams may be required to complete additional fundraising for the host club.
• Grievances with a Zone team need to be made in writing to all three Club President’s. A resolution will be agreed to and communicated by the host club’s President. 

We thank you in advance for your support of our Zone and the players that wish to compete at this level.  Should you have any further questions don’t hesitate to contact your Club President.

CLICK HERE to be redirected to the Zone Home Page for the current Tryout Schedule and further information.